Date: 3/22/19
Interviewer: Nick Murphy
Interviewee: Maria D. Murphy
Interview process: I strategically prepared to do an interview over the phone by setting a date and time. I did the interview over the phone with my mother in order to obtain proper audio. I used the voice recording app on my laptop in order to record the audio. I am not the best at technology however it was quite simple as I just hit the play button and listened to Maria Murphy speak and tell her story on immigration immigration into the United States. By preparing all my materials such as my laptop and interview questions for the interview I was able to proficient conduct the interview. I made sure nobody was in the room while I conducted the interview to make sure there was no background noise which could cause any distractions during the interview process. By preparing for the interview I was able to eliminate any possible threats to ruining the audio.
Biography: Maria D. Murphy was born on May 28th, 1968 in San Sebastian, El Salvador. She grew up with 9 brothers and sisters in small house. She was raised by farmers. As a child she experienced the Salvadorian Civil war which was the primary reason she left her home land for the United States. This was a life changing experience and as a result has lead to great success in her life.
Transcription:
NM: Hello, how are you?
MM: Hi, how are you?
NM: Hey, I was wondering if you can help me with my history project?
MM: Oh sure!
NM: Alright, I just want to interview a few question for you.
MM: Sure!
NM: Alright Thank you, can you please state your name and a little bit about yourself?
MM: Sure, my name is Maria Delmy Carranza, that’s my maiden name. I was born in El Salvador in 1968 as a farmer from Jose Lucas Carranza and Theresa Carranza. They were both born in the 1920’s. I was born in a farm in Usulatan, Santa Elena from San Sebastian. I am the youngest of 9 siblings. In 1968 I went to school in a farm with a bout 20 students in each class. I did not go to kindergarten because parents at that time thought a child should not go to kindergarten as they automatically put you in first grade at the age of 6. I grew up on a farm until the age of 10 years old. One day my parents were working on a farm and we did not know that a war was going on as there were just rumors that they killed someone. So I was going to school and there was shooting going on and two teachers got killed. So we did not know that the war was just starting in the early 1980s. It was a war between rebels and the military. The rebels were people that were trying to convince the young generation to go fight with them in the woods as they brainwash you an would try to convince you to go on your own will with boys and girls between the age of ten and older to fight arms against them. So one day my parents decided to move out from the farm as they were sending all the teenagers to the war. One day my parents left everything behind and moved to a town where all my siblings left because the war was going on. I have 3 brothers and seven sisters who all left towards the United States because they did not want to stay in the war. My mom and my sister bought a house in San Sebastian at the time of the war. We thought it was safe however the war continued between the rebels and the Military.
NM: So why did you decide to leave El Salvador for the United States?
MM: Because when we left from the farm to the little town San Sebastian the house got destroyed. The rebels
got into San Sebastian and destroyed the house completely. At that time we moved to a town called San Vicente and my sister who was a nun got a Visa for my mother, dad, and other sister who was there and in 1984 when my house was destroyed we came to the United States as a Visa.
NM: So how did the war affect you?
MM: The war affected me in different ways as it was very emotional especially when the house was destroyed in San Sebastian but with therapy and help from family I actually got over it as I came to the United States when I was fifteen years old and did not speak any English but with help and school with ESL the war actually did not affect me when I came to the United States as I was far from the war.
NM: So can you describe that process of coming to the United States.
MM: Sure. The process of going to the United States started when my sister got a visa for five family members and we came to the United States with that VISA. I had a sister that was a citizen in the United States and she sponsored my parents and automatically became a resident as I was a minor at that time. By following all the procedures I became a permanent resident.
NM: So how did you become a US citizen?
MM: So by following all the rules and regulation in the United States I became a US citizen when my sister gave my parents resident-ship. My documents were then processed to become a citizen. I got married to Tom Murphy who was a citizen and automatically applied to become a permanent resident with him. After five years I became a US citizen due to marriage.
NM: So why did you decide to come to Virginia?
MM: The reason I came to Virginia is because all my family at that time was living in Virginia. That’s the reason Virginia was the state I came to.
NM? Do you know why they were in Virginia?
MM? Like I told you because of the war. One sister Felicita was the one who came to the United States and all the brothers and sisters came after her to stay in Virginia. They all became residents and became citizens. The whole family are US Citizens by following the procedures in the United States.
NM: What were some big differences between the El Salvador and the United States?
MM: The big difference is actually the culture and the language barrier. I had to learn English from scratch. I did not speak one word of English when I came. High school was a struggle for me as I did not speak the language. I was very young however I caught up really quick and graduated from high school at the age of 20. It took me longer as I did not speak the language. I came here to do ninth grade at the age of 16 and graduated in 1989.
NM: Since you graduated high school what have you been able to accomplish in those years and what do you recommend toward people going through this process?
MM: Well I recommend for students to work hard, do what you are suppose to do, and do the right things. If you study hard and you do everything right you can actually accomplish what you want in this world. When I came here as a fifteen year old I did not speak one word of English. I had to struggle to learn English but I had a dream that I could accomplish anything I wanted in this country if I tried. If I worked very hard for it and I wanted to do it I could do it. My dream was to go to high school and go to college. First I went to cosmetology and did not like it. Then I went to real estate and did not like that either. Then I went to banking and felt that was my passion and the field that was for me. So when I was twenty years old I started in a bank (First Virginia) as a teller. At only twenty years old I knew that this is want I wanted to do as I wanted my life to be better. The company put me in banking school and I started as a teller then customer service, then the loan department and now I do mortgages. I love my job and I love what I do. I think if you work hard you can accomplish your dreams. Right now I’m still working as I have been in banking for thirty years and I am happy what I do. What I would tell you that in my experience that anything is possible in life. Do not give up do your best work hard and you can accomplish your dreams in whatever you do. If you work hard you can do it but if you don’t just let it go.
NM: Alright thank you so much
MM: No problem!
Conclusion: Over all I felt that the interview went pretty well. I learned about the history of the El Salvadoran Civil war and it was a great learning experience to learn more about my mother. It is hard to believe some one could be in such a tragic situation and just one day be able to leave all of their belongings behind. To improve the interview I could have used a better recording system. Although the recording turned out to be good I feel that I could have gotten better audio by using a different recording device. If I learned how to edit recording I could even put transitions into the audio to make the audio more appealing.
History:
The Salvadoran Civil war resulted in 75,000 deaths and took place between the years of 1980-1982. The war took place due to primarily political differences between the left wins and the right wing political parties. The assassination of Archbishop Romero was the tipping point of the war. In 1981 the United States came to El Salvador to provide military aid and assistance.
“El Salvador.” CJA, cja.org/where-we-work/el-salvador/.
Life during the Salvadoran civil war was extremely hard. The poverty rate was the worst of the century. The poverty got worse every year in the 1980s. Most El Salvadorans try their best to not reach starvation and wish to have at least a part time job. American aide provided for 55 percent of the El Salvadorian budget. Inflation is at 507 percent which has forced many to go into malnutrition.
LINDSEY GRUSON, Special to the New York Times. “Salvador’s Poverty Is Called Worst of Century.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Oct. 1988, www.nytimes.com/1988/10/16/world/salvador-s-poverty-is-called-worst-of-century.html.
1.4 million El Salvadorans have immigrated to the United States. The results of the civil war left the country with barely any money which in result lead to millions of people struggling daily to survive. Today levels of violent are higher than those at the time of war mainly due to gang violence. Approximately 500,000 El Salvadorians fled to the United States during the time of war. Only two percent of applicants who applied during the war were approved. In 1990 the Immigration Act was signed which allowed for foreign nationals to live and work in the United States if it were declared unsafe for the nationals to return to their home country.
Menjívar, Cecilia, and Andrea Gómez Cervantes. “El Salvador: Civil War, Natural Disasters, and Gang Violence Drive Migration.” Migrationpolicy.org, 16 Jan. 2019, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/el-salvador-civil-war-natural-disasters-and-gang-violence-drive-migration.