Cultureful
What was it like for a Colombian lawyer growing up in a small town and then immigrating to the U.S.? How did a Jewish New Yorker put her kids in Jewish school and why? What was it like to have three weddings as a Bengali American?
These are the kinds of personal interviews on Cultureful. Living, breathing, everyday you and me culture. It's a kind of traveling and getting past the surface. People from around the world sharing personal experiences in their own words.
Host Jess Lin (she, her), is a multilingual Taiwanese American who has spent many years abroad, off the beaten-path. On Cultureful, she interviews friends and other guests about major life events and stages like childhood, dating, weddings, parenting, and immigration journeys. She is also curious about the everyday- what people cook, what they do for fun, what friendship is like for them. Hope you enjoy meeting the people she connects with.
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Cultureful
S1E6. Angie, Colombian - Remake myself
This episode was originally recorded in Spanish in October 2023. Para la versión original de este episodio, que fue grabada en español, regresa al feed y haz clic en el título en español.
To share this content with more people, this English version was created with AI tools like Eleven Labs. Though there may be differences in tone and delivery, we hope the message still resonates.
In this episode, I interview my friend Angie G. from Colombia. She is a lawyer and linguist, currently in a PhD program in Northern California that combines her two careers to make legal language more accessible to the general public.
As her 40th birthday approached, she reflected on her life. We talked about her hometown, childhood, personal and professional journeys, and also current projects in this new chapter of her life. This interview was both insightful and vulnerable.
Thank you for listening! Connect with us on Instagram @thecultureful.
Thanks so much for listening! Follow, review, and share to help us grow. @thecultureful on Instagram
This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors.
Intro
You’re listening to Cultureful. I’m your host, Jess Lin. This episode was originally recorded in Spanish in October 2023. Para la versión original de este episodio, que fue grabada en español, regresa al feed y haz clic en el título en español.
To share this content with more people, the English version was create with AI tools like Eleven Labs. Though there may be differences in tone and delivery, we hope the message still resonates.
In this episode, I interview my friend Angie G. from Colombia. She is a lawyer and linguist, currently in a PhD program in northern california that combines her two careers to make legal language more accessible to the general public.
As her 40th birthday approached, she reflected on her life. We talked about her hometown, childhood, personal and professional journeys, and also current projects in this new chapter of her life. This interview was both insightful and vulnerable. I hope you enjoy it.
Welcome
Jess: [00:00:00] Hello, folks. Today, I have a very special guest, my good friend, Angie G., from Columbia, like Carol G. We are going to talk about her life, projects, and her upcoming 40th birthday. Hello, Angie. It's wonderful to have you here today to share your story. Welcome.
Angie: Oh, thanks, Jess. How nice. I'm really happy to be the first interviewee in Spanish.
Thank you so much for having me here.
Jess: Yes, of course. Welcome. Yes. First interview in Spanish. We're going to have an adventure together. Yes, let's do it.
Angie G: let's do it.
Jess: I love it when people tell their stories from the beginning to really get an idea of who someone is.
Tell me about your family, your hometown, and what your childhood was like.
Pasto, Colombia- hometown
Angie: Well, to begin and provide context for the people, I was born near [00:01:00] the border with Ecuador in the south of Colombia, and it's almost in northern South America. So I'm almost half Ecuadorian and half Colombian. It's like in the Andes area, more or less. It's a beautiful city. Um, the people are very calm, very open, and very funny.
We Pastusos are known for being a bit naive. And there are many jokes in our country about my region. That's one thing.
Childhood
On the other hand, my childhood was very fun because there was a village like atmosphere. It was a small city and we played in the streets, uh, what we called Los Veranos here, which were the long school vacations, like June, July, we went out, like playing soccer, going on trips to the river, my mom [00:02:00] made me sell ice cream, I sold chicken sandwiches, I sold hot dogs, and my classmates, my cousin, we also did things in the residential complex.
As a way to entertain ourselves, because at that time summer courses did not exist and parents were very busy, very busy, as we say in Colombia, but it's like they had too much time with us, right? The kids, that's from my childhood. And well, let's see, I did many things as a child. Uh, choreographies, we dance.
We cooked, uh, my family was quite close also with my uncles and cousins, and that was a very peaceful childhood, very much like a small town, very family oriented.
Jess: I can start to picture that. I also wanted to say I'm so grateful that I recently had the luck to become your friend through being language exchange partners for [00:03:00] Spanish and English.
back to your childhood. Is there a story people like to tell about what you were like as a kid?
Angie: Yes. Well, first I want to say that I'm also very happy to have met you and to have this exchange and that at our age we can make friends. Sometimes it's hard in this era to make friends and, uh, being able to meet you and establish this friendship makes me very happy.
Early love of academia
there's a funny story my mom always tells. She says that when she had me, she went through very challenging economic times. she had to rent rooms in our house to students. And many students lived in our house studying
the University of Nariño or at Mariana University in Pasto. So I was surrounded by that university environment from a very young age. My mom would laugh because the student friends would say that I thought I was a university student [00:04:00] because I would go to kindergarten and tell I'm going to have finals, no midterms, I'm going to have exams, and I was just in preschool, they would just laugh, but it was what I heard.
I also Wanted to be like them. I like this story because I feel that stage marked my taste for academia and. That's why I feel so happy now in this part of my life where I belong to academia, to university life again, from a different perspective.
Jess: The university environment was like your home. It's an environment where you feel really comfortable.
Schooling
And then, what happened in primary, secondary, and preparatory school? What were those periods in your life like for you?
Angie: Let's see. A lot of things, because my mom had to move cities, uh, initially in Pasto, where I was born. I studied at a convent school [00:05:00] with Carmelite nuns. I studied with my cousin, who is closest to my age.
And also with my friends. Who are still my friends. We have a WhatsApp group and we send each other memes and jokes and they're all inspiring, very entrepreneurial, powerful women, and I adore them. I was with them throughout primary school. Later, we moved to a city further toward. The center of, uh, Mate, center of the country.
I was moving up little by little. Then I moved to Popayan, where I studied at a school run by the Lions Club. There, I met my best friend, Angela, who has been with me through good and bad times.
I love her like a sister and we shared fantastic moments. We were cheerleaders, made choreographies, went swimming, participated in [00:06:00] competitions, danced in dance groups, played volleyball at school. Well, yeah, we did many active things together in theater and everything.
And finally, for one reason or another, I couldn't continue. We had to go back to Pasto. I returned to the Carmelite school and in the last year.
Moving around the country
Due to health reasons, we moved to Gerardo, a warm city near Bogota, where I completed my high school. In Colombia, the last academic year is 11th grade, and there were parties and celebrations because the last year is filled with many stories, no? There, I also met great friends whom I'm still keep in touch with, like my great friend Pili.
And. Many others, when I graduated, my mom returned to Pasto and I said, no, I want to keep studying. And I thought the place to study was Bogota, the [00:07:00] capital of Colombia. So during that entire year, I sold everything with my best friend Pili. We sold arepas, chicken sandwiches. lemonade at school, outside of school, and even the teachers bought from us.
With the money I saved that year, I went to Bogota to study, looking for opportunities to keep studying, working, saving. And that's my academic story. Lots of friends. Lots of people from different cities and a lot of fun.
Jess: It sounds like you moved many times.
Angie: Yes, I think it was quite a few times for me. To me, it didn't seem like that many, but yes, really about four times or so.
Jess: Do you think moving so many times has allowed you to learn some coping strategies or life lessons?
Angie: Yes, I think it's about starting over, creating a community, and starting fresh. Starting to make friends, starting to build your home with everything that entails. [00:08:00] Now, as an adult, the table, the dining room, your space, your bed, your kitchen, everything that involves rebuilding a life from childhood, you know, because I think also when you're younger, you know, it's more organic to make friends.
You want to build a community to be part of it because you're in school. You have a, you have the environment for that. But as we become adults, it's harder to build relationships. That's why I think I'm very fortunate to have met you and to be able to say, I have friends, real friends. I believe those strategies or lessons, those strengths to make good friends.
came from the changes I experienced in different cities or homes.
Jess: It's like having resilience to start and start again in each place. Yes, it's very important because life has changed, right?
Angie: Exactly. Yes, I think my mom and my siblings have been quite resilient [00:09:00] precisely because we don't have attachments, right?
So we've been able to start over being happy and making it something normal, sometimes falling and getting back up. Yeah.
Jess: I wonder if changing cities impacted your
academic
performance.
Angie: Yes. Mainly when I changed from the Carmelite Convent School to the Lions Club School, because I was studying with girls, only girls.
Jessica: Mm. Mm-hmm.
Angie: And then I went to a mixed school with both boys and girls, and the teaching methodology was very different. So I felt that year I fell a little behind. Just a little. And yes, of course, due to cultural changes and methodologies, it was a bit challenging, but quite normal because, in general, education in Colombia and the academic period was the same, right?
Yeah. I see.
How was
Jess: it to go
Angie: back [00:10:00] home from Bogota to Pasto when you wanted to visit? Wow, it's difficult. It's still very difficult because flights, the easiest way to get to Pasto is by plane, but it's very expensive. Sometimes it's cheaper to travel to the United States than to go from Bogota to Pasto.
And yeah. Driving or by bus takes almost 24 hours.
Jess: 24 hours. Oh my gosh.
Angie: It's a lot of time because you have to stop to eat, use the bathroom. Um, well, anyway, a bus can easily take 24 hours. And driving too. And the roads are very difficult. I've done it a few times. I drove once and I did it almost alone, but it's very, very, very difficult.
And yes, if it's by plane, it's quite expensive. So it wasn't that easy really.
Jess: Wow. More difficult than going to the United States in comparison. Wow. It's extreme.
Angie: Yes.
More
[00:11:00] expensive.
Pasto’s landmarks, demographics, and characteristics
Jess: Tell me what Pasto,
your hometown, is like.
Angie: Oh, Pasto is a beautiful city. It's called the surprise city of Colombia because people don't imagine what it's like, but my friends who have been there fall in love with it, as we say.
It's a cold city like San Francisco with similar temperatures more or less throughout the year.
It's surrounded by mountains. We have the Andes Mountains. There are also very beautiful natural places, um, Laguna Verde, La Laguna de la Cocha. There are tourist spots for visitors.
We also have a volcano. It's not a tourist attraction, but it is an active volcano, the Gileres volcano, and
Jess: And it's dangerous?
Angie: A
little, yes, eruptions can happen because it's an active volcano. You can see the smoke or ash. We also have a very beautiful place, which is the Church of Las [00:12:00] Lajas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it has a whole history.
It's not very big. I mean, my region, which is in the far south of Colombia, is known for being like the gateway when they conquered Colombia, when they invaded us. Let's say it like that. So it's known as the Lioness of the Andes. And why Lioness? Because we fought to resist that period of colonization or invasion at that moment.
And they have also been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jess: And how would you describe the demographics of your region?
Angie: Oh, good question. I would think that it's very generic, just like the rest of Colombia. Uh, the majority of us are mestizos, not just white mestizos. There's also not a very high percentage, but there is a percentage of mulattos or blacks.
From the [00:13:00] Pacific region. And we also have an indigenous influence.
Jess: Not just in terms of ethnicity, but also in how pasto
is described.
Angie: I think the main characteristic is a word we say a lot in pasto. Which is Veraco or Baraco. That means that people are internally very strong, very brave. And I believe this comes from the conquest because when the Spaniards entered my region, we were the lioness of the Andes fighting to.
Defend our country to maintain our sovereignty, so to speak, and to avoid that invasion. So we've always been fighting. So we have a reputation for being hard workers, also very cultured people with good principles, noble, loyal, and fortunately in academia. I've noticed that we are very studious, very diligent in academics.
That's the image [00:14:00] I have of my fellow past ones.
Jess: I can see these characteristics very well in my friend, Angie. Oh. I'm glad to know now that you are a daughter of Pasto. And it's like these characteristics are common in your community of origin. How beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Angie: Thank you, Jess.
Working through college
Jess: Next, how was your experience at university?
And where did life take you afterward?
Angie: Well, when I arrived in Bogota, I saved for a while to be able to study. I wasn't sure what to study. So I also had the opportunity to travel. I traveled to Spain, I visited some universities and saw that there could be opportunities abroad as well.
And I always wanted to travel. I always wanted to study abroad. But it was very difficult for me because of my economic situation. However, I worked for quite a while before I could access a scholarship because studying at a university is quite [00:15:00] expensive in Colombia.
Higher education in general. So I saved for some time and also looked for free opportunities. You know, that's how I was able to start studying law and I fell in love with the law. I studied at night, worked during the day, and I worked for many years in different jobs. I've had more stops than a bus. among all those jobs, I had an eight to five position in a financial company that I really love, which gave me the opportunity to study and work.
And also as part of employee benefits, they helped me a lot with university payments and also gave me the chance to keep growing. I started as a host, then moved to inbound customer service, outbound desk. I was in risk, compliance, and then in the legal area. And that way I had various [00:16:00] promotions. Every two years I had the opportunity to change positions and continue growing in my career.
And, uh, when I was in compliance. Which was my last position after coordinating contracts and fulfilling my dream of working in the legal area. I then felt, what more can I do? And that's when the big challenge of learning English came up. So, uh, to keep growing, the company was bought by an international company.
So reports were now done in English and I didn't feel confident.
So I decided to go study English in the United States. Around that time I got divorced too. So I thought that being able to have a fresh start. To change my environment would do me good to recover from my divorce and also to continue growing in my academic and professional life.
[00:17:00] So I went to the United States,
Jess: California,
Angie: to California.
Marriage and divorce from pastor
Jess: And how old were you during that time?
Angie: Um, I was in my 30s and during the typical 30s crisis that women sometimes have, I felt that many things were happening in my life that made me rethink my life and what I wanted. And I realized that I wasn't very happy.
I wasn't in a marriage that was, let's say, normal, or there wasn't that warmth at home that was supposed to be there. So I was married to a Christian pastor, and really, that marriage was quite different from what is expected of a marriage. without judging anything because both he and I were very young, maybe a bit immature in all aspects because we married very, very young and everything was almost [00:18:00] like a format.
Like we went to buy the wedding rings together and we went to buy the engagement ring together, right? I almost knew he was going to propose. It was like following protocol, like a checklist. I have to be this, this, this, but nothing very organic, nothing that came from him or from me.
It was a union, beautiful too, because while it lasted, there were many nice things.
I don't want to speak badly of it in any way, okay? Just a different and I didn't feel happy under that structure we were in at that time. And so in my thirties, I said, I don't want to continue like this. I don't want the rest of my life to be in that sadness, in that emptiness with those responsibilities that I don't feel capable of assuming.
I know that his greatest passion was to be a Christian pastor, but I felt that it really wasn't ideal at that moment for [00:19:00] me to fulfill the role of the wife he needed to be. 100 percent available for all the church activities, because at the same time I was studying, working, I had all these responsibilities, which often summed up to being at three different church services on a Sunday, at Saturday church events, and I had no life.
So physically I felt overwhelmed, like I couldn't handle it. Like it was. Getting out of my hands, uh, I didn't have time to rest, to sleep. I had class at seven in the morning. They were giving me quizzes. Uh, it was very difficult to balance all the responsibilities and a marriage that wasn't right from the start.
Break
Jess: We will be back for more after this short break.
Moving to California and culture shock
Angie:
So at 30, when all this was happening, I said, okay, on a work level, I need an excuse. Right? To perfect my English and look for other options to study or pursue a master's degree, a specialization outside the country to enhance [00:20:00] my academic and professional life. And at the same time, I need a breather for my personal and emotional life.
So, I decided before making bigger mistakes to go to California near San Francisco to study English. When I arrived near San Francisco, it was like a train crash, a culture clash. Why? Because on one hand, I came with a very conservative mindset, right? Like religious, with very, very conservative beliefs. And I arrive in a very progressive city.
Jess: Yes, very.
Angie: San Francisco is very progressive, one of the most progressive in the United States.
Jess: In the world.
Angie: Yes, it's true. So, this was not only attributable to the church where my ex husband is a pastor, but also to my culture, to pasto, to my region, to my mother, to my roots. Because [00:21:00] Pasto is also known as a region with a lot of machismo, where we are also very conservative.
And I find myself in a much more open minded city, much more activist in every sense, more feminist, more inclusive, where men and women are equal, where nothing is wrong, where people are free.
And for me, that is very intense because I don't know how to adapt to everything happening around me without ceasing to be myself. So, there comes a precious point of friction in my life, right? Because I fought and fought against that is how to bring all my beliefs and bring all my, uh, cultural burdens to the United States and say, this is me and I am going to continue being the same.
Jess: Hmm.
Angie: And I thought I had to remain single because the Bible says that a woman who separates must remain unmarried. So I [00:22:00] believed I would be alone for the rest of my life.
Giving herself a second chance
But around that time, during the pandemic, I found out that my ex husband, the pastor, got married. he got married and continues to have a visible role in the church.
So I said, okay, so if you divorce, you can remarry. And then I thought, oh yes, because God is a God of opportunities and love. And if he had an opportunity to be happy. Because he deserves it, right? Just like everyone deserves to be happy and everyone deserves second chances. I said, I think I can also have that second opportunity to relive, no, to be happy, to let go of all those burdens and those punishments.
That more than being imposed by an institution or a person are punishments that one imposes on oneself. I had [00:23:00] punished myself by not being able to rebuild my life and feeling guilty for the breakdown of my marriage and feeling many, many heavy burdens. So at that moment, when I'm here in California, where there are so many different ways of thinking, and this happens when I learn about his marriage.
I say, well, if someone as conservative as he could rebuild his life, give himself a second chance and be kind, I believe, first to himself, so, uh, no, why can't I do it too? And, and simply accept that the same Angelica, the same AngieG can be conservative, can be machista, but can also be feminist, can also be progressive and can also be kind and have her values.
And adapt them to, to what surrounds her.
So I said, I like this.. I made diligent lists. Just like in university, when we had assignments, and I said, well, first I'm going to [00:24:00] do the assignment and to do the assignment, I have to set a goal.
And that goal is going to be to understand myself, to be kind, to be gentle with myself, to love myself, to forgive myself and to give myself the opportunity to be happy. So, To rebuild my life, right? And how was I going to do it? By researching, because just like when you have an assignment, you go to the library, you go to the book.
Independent study and rebuilding herself
So I said the same thing, I'm going to do my homework to investigate all those facets that were Those strains colliding, the clash of those things. So when I researched what feminism is, because everyone says something, but have you really understood it? Have you investigated it? Do you know why there are so many movements?
Why is there [00:25:00] so much activism? What is it that hurts? What is bothering them? What does it seek? Maybe mislabeling because it shouldn't be feminism, but pluralism, where we all, regardless of our genders, simply want to be treated with respect, affection, and value in the same way. And this doesn't mean that a feminist wants more opportunities than a man or to be above a man.
That's very poorly labeled and misunderstood. So I start, uh, researching, reading, learning, and then I go back home and do the assignment. And what was the assignment? To create lists and say, well, what do you like about machismo? Is everything bad or is there anything good? Are there other things I'm comfortable with?
because I grew up in that environment and it's not wrong for me. [00:26:00] There are things I like that make me feel valued, like when a man pulls out a chair for me. Yes. When someone opens the door for me, that makes me feel cared for, pampered. I don't know how to put it. And, um, and I respect that for other people.
It might be uncomfortable. But I grew up in that environment.
environment. So I want to feel comfortable leaving that aspect of matismo. It's not that I defend it, but I feel comfortable with that part without it being controlling because obviously there are many points with which I don't agree. I dislike the control and the power dynamics and I completely reject that.
Then I start, uh, making those same lists. With everything, like with religion, I feel, oh, of course, having God in my life [00:27:00] supports me. It makes me feel secure. It calms me down. It encourages me to be a better human being, to perform acts of kindness, to want to help others, to set a good example in all aspects for my family, little cousins, siblings, friends.
And in my community with my God. So, uh, thinking that God is watching over me and is with me all the time, uplifts me. There are also things that may be in that conservatism or fundamentalism. aren't very compatible with me, and I understand that it's okay. Without judgment, I'm not going to say that Arabs are right or wrong.
I've tried to use inclusive language in the classroom with my students, and I can speak of they, them, and their, and know that there are fluid genders, binaries, and non binaries who are discovering their [00:28:00] identity. Yes, I simply have understood my Muslim Arab friends who have their reasons, and I love them as they are, and I respect their traditions too.
And I arrive at this more progressive environment in the United States and in California in particular. And here, too,
I feel that everyone can be whoever they want to be and I respect that. So my thirties, to conclude, meant learning, and it's a doctorate that I'm almost finishing in these 10 years. I've been studying languages, English, Italian, Portuguese.
I've been pursuing master's degrees, one in law, one in linguistics, and a doctorate. But really. The most important doctorate for me is the one I'm doing internally by getting to know myself, understanding myself, not judging myself, [00:29:00] and understanding with love those who have judged me and rebuilding myself.
Jess: Rebuild yourself. Yes, I love this word and I think it's perfect to describe your journey. and your journey was very, very deep internally.
Angie: Thank you, Jess, because that's it. And also in Spanish, we say remake because it's the perfect word that describes that stage. Like reconstructing myself. It's been 10 years, 10 years of crying, 10 years of feeling quite judged and maybe more by myself than by others.
And it's been like taking that step in these 10 years from tears to satisfaction from the effort when you're studying to finally getting the diploma. And I feel like I'm just now reaching that diploma in my 40s. It's been a decade of a lot, a lot of work.
Jess: Yes, a decade of much work and development, it seems to [00:30:00] me.
It's very brave to be vulnerable and share your academic story, but also your personal story.
Current projects and passions- law, linguistics, and education
Now that we've caught up on the last decade, I'd like to know what's coming up professionally and personally for you.
Angie: , okay, um, let's see then.
In a few days, I'll turn 40 and I have many projects.
My doctoral topic mixes three big passions, which are law and linguistics and teaching. So, my main dissertation topic has a very important challenge.
How through the rules of linguistics can we transform legal language? That is to see it as a language, like French or German, where the translator is the lawyer. So how can we ensure that there isn't a lawyer who acts as a translator? Because the language needs to be simple enough that an average person can understand a legal document.
So this great movement that has been [00:31:00] ongoing in the United States for 50 years, we can import it a bit into Spanish. So, I've been working hard to establish these rules through linguistics. To simplify legal language, plain language movement. It's like being able to simplify legal language and help the Spanish speaking community in the United States, to understand many concepts that sometimes turn out to be very technical and respect the Spanish of the United States.
Just like we respect the Spanish. of Colombia, the Spanish of Spain, the Spanish of Puerto Rico, the Spanish of anywhere.
So in this variety of Spanish in the United States, specifically in California and New York are where I focused and work with heritage students, that is students now, well with my students, but it's also particularly to [00:32:00] benefit.
This population that are bilingual speakers in Spanish and English of the first, second, third generation, where the main objective is to ensure that Spanish doesn't get lost because a person who arrives in the United States speaks Let's say 100 percent Spanish, but as their children are born and grow in the United States, that percentage of Spanish diminishes.
and what we want to seek is to preserve it in some way. And to preserve it, we want to broaden that linguistic repertoire through many tools.
Jess: I see. That is important work. Thank you for sharing.
Falling in love with Law
Before you go, I have two follow up questions. Number one, how did you fall in love with the law? Oh,
Angie: well, I have to be honest and say that, At first I said I was going to study anything but law because in my family, many are lawyers. The profession of my family, [00:33:00] uncles, grandparents. Um, my mom told me that my grandfather's family has always been lawyers, my cousins, my aunt. and we've chosen that career. So I said, no, I want to be anything but a lawyer.
But as I told you, I had to look for funding. Uh, so the scholarship they gave me, uh, was in law.
Jess: Only?
Angie: Only for law.
Jess: You didn't have other options?
Angie: No, I did not have other options. I said, okay, I want to study and I'm going to study law and then switch majors. And in my first semester of law, I said, Oh my gosh, I love that, I love it.
I adore it. It's in my veins. I feel it. Eh? And it's very easy for me. I enjoy it. Um, it makes me feel happy. So now being able to combine it with teaching and linguistics makes me feel fulfilled. I'm very happy with this moment of my life. And [00:34:00] just like from 30 to 40, yes. Those were years of tears, of many tears, I'm feeling, and I hope this new decade is a decade of reclaiming affection and joy, because I'm doing very beautiful things in my life.
part of that is being able to work with my three passions, teaching, linguistics, and law, being able to combine them.
Jess: Wow. There are many people who, in the end, have a career they hadn't considered, and after a very unpredicted journey.
Angie: . You don't know what the future holds.
Jess: You don't know what the future holds. Exactly. Wow. Yes, I didn't know you didn't want to be a lawyer at first. That's very interesting.
Angie: Me neither. I mean, it was a surprise for me when I said, Oh, I really love this. I love it.
Jess: Life
is
very funny.
Angie: It's very, very funny.
Hot dog memories
Jess: My last question for you is something more fun. I want to know from all the food sales when you were young, what was your favorite and why?
Angie: . [00:35:00] Oh, that's a great question. Well, I remember a lot. There are two, but I'll talk about one. My mom was given some money with a hot dog cart, like a stand.
They didn't have money, and they gave her that hot dog cart. It was June or July. I was on vacation from school, and she was working and didn't know what to do with me. So she said, well, let's sell hot dogs on the weekends. My mom would buy everything beforehand. She'd buy the sausages, the bread, she'd prepare the ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, and she made a pineapple sauce.
The hot dogs. as they're made in Colombia, had everything, fried potatoes and egg, well everything. She would put it all in the cart, right? So I sold the hot dogs, but what I did was simply assemble them. She'd give me everything ready and I just Put [00:36:00] the sausage and then all the toppings on top, constructing and selling them.
My cousin, who is the same age as me, helped too.
Jess: How old were you two? I
Angie: think about 10 years old, more or less, 8, 10. We were still kids. And my cousin also helped me or collected the So all my friends from the residential complex, because it was like a condominium. Their parents and my friends came to support my business, we would gather on Friday nights, Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoons until six o'clock, it was like the meeting point for all our friends.
My mom would play music, and it felt like we all came together there. It was super fun and also very profitable because every Sunday we made a lot of money. My cousin and me, my mom would give us all the money, and my cousin and I would go [00:37:00] buy dolls and clothes for the dolls and bottles and food because they were like big babies.
And I know we were little because we still played with those dolls, changing them and buying diapers for the baby and the dolls we played with. I think that's a very beautiful experience and I remember it with a lot of affection.
Jess: You have many lovely memories with hot dogs. How nice. How nice.
Thank you and 40th birthday
Angie: Thank you very much, Jess, for inviting me to be part of your podcast and to be that first guest.
as a Spanish speaker, because that's exactly what we're promoting, that we can all feel comfortable with the varieties of Spanish, and that all forms of Spanish are correct, that there isn't one better than the other, and that the perfect Spanish is the one we can speak with our friends. With our family, in our home, and that's the perfect language.
And I would love for you to know your Spanish is perfect because you can communicate perfectly with [00:38:00] your friends like me. And I appreciate your effort, so inspiring for us as English learners to be able to dive into the water and do what you do, you know. In the language you're learning, to be able to even conduct an interview or just dive into the water at any moment.
Jess: Yes, I feel like I'm, um, definitely diving into very cold water and very, uh,
How do you say?
Deep. right?
Angie: , yes, deep.
Jess: Very.
Yes, I'm very grateful you helped me a lot, um, in this new experience of doing an interview in Spanish. It was an adventure.
Angie: It's an adventure for both of us.
These are topics I've never talked about. Um, I think in these last 10 years, I've lived through many, many things. in silence, and it's not necessary to pick them out, but I think you gave me the confidence, the [00:39:00] affection, and the respect for each of the topics to also be able to share them.
Jess: Thank
you for your trust in sharing your intimate and personal story through an interview with me.
I'm looking forward to celebrating with you and welcoming a new decade of beautiful life with you soon. Happy birthday.
Angie: Thank
you. I'm turning 40. Um, yes, I hope we can keep celebrating and feel proud of aging because I think it's also part of this new stage in my life, being able to accept that years go by and aging with dignity and love.
Jess: I'm very happy, um, I think that now, you, like, how do you say, you're becoming like this Angie now, starting to see yourself more like how your friends and people who love you see you, and you can like,
Angie: There are so many beautiful words that you say, so you don't need to translate it. Thank you so much, jess. I know that people, like you said, speak English and Spanish, and all of them are great.
Yes. . Thank you for your generosity and your affection, and [00:40:00] we keep moving forward.
Jess: Yes, we keep moving forward. Thank you.
Outro
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoyed this episode. This is a small budding program. If you like this podcast, please support us. Follow, leave a review, and share with your networks to help us grow.
We're also on Instagram, at thecultureful. This episode was produced and edited by me, with executive production and editing assistance by Ruben Gnanaruban. Special thanks to Angie G for her linguistic support in the original Spanish version and to Fannie Zhou and Ben Cronin for production assistance. I'm Jess Lin. See you soon.