Skyline College/North San Mateo County Oral History Archives, Skyline College Library
Student project for LSCI 110 – Digital Oral Research Project, Skyline College

 The Journey: Mary Ann Ramil

Click here to read the research essay, “Change Is Inevitable”, by Audrey Cacal

Click on the links below to hear audio segments from an April 2012 interview by Audrey Cacal with MaryAnn Ramil, who lived her first 18 years of her life in the Philippines and migrated to the United States with both her parents in hopes to gain a better lifestyle.
In this interview, Mary Ann and I discussed her lifestyle back in the Philippines and the differences between that life and her life in the United States.
She also gave an insider of her life lessons and how she dealt with them.

Description: G:\Cacal\index_files\image002.jpg
Mary Ann at the Alejandro M. Cacal Roadside Park named after her father.

 

Table of Contents:
1.
Behind The Family Scenes
2.
Old Life Behind, New Life Ahead

3. Just The Beginning

4. The American Dream

5. Filipino Identity

6. Lessons Learned

Segment 1
Behind The Family Scenes
(1:01)
Mary Ann goes in talks about her family background of where her family

came from, how content she was with her life in the Philippines, and her

what she dreamed of doing when she grew up.

 

 

   

Old portraits of Mary Ann’s Family. Her parents are the picture to the left, and a picture of her siblings and herself to the right.

Juliana (Left) and Alejandro (Right) [Left Portrait]

Nestor (Left), Marilyn (Back Middle), Rodrigo (Right) and Maryann (Front Middle) [Right Portrait]

 

 

 

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

Segment 2
Old Life Behind, New Life Ahead
(1:13)
Mary Ann opened up about her thoughts of leaving the Philippines, the

reasons for leaving, and her expectations of life in the U.S.

 

Mary Ann’s godparents at her baptism in the Philippines.

 

 



Back to Table of Contents

 

 

Segment 3
Just The Beginning
(2:03)
Mary Ann opened up about how she felt and some discrimination of her

Filipino identity when she came to the U.S. and how she dealt with it. She

also discussed her first difficult job.

 

 

Mary Ann and a fellow friend from Hawaii visiting her in Daly City.

 


    

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

Segment 4
The American Dream
(3:11)
Mary Ann talked about her lifestyle in the U.S. and how things worked

out for the greater good for her. She also opens up about a disappointing

story of her best friend in the Philippines.

 

 


A studio picture of Mary Ann showing her glamour self in the U.S.

 

 

 



 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

Segment 5
Filipino Identity
(2:28)
Mary Ann went in depth on her how she deals with her homesickness, her

future plans in the Philippines, and how the U.S. changed her life.

 

 


Mary Ann  at a Filipino Friendship Day celebration at local church on June 25, 2011.

 

 



 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

Segment 6
Lessons Learned
(2:36)
Mary Ann closed the interview with life lessons she learned during her

journey of migrating from the Philippines to the U.S.

 

 

Mary Ann and her whole family on Christmas Eve in 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

 


last revised: 5-14-12
by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA
These materials may be used for educational purposes.  North San Mateo County Oral History Archives, Skyline College Library.
All commercial rights are reserved. To contact the coordinator, or send comments or suggestions, email: Eric Brenner at brenner@smccd.edu