Asterio C: "I love Daly City.. It's like Little Manila, Philippines."

Interviewer: Jeric P.
Interviewee: Asterio C.

Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Life In The Philippines
- Leaving The Philippines
- Settling In The US
- Life In The US
- Filipino In The US
- Reflections

Introduction:
For this Oral History Project, I chose to interview my father, Asterio C. My father was able to briefly discuss with me on what it was like living in the Philippines to how he got petitioned to move to America. He then talks about how it was like living in America and what he has learned from his experience such as the differences between the two countries.

Segment 1 - Life In The Philippines:

Asterio was born and raised in San Carlos, Pangasinan. With 8 brothers and 2 sisters, he was the fourth to oldest sibling in the family. My dad was a high school graduate in the Philippines with goals to get a degree to support his family.

Segment 2 - Leaving The Philippines:

Asterio moved to America in 1988 at the age of 22-23 years old through a marriage petition. Unfortunately, he was unable to petition other family members because the process itself was difficult. Asterio says that he has made many sacrifices such as using most of his time finding and working for jobs to support his family. He adds that it's a lot more easier to purchase things in America than it is in the Philippines.

Segment 3 - Settling In The US:

Asterio first lived at his aunt in-law's house around the Daly City and San Francisco area when he moved to America. Coming to America, he knew of a couple friends who were already living here besides his wife and her family. I asked him how Daly City was for him when he first came here and he answered, "I love Daly City.. It's like Little Manila, Philippines."

Segment 4 - Life In The US:

Asterio was able to find his first job through his aunt in-law's husband's help. He started off as a dishwasher then moved up to a pantry man. Now he's been working as a set-up man for 20 years. Thankfully, Asterio did not experience any discrimination while living in America.

Segment 5 - Filipino In The US:

Asterio was able to keep his culture as a Filipino and never lost sight of his identity while living in America. He also admits that he sometimes gets homesick. Asterio says that he misses the food and the bonding times that he had with his family in the Philippines. Asterio says the difference between the Filipinos in the Philippines compared to born Filipinos in America is their attitude.

Segment 6 - Reflections:

Asterio says that he loves staying in America. He says that he is living the "American Dream." Having a better job that pays more than they do in the Philippines and being the family man that he is now, he is living his "American Dream." He says that the biggest thing he's learned overall is that it is sad if a person is unable to find a job in America. Although, if a person does have a job, it's a lot better than having a job in the Philippines because of salary and working conditions.