Beverly Castillo and Patrick Guillory
Interviewee: Beverly Castillo and Patrick Guillory Tape 4890 Interviewer: Emily Williams Session 1
Transcriber: Erin Segura February 17, 2018 [Begin Tape 4890. Begin Session I.]
EMILY WILLIAMS: Okay. This is Emily Williams and I’m recording an interview of a native Louisiana French speaker for Cajun French 2202 at Louisiana State University. Today is February 17th, 2018. We’re in Lake Charles, Louisiana and we are recording Mr. Patrick Guillory and Miss Beverly Castillo. Quoi c’est ton nom, Monsieur?
PATRICK GUILLORY: Quoi c’est mon nom?
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: Patrick Guillory.
WILLIAMS: Quoi c’est ton nom, Madame? BEVERLY CASTILLO: Beverly Guillory Castillo. WILLIAMS: T’es mariée?
CASTILLO: Je suis une veuve.
GUILLORY: Elle est veuve. CASTILLO: [laughs] GUILLORY: Son mari est mort. CASTILLO: [agrees] WILLIAMS: Oui.
GUILLORY: [laughs] WILLIAMS: T’as des enfants? CASTILLO: [crosstalk]
GUILLORY: [1:00] J’ai un enfant, une petite fille. Ma petite fille a proche 49 (quarante-neuf) ans.
WILLIAMS: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [laughs] J’ai quatre petits. C’est tous des garçons. Ils sont trois marié et un est un vieux bachelor. [laughs]
WILLIAMS: [break in tape] Okay, we are starting back after a little break. Okay. Monsieur, en quelle année t’as été né?
GUILLORY: Répète.
CASTILLO: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: En quelle année t’as été né? UNKNOWN FEMALE: When were you born? CASTILLO: What year were you … [laughs] UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
CASTILLO: En quelle année que t’étais -- GUILLORY: En quelle année j’étais -- UNKNOWN FEMALE: Né.
GUILLORY: Né. You want … tu veux en français?
WILLIAMS: Oui.
GUILLORY: C’est 1942 (dix-neuf quarante-deux).
CASTILLO: [agrees]
WILLIAMS: Madame?
CASTILLO: [1:56] Oh, moi? Janvier le 13 (treize), 1941 (dix-neuf quarante-et-un), 41 (quarante-et-un).
WILLIAMS: Ayoù t’as été né?
CASTILLO: Dans la campagne, autour de Vidrine et Reddell. On est [registré] dans Mamou, parce que c’était --
GUILLORY: L'hôpital est à Mamou.
CASTILLO: On était pas né dans l'hôpital. On était né à la maison. GUILLORY: On était trop pauvre pour engager un docteur. [laughs] CASTILLO: Il y avait un tas de monde comme ça.
GUILLORY: Ouais.
CASTILLO: Un tas était éné dans leur maison. Peut-être le docteur venait -- UNKNOWN FEMALE: Proche tout le monde dans ce temps-là -- CASTILLO: Ouais. [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: … est né dans les maisons.
CASTILLO: Ouais.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Il y avait pas assez de docteurs pour aller.
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs] We’re interfering with her thing.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: We’re interfering with her thing.
CASTILLO: Oh.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
WILLIAMS: T’as resté dans d’autres places?
GUILLORY: [3:03] Répète [inaudible]. WILLIAMS: T’as resté dans d’autres places? UNKNOWN FEMALE: Did you live anywhere else? SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: In other places. CASTILLO: Juste --
GUILLORY: Bâton Rouge.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: À Bâton Rouge, j’ai été. On était juste marié. Je travaillais pour une compagnie de lait. Je vendais du lait.
WILLIAMS: Madame?
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Oh, Lord! Quand c’était [inaudible] mon école, je suis venue ici à Lac Charles et je travaillais ici pour un bout de temps. Là, j’ai mariée … mon mari est né ici. Et là, il était dedans le service. Ça fait, on a été à Kentucky. On était à --
GUILLORY: Georgia.
CASTILLO: … Georgia et lui, il a été --
GUILLORY: Vietnam.
CASTILLO: … dans Vietnam, deux fois après qu’on était mariés. Ça fait, on a fait le tour avant on est venus ici pour des années.
WILLIAMS: [agrees] T’as été jusqu’à quel livre à l’école?
GUILLORY: J’ai gradué dedans le douze --
CASTILLO: Douzième.
GUILLORY: [4:18] … et l’école à Vidrine, gradué dans 19 … 1961 (dix-neuf soixante-et-un). [laughs]
CASTILLO: J’ai gradué dans 1958 (dix-neuf cinquante-huit).
GUILLORY: Cinquante-huit. CASTILLO: Cinquante-huit. GUILLORY: À Vidrine.
CASTILLO: À Vidrine, ouais.
GUILLORY: Vidrine est l’école haute. [laughs] L’école haute.
CASTILLO: [laughs] Et j’ai été au collège à, un petit bout de temps ici à McNeese et là, à LSU-E et là, à Fort Polk ils ont fait des classes et là --
GUILLORY: À Georgia.
CASTILLO: … à Atlanta, Georgia. Et j’étais revenue, quand on était revenus ici, j’ai été encore à McNeese.
GUILLORY: Elle a gradué ici. CASTILLO: [laughs] WILLIAMS: Et toi?
GUILLORY: Moi, j’ai pas été au collège. J’ai juste gradué l’école haute. [laughs]
WILLIAMS: [laughs] CASTILLO: [laughs] WILLIAMS: Tu travailles toujours? GUILLORY: Non. Je suis retired.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: [5:18] [agrees] Non, moi aussi. C’est pas travailler [inaudible] c’est payé. Je travaille sans paiement. [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Sans paiement.
CASTILLO: Sans paiement. WILLIAMS: Quoi c’était ton travail? CASTILLO: Quoi c’est quoi?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: What was your work?
GUILLORY: What was your career? CASTILLO: Oh. J’étais un nurse -- UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: … un registered nurse.
GUILLORY: Moi, j’ai travaillé dans la compagnie Borden, du lait. Et j’avais mon biznisse à moi-même. Tu connais? Je vendais des outils pour les mécaniciens.
WILLIAMS: T’as parlé français toute la vie?
GUILLORY: On connaissait pas parler en anglais quand on était première à l’école.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: On … moi, j’ai parlé … j’ai commencé à parler en anglais dedans trois, grade trois. Et j’ai manière compris ça.
CASTILLO: [laughs]
GUILLORY: J’ai fini à grade quatre et [j’étais joliment bon là]. [laughs]
CASTILLO: [6:26] Moi, aussi. J’ai pas … comprendre en anglais quand j’ai commencé l’école, là. On était forcé. Il faulait pas on parle en français à l’école. Ça fait, on avait pas de choix. Il faulait on --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [crosstalk]
CASTILLO: … apprend anglais, ouais.
GUILLORY: C’est un [inaudible] tu peux charrer en français, parce que ça voulait on apprend l’anglais.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Et asteur, dans d’autres … des, d’autres country, il faut on essaye de parler en anglais, plutôt des autres apprend. C’est pas bien. [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: D’autres pays.
CASTILLO: Hein?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: D’autres pays.
CASTILLO: Ouais.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Countries.
CASTILLO: [agrees] Pays. Tu vois, elle, elle parle meilleur que moi.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
GUILLORY: On est après charrer aussi longtemps en anglais qu’on oublie des [inaudible] mots t’es supposé de dire, you know, en français.
WILLIAMS: Oui.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: [7:35] J’ai des padnas qui restent toujours là-bas ayoù j’ai gradué. Ça parle juste français là-bas.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Toujours, oui.
WILLIAMS: [laughs] T’as étudié le français à l’école?
GUILLORY: Non, non.
WILLIAMS: [laughs]
GUILLORY: Notre mère et père, notre mère et notre père nous ont montré ça quand on était des petits bébés.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: Juste en français, parce que c’est tout ça connaît.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: Ça connaissait pas charrer en anglais eux-autres, même.
WILLIAMS: Oui.
CASTILLO: Well, quand les années a passé, je crois ma grand-mère comprendait un petit brin de l’anglais.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: C’est après voir, guetter le television.
CASTILLO: Well, j’étais demandée ça, “Comment tu comprends le TV?” “Oh, mais,” elle dit. “Je [les montre] comment ça grouille et des fois je comprends un mot et --”
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Ça fait, elle aimait voir son TV.
WILLIAMS: [8:31] [agrees] T’as attendu le français à la Messe ou à l’église?
GUILLORY: Quand on a été à l’église --
CASTILLO: Quand on a été à l’église, un petit brin, des fois --
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
CASTILLO: … mais c’est plus en anglais.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: Le prêtre charrait des fois en français.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Mais, c’était plus en anglais -- GUILLORY: Ouais. C’est plus en anglais. CASTILLO: … que français, parce que, il faulait. WILLIAMS: Aujourd’hui, avec qui tu parles français? CASTILLO: Avec qui?
GUILLORY: Avec qui on parle en français?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [crosstalk]
GUILLORY: Proche p’us personne. Moi et mon frère, des fois on charre un peu. Mais, on revient toujours en anglais, parce qu’on oublie des mots de français, il est assez longtemps on est après charrer en aglais.
CASTILLO: [agrees] Et des fois, entre nous-autres, quand on est après charrer, peut-être on va --
GUILLORY: [9:22] Dire quelques mots.
CASTILLO: … dire quelques mots en français et … ouais. Je me rappelle, quand j’étais plus ... mariée … mon mari parlait pas en français. Ça fait, on a été visiter ma mère et on était … on parlait --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: En moitié.
CASTILLO: … quand c’était quelque chose, en moitié français et moitié anglais.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Mais, on se comprendait tout, quand même.
GUILLORY: [laughs] CASTILLO: Le langage était mêlé. UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
GUILLORY: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: Combien souvent tu parles français asteur?
GUILLORY: Oh, proche jamais! WILLIAMS: [laughs] CASTILLO: [laughs] GUILLORY: Non, proche jamais. CASTILLO: Proche jamais.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: À l’église.
GUILLORY: À l’église. CASTILLO: À l’église. GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [10:07] Un petit brin, ouais.
GUILLORY: [laughs] CASTILLO: Juste avec -- WILLIAMS: Des amis.
CASTILLO: … des amis, ouais.
WILLIAMS: Et la famille?
CASTILLO: [agrees]
WILLIAMS: C’est quoi l’histoire que tu vas raconter aujourd’hui?
CASTILLO: Qu’est-ce qu’on va [raconter] aujourd’hui?
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Well, je t’ai rencontré, toi et [inaudible] et ta mère, Kim et [mon amie] Ruby, ma --
GUILLORY: Belle-sœur.
CASTILLO: … belle-sœur, [Nelle] … mon amie Gloria et mon frère, Pat.
WILLIAMS: Oui.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: Dis-moi pour le courir de Mardi Gras.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Oh!
WILLIAMS: Ouais.
CASTILLO: Quand on était jeune, ouais, les coureurs venaient alentours de la maison et ça chantait.
GUILLORY: [11:10] [crosstalk]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: À cheval.
CASTILLO: Ça faisait … à cheval, ouais. GUILLORY: À cheval, ça chantait, dansait. CASTILLO: Et dansait, ouais.
GUILLORY: Et on tirait une poulette pour ça court derrière.
CASTILLO: [laughs]
GUILLORY: Ça courait derrière la poulette pour mettre dedans le poule gombo.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Et il y a d’autres places. Ça va aller à d’autres places et ça donnait peut-être du riz --
GUILLORY: Du riz.
CASTILLO: … des oignons, l’huile pour faire le roux --
GUILLORY: [agrees] WILLIAMS: [agrees] CASTILLO: … avec la fleur? UNKNOWN FEMALE: La farine. CASTILLO: La farine!
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Comment tu crois que je peux p’us --
GUILLORY: [laughs] Tu peux p’us dire!
CASTILLO: … des noms.
GUILLORY: [11:48] [laughs]
CASTILLO: Peut-être [elle a eu une question et elle] --
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: Quoi c’est que ta famille faisait pour le Mercredi des Cendres?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Ash Wednesday. CASTILLO: Oh, well, je me rappelle on -- WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: … ma famille, ça boirait pas le café --
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: … parce que, tout le monde aimait le café. Et on avait pas rien pour manger pour dîner. C’était peut-être quelque chose beaucoup --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Des œufs.
CASTILLO: Des œufs, ouais. On cuisait un tas des œufs. Et on avait juste un repas.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Un repas.
CASTILLO: Un repas. Il faut que tu, c’est plus [inaudible] que d’autres. Ça fait, on était beaucoup sérieux pour ça.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Peut-être ça vadait pas à la Messe tout le temps, mais quand ça venait … ça fait comme on est [supposé] pour.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: [12:54] [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: C’était une pénitence pour --
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: Ouais, on va à la Messe.
CASTILLO: Oh, oui.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Oh, oui.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Tous les jours on allait, nous-autres.
GUILLORY: Ma grand-mère et grand-père, ç’allait pas à la Messe sur les dimanches. Ça disait un rosier tous les soirs.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Chapelet!
CASTILLO: Un chapelet.
GUILLORY: Un chapelet.
CASTILLO: Je me rappelle, dessus leurs genoux.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [crosstalk] GUILLORY: Sur leurs genoux. CASTILLO: À côté de leur lit. GUILLORY: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Et ben, ça disait leurs prières, leurs prayers.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Prières.
CASTILLO: Prières.
WILLIAMS: [13:29] Dis-moi pour le [jeunes] de Carême quand t’étais petit.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Pendant le Carême.
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: Lent.
CASTILLO: Lent!
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Lent.
GUILLORY: Carême. [laughs] CASTILLO: Well, c’est -- GUILLORY: C’est ça, le mot en --
CASTILLO: C’est ça, le mot. Well, on peut se rappeler de ce mot, Carême.
GUILLORY: Ouais. C’est le Carême.
CASTILLO: Ouais. On a … on donnait quelque chose qu’on aimait. On mangeait pas peut-être, ou --
GUILLORY: Et on mangeait pas la viande sur le vendredi.
CASTILLO: Non, jamais. Jamais dessus le vendredi de … et, ça c’est une autre chose, aussi. Le vendredi avant la fête, mon grand-père travaillait pas dans la terre.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [disagrees] CASTILLO: Et il faulait pas tourner la terre. SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: No turning the ground.
CASTILLO: Ouais.
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: I remember.
CASTILLO: [14:23] C’était … ç’avait quelque chose pour faire avec l’affaire que … non
… Jésus avait mouri et puis était supposé de revenir dans trois jours. Ça fait, tu pouvais pas l’enterrer.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: [laughs] C’est vrai! GUILLORY: [laughs] WILLIAMS: Oui, oui. [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: On enterrait pas nos morts dans le Carême.
CASTILLO: Non, non. On enterrait pas les morts dans le Carême. Il faulait ç’espère.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Et marier! Un tas de places, tu pouvais pas te marier dedans ce temps-là. Il faulait espérer après le jour de Pâques.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Oui.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: [laughs] Le jour de Pâques, pâque-pâque! [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: The eggs.
WILLIAMS: Quand t’étais petit, comment … tu te rappelles des jeux pour la Pâques, par exemple, pâquer egg?
UNKNOWN: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Oh, ouais. Ma grand-mère … ils ont avé un, des poulets.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Et ça fait, elle ramassait les --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [15:35] Les œufs.
CASTILLO: … les œufs. Et elle allait pas … il faut être sûr qu’ils sont --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [crosstalk] CASTILLO: … il faut être sûr qu’ils étiont -- GUILLORY: Forts.
CASTILLO: … forts. Si ça faisait pas un certain son, on cuit ces œufs-là.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Elle avait un gros basket --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Qui t’appelles a basket?
GUILLORY: [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Une basquette.
CASTILLO: Une basquette! Elle avait ça plein pour le temps que … c’était le temps pour le jour de Pâques et ça … peut-être elle ramassait la moutarde et elle mettait ça dans de l’eau. Ça fait vert.
GUILLORY: Une couleur!
CASTILLO: Une couleur! Et ça mettait les œufs dedans.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Et les marcs à café. CASTILLO: Ouais, et les marcs à café -- GUILLORY: Les marcs à café! [agrees] CASTILLO: … pour faire une autre couleur. UNKNOWN FEMALE: Panier!
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: [16:23] Panier is basket. CASTILLO: Yeah. Un panier. [laughs] Et puis, ça vadait à tous les voisins. UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Et puis, eusse était avec leurs baskets et puis ça pâque-pâque.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
CASTILLO: Et cil-là, si ça cassait le tien --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: L’œuf.
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
CASTILLO: … gagnait. Oui.
GUILLORY: [laughs] On avait joliment des affaires on faisait drôle.
WILLIAMS: [laughs]
CASTILLO: On avait du bon temps.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Oh, ouais!
CASTILLO: On avait des bons temps.
WILLIAMS: Merci Madame et Monsieur. This concludes our interview of Madame Beverly and Mr. Patrick in Lake Charles, Louisiana on February the 17th, 2018. My name is Emily Williams. This audio project was done for Cajun French 2202 at Louisiana State University.
GUILLORY: Merci.
[17:18]
[End Tape 4890. End Session 1.] [Total session time - 17:18]
Interviewee: Beverly Castillo and Patrick Guillory Tape 4890 Interviewer: Emily Williams Session 1
Transcriber: Erin Segura February 17, 2018 [Begin Tape 4890. Begin Session I.]
EMILY WILLIAMS: Okay. This is Emily Williams and I’m recording an interview of a native Louisiana French speaker for Cajun French 2202 at Louisiana State University. Today is February 17th, 2018. We’re in Lake Charles, Louisiana and we are recording Mr. Patrick Guillory and Miss Beverly Castillo. What is your name, sir?
PATRICK GUILLORY: What’s my name?
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: Patrick Guillory.
WILLIAMS: What is your name, ma’am? BEVERLY CASTILLO: Beverly Guillory Castillo. WILLIAMS: Are you married?
CASTILLO: I’m a widow. GUILLORY: She’s a widow. CASTILLO: [laughs]
GUILLORY: Her husband is deceased.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
WILLIAMS: Yes.
GUILLORY: [laughs] WILLIAMS: Do you have children? CASTILLO: [crosstalk]
GUILLORY: [1:00] I have a child, my little girl. She’s almost 49 years old.
WILLIAMS: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [laughs] I have four kids. They’re all boys. Three of them are married and one is an old bachelor. [laughs]
WILLIAMS: [break in tape] Okay, we are starting back after a little break. Okay, sir, what year were you born?
GUILLORY: Could you repeat that ?
CASTILLO: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: What year were you born ? UNKNOWN FEMALE: When were you born ? CASTILLO: What year were you … [laughs] UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
CASTILLO: In what year were you -- GUILLORY: In what year was I -- UNKNOWN FEMALE: Born.
GUILLORY: Born. You want… you want it in French?
WILLIAMS: Yes. GUILLORY: It was 1942.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
WILLIAMS: And you ?
CASTILLO: [1:56] Oh, me? January 13th, 1941.
WILLIAMS: Where were you born?
CASTILLO: In the countryside, around Vidrine and Reddell. We were [registered] in Mamou, because it was--
GUILLORY: The hospital is in Mamou.
CASTILLO: We weren’t born in the hospital. We were born at home. GUILLORY: We were too poor to hire a doctor. [laughs] CASTILLO: There’s a lot of people like that.
GUILLORY: Yeah.
CASTILLO: A lot of people were born in their house. Maybe the doctor came --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Nearly everyone at that time --
CASTILLO: Yeah. [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: … was born in houses.
CASTILLO: Yeah.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: There weren’t enough doctors to go around. SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs] We’re interfering with her thing. UNKNOWN FEMALE: We’re interfering with her thing.
CASTILLO: Oh.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
WILLIAMS: Have you lived anywhere else ? GUILLORY: [3:03] Could you repeat that ? [inaudible] WILLIAMS: Have you lived in other places ?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Did you live anywhere else?
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: In other places.
CASTILLO: Just --
GUILLORY: Baton Rouge.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: I was in Baton Rouge. We had just gotten married. I worked for a milk company. I sold milk.
WILLIAMS: And you ?
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Oh Lord! When it was [inaudible] my school, I came here to Lake Charles and I worked here for a bit. There, I got married… my husband was born here. And there, he was in the service. So, we were in Kentucky. We were at --
GUILLORY: Georgia.
CASTILLO: … Georgia, and he was --
GUILLORY: Vietnam.
CASTILLO: … in Vietnam, twice after we got married. So, we did a tour for a few years before we came here.
WILLIAMS: [agrees] How many grades did you finish at school ?
GUILLORY: I completed the 12th grade --
CASTILLO: The 12th.
GUILLORY: [4:18] … at the school in Vidrine, graduated in 19… 1961. [laughs]
CASTILLO: I graduated in 1958.
GUILLORY: Fifty-eight.
CASTILLO: Fifty-eight. GUILLORY: In Vidrine. CASTILLO: In Vidrine, yeah.
GUILLORY: Vidrine is the high school. [laughs] The high school.
CASTILLO: [laughs] And I was in college in, for a little while here at McNeese and there, at LSU-E and there, in Fort Polk they had classes and there --
GUILLORY: In Georgia.
CASTILLO: … In Atlanta, Georgia. And I came back, when we came back here, I went to McNeese again.
GUILLORY: She graduated here. CASTILLO: [laughs] WILLIAMS: And you ?
GUILLORY: I didn’t go to college. I just graduated high school. [laughs]
WILLIAMS: [laughs] CASTILLO: [laughs] WILLIAMS: Do you still work? GUILLORY: No. I’m retired.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: [5:18] [agrees] No, me too. It isn’t working [inaudible] it’s paid. I work without pay. [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Without pay.
CASTILLO: Without pay.
WILLIAMS: What was your job?
CASTILLO: What was what?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: What was your work?
GUILLORY: What was your career? CASTILLO: Oh. I was a nurse -- UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: … a registered nurse.
GUILLORY: I worked in the Borden company, milk. And I had my own business. You know? I sold tools for mechanics.
WILLIAMS: Have you spoken French all your life?
GUILLORY: We didn’t know how to speak English when we started school.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: We… I spoke… I started to speak English in third grade. And I figured it out.
CASTILLO: [laughs]
GUILLORY: I finished in fourth grade and [I was really good at it by then]. [laughs] CASTILLO: [6:26] Me too. I didn’t… understand English when I started school. We were forced. We were not allowed to speak French in school. So, we didn’t have a choice. We had to -- UNKNOWN FEMALE: [crosstalk]
CASTILLO: … learn English, yeah.
GUILLORY: It’s a [inaudible] you can talk in French, because they wanted us to learn English.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: And these days, in others… in other countries, you have to try to speak English. It’s not great. [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Other countries.
CASTILLO: Huh ?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Other countries.
CASTILLO: Yeah. UNKNOWN FEMALE: Pays.
CASTILLO: [agrees] Pays -- countries. You see, she speaks better than I do.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
GUILLORY: We’ve been talking in English for so long that we forget some [inaudible] words you’re supposed to say, you know, in French.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: [7:35] I have some buddies who still live over there where I graduated. They just speak French over there.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Still, yes.
WILLIAMS: [laughs] [laughs] Did you study French in school?
GUILLORY: No, no.
WILLIAMS: [laughs]
GUILLORY: Our mom and dad taught us French when we were little babies.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: Just in French, because that’s all they knew.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: They didn’t know how to speak English at all.
WILLIAMS: Oui.
CASTILLO: Well, as the years passed, I believe my grandmother understood a little bit of English.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: It was from watching television.
CASTILLO: Well, I was asked “How do you understand the TV?” “Oh, well,” she says. “I [show them] how they move and sometimes I understand a word and --”
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: So, she liked watching her TV.
WILLIAMS: [8:31] [agrees] [agrees] Did you hear French at Mass or at church?
GUILLORY: When we were at church --
CASTILLO: When we were at church, a little bit, sometimes --
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
CASTILLO: … but it was more in English.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
GUILLORY: The priest sometimes spoke in French.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: But, it was more in English. GUILLORY: Yeah. It’s more in English. CASTILLO: … than French, because he had to.
WILLIAMS: Today, with whom do you speak French ?
CASTILLO: With whom?
GUILLORY: With whom do you speak French ?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [crosstalk]
GUILLORY: Almost no one anymore. My brother and I, sometimes we chat a little. But, we always come back to English, because we forget some words in French, we’ve been speaking English for a long time.
CASTILLO: [agrees] And sometimes, with each other, when we’re talking, maybe we’ll --
GUILLORY: [9:22] Say a few words.
CASTILLO: … say a few words in French and… yeah. I remember, when I was more… married… my husband used to speak in French. So, we visited my mother and we were… we spoke --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Half-and-half.
CASTILLO: … when it was something, half French and half English.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: But, we always understood each other anyway.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: The language was mixed
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
GUILLORY: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: How often do you speak French these days?
GUILLORY: Oh, almost never! WILLIAMS: [laughs] CASTILLO: [laughs] GUILLORY: No, almost never. CASTILLO: Almost never.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: At church.
GUILLORY: At church. CASTILLO: At church. GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [10:07] A little bit, yeah.
GUILLORY: [laughs] CASTILLO: Just with -- WILLIAMS: Friends.
CASTILLO: … friends, yeah. WILLIAMS: And with family ? CASTILLO: [agrees]
WILLIAMS: What story are you going to tell today? CASTILLO: What story are you going to tell today? WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Well, I met you, you and [inaudible] your mother, Kim and [my friend] Ruby, my --
GUILLORY: Sister-in-law.
CASTILLO: … sister-in-law, [Nelle]... my friend Gloria and my brother, Pat.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: Tell me about rural Mardi Gras.
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Oh!
WILLIAMS: Yeah.
CASTILLO: When we were young, yeah, the Mardi Gras came around the house and they sang.
GUILLORY: [11:10] [crosstalk]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: On horseback. CASTILLO: They did it… on horseback, yeah. GUILLORY: On horseback, they sang, danced. CASTILLO: And danced, yeah.
GUILLORY: And they threw a little chicken that they ran behind.
CASTILLO: [laughs]
GUILLORY: They ran behind the little chicken to put it in the chicken gumbo.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: And there are other places. They go to other places and they maybe give some rice --
GUILLORY: Some rice.
CASTILLO: … some onions, oil to make the roux --
GUILLORY: [agrees] WILLIAMS: [agrees] CASTILLO: … avec la fleur? UNKNOWN FEMALE: La farine. CASTILLO: Flour!
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: Can you believe that I can no longer --
GUILLORY: [laughs] You can’t say it anymore!
CASTILLO: … names for things.
GUILLORY: [11:48] [laughs]
CASTILLO: Maybe [she had a question and she] --
GUILLORY: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [laughs]
WILLIAMS: What did your family use to do for Ash Wednesday?
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Ash Wednesday. CASTILLO: Oh, well, I remember we -- WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: … my family, they wouldn’t drink coffee --
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: … because, everyone liked coffee. And we didn’t have anything to eat for dinner. Maybe it was something very --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Eggs.
CASTILLO: Eggs, yeah. We cooked a bunch of eggs. And we just had one meal.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: One meal.
CASTILLO: One meal. You have to, it’s more [inaudible] than others. So, we were really serious about that.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Maybe they wouldn’t go to Mass all the time, but when they came… they did what they’re [supposed] to.
GUILLORY: [laughs] CASTILLO: [laughs] WILLIAMS: [12:54] [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: It was a penance for --
GUILLORY: [crosstalk]
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: Yeah, we go to Mass.
CASTILLO: Oh, yes.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Oh, yes.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: We went every day.
GUILLORY: My grandmother and my grandfather, they wouldn’t go to Mass on Sundays. They would say un rosier every night.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Chapelet ! CASTILLO: Un chapelet -- a rosary. GUILLORY: A rosary.
CASTILLO: I remember, on their knees.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
CASTILLO: [crosstalk] GUILLORY: On their knees. CASTILLO: Next to their bed. GUILLORY: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Well, they said their prayers.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Prayers.
CASTILLO: Prayers.
WILLIAMS: [13:29] Tell me about [what young people did during] Lent when you were little.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: During Lent. SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: Lent. CASTILLO: Lent!
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Lent.
GUILLORY: Carême -- Lent. [laughs]
CASTILLO: Well, its --
GUILLORY: That’s it, the word in --
CASTILLO: That’s it, the word. Well, we can remember this word, Carême.
GUILLORY: Yeah. It’s le Carême -- Lent.
CASTILLO: Yeah. We have… we would give up something we liked. Maybe we wouldn’t eat, or --
GUILLORY: And we wouldn’t eat meat on Friday.
CASTILLO: No, never. Never on Friday… and, that’s another thing. The Friday before the holiday, my grandfather wouldn’t break ground.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [disagrees] CASTILLO: And you couldn’t dig or turn the dirt. SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: No turning the ground.
CASTILLO: Yeah.
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: I remember.
CASTILLO: [14:23] It was… it had something to do with the thing that… no… Jesus died and then was supposed to come back in three days. So, you couldn’t bury him.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: [laughs] That’s true ! GUILLORY: [laughs] WILLIAMS: Yes, yes. [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: We wouldn’t bury our dead during Lent.
CASTILLO: No, no. We wouldn’t bury the dead during Lent. They had to wait.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: And get married! A bunch of places, you couldn’t get married during Lent. You had to wait until the day after Easter.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Yes.
CASTILLO: [agrees]
GUILLORY: [laughs] [laughs] Easter day, pâque-pâque! [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: The eggs.
WILLIAMS: When you were little, how… do you remember any Easter games, for example, pâqing eggs ?
UNKNOWN: [agrees]
CASTILLO: Oh, yeah. My grandmother… they had one, some chickens.
WILLIAMS: [agrees]
CASTILLO: And so, she gathered the --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [15:35] The eggs.
CASTILLO: … the eggs. And she wouldn’t go… you have to be certain that they’re --
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [crosstalk]
CASTILLO: … you have to be certain that they’re --
GUILLORY: Strong.
CASTILLO: … strong. If they didn’t make a certain sound, we’d cook those eggs.
GUILLORY: [laughs] CASTILLO: She had a big basket -- UNKNOWN FEMALE: [laughs]
CASTILLO: How do you say ‘a basket’ in French ?
GUILLORY: [laughs]
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Une basquette.
CASTILLO: Une basquette ! She had it full for the time that… it was the time of Easter day and they… maybe she would gather the mustard and she would put it in the water. That makes it green.
GUILLORY: A color!
CASTILLO: A color! And they would put the eggs in that.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: And the coffee grinds. CASTILLO: Yeah, and the coffee grinds-- GUILLORY: The coffee grinds! [agrees] CASTILLO: … to make another color.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: Panier !
SECOND UNKNOWN FEMALE: [16:23] Panier is basket.
CASTILLO: Yeah. Un panier. [laughs] And then, they would go visit all the neighbors.
UNKNOWN FEMALE: [agrees]
CASTILLO: And then, they went with their baskets and then they’d pâque eggs.