Intro
Howdy from Turlock, California, ya'll. I am a Bay Area native and moved to the valley 18 years ago. You read that right, I am not 18 years old fresh from high school but rather was living my life for the past 18 years. I graduated long ago in Y2K (2000). I am a mother of 3 children and it was more important for me to invest my time to raise my children than stay in college. I chose to work full-time, be married, and raise a family instead. So here I am, prepped to finally graduate in Spring 2021. Just one semester before my high school son graduates which is my goal. How could I tell him to go to college when I had not? So, phew, by the hair of a tail I am doing it.
I have worked in the Human Services Field since 2002 on state and federal grants. Currently, I work for my local Office of Education as an Operations Coordinator for the Child & Family Services Division. This is my 10th year here. I love what I do and what makes it better is to have the opportunity to work with humans, and try to somehow make a difference. In my spare time, I volunteer at my local Gospel Mission where currently, I deliver essential goods and foods to seniors. The Gospel Mission is near and dear to my heart. Since the COVID-19, I have been working remotely from home, while homeschooling my kids. My office is now my living room and currently, I am sitting with a glass of wine, a work pile, a school pile, and of course the pile of laundry next to me. I have the best fiance ever who makes this crazy schedule a little more manageable with this unconditional support and love. Not to mention he made a gourmet dinner of cheese sticks and frozen pizza for dinner for the woman who was vegan for a couple of years back. It's the thought that counts and I still think he is the sweetest.
My grandma, aka Oma was a significant part of my life until she passed last April. I cared for her the last 15 years of her life and losing her was like losing a part of my soul. She was a huge history buff, all self-taught through her experiences surviving WWII in Indonesia. Oma's mom was Indonesian and father was German. Oma's husband, my grandpa, aka Opa was from Holland and family was Dutch, English and Portuguese. My grandparents would have never met if the Dutch had not colonized Indonesia, and all the travesty that went with that. Since Opa served in the Royal Dutch Army, they traveled and lived in many other places other than Indonesia and Holland, including Germany, England, and New Guinea. My family speaks Dutch and Indonesian (Javanese) though Opa spoke 7 different languages which was what helped him survive 3 years as a POW, held captive by the Japanese. Japanese was his 7th learned language, not by choice. Many of the things in history I learned through Oma and her personal experiences. Because she had survived the war, she gained a liking, appreciation, and fondness of history. And so we would sit throughout the years at the table talking and eating, conversations mostly of history. She would start by, "Did you know?.." in her German accent and with her Asian eyes. This is from my mom's side. It was already hard explaining why my mom had blonde hair and my grandma looked Asian. No one understood.
My dad's family is Tex-Mex and they traveled back and forth all but a mile from Eagle Pass, Texas into Coahuila, Mexico. They are the hardest workers I know and traveled between Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and back to Texas to pick potatoes, spinach, jalapenos, and whatever else they could harvest. Both my grandma, aka Nana, and my Welo worked in the early hours of the morning when it was dark out, sweating as the hot sun beat down on them year after year. After learning the trade, becoming a self-taught horticulture and agriculture expert my grandpa, aka Welo expanded his knowledge of fieldwork with his impeccable communication skills and dedication. He befriended landowners with his ethical and honest character and grew business for everyone. His hard-earned investments paid off to make a life for his family.
All in all, my maiden name is Flores. My mom is blonde. My father is Hispanic. My Oma was Asian. My Opa was blue-eyed and blonde-haired. I had a heck of a time trying to explain my family and our appearance until I realized after elementary school that I did not need to explain my family to anyone and my family was my family, regardless of how we appeared on the outside. I vividly recall a time in elementary school where my classmate shouted out, "Hey Iris, some white lady is here to pick you up. Are you going to get kidnapped?" In retrospect, these thoughts from a child must have been learned for him to formulate that theory.
All in all, I am proud of my heritage and grateful for my family's hard work, and determination to make a better life. From fresh off the boat on the Port of Oakland in 1959 while entering America from Indonesia and into the fields of agriculture across the United States, my roots are diverse and rich as the history it came from.
I have worked in the Human Services Field since 2002 on state and federal grants. Currently, I work for my local Office of Education as an Operations Coordinator for the Child & Family Services Division. This is my 10th year here. I love what I do and what makes it better is to have the opportunity to work with humans, and try to somehow make a difference. In my spare time, I volunteer at my local Gospel Mission where currently, I deliver essential goods and foods to seniors. The Gospel Mission is near and dear to my heart. Since the COVID-19, I have been working remotely from home, while homeschooling my kids. My office is now my living room and currently, I am sitting with a glass of wine, a work pile, a school pile, and of course the pile of laundry next to me. I have the best fiance ever who makes this crazy schedule a little more manageable with this unconditional support and love. Not to mention he made a gourmet dinner of cheese sticks and frozen pizza for dinner for the woman who was vegan for a couple of years back. It's the thought that counts and I still think he is the sweetest.
My grandma, aka Oma was a significant part of my life until she passed last April. I cared for her the last 15 years of her life and losing her was like losing a part of my soul. She was a huge history buff, all self-taught through her experiences surviving WWII in Indonesia. Oma's mom was Indonesian and father was German. Oma's husband, my grandpa, aka Opa was from Holland and family was Dutch, English and Portuguese. My grandparents would have never met if the Dutch had not colonized Indonesia, and all the travesty that went with that. Since Opa served in the Royal Dutch Army, they traveled and lived in many other places other than Indonesia and Holland, including Germany, England, and New Guinea. My family speaks Dutch and Indonesian (Javanese) though Opa spoke 7 different languages which was what helped him survive 3 years as a POW, held captive by the Japanese. Japanese was his 7th learned language, not by choice. Many of the things in history I learned through Oma and her personal experiences. Because she had survived the war, she gained a liking, appreciation, and fondness of history. And so we would sit throughout the years at the table talking and eating, conversations mostly of history. She would start by, "Did you know?.." in her German accent and with her Asian eyes. This is from my mom's side. It was already hard explaining why my mom had blonde hair and my grandma looked Asian. No one understood.
My dad's family is Tex-Mex and they traveled back and forth all but a mile from Eagle Pass, Texas into Coahuila, Mexico. They are the hardest workers I know and traveled between Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and back to Texas to pick potatoes, spinach, jalapenos, and whatever else they could harvest. Both my grandma, aka Nana, and my Welo worked in the early hours of the morning when it was dark out, sweating as the hot sun beat down on them year after year. After learning the trade, becoming a self-taught horticulture and agriculture expert my grandpa, aka Welo expanded his knowledge of fieldwork with his impeccable communication skills and dedication. He befriended landowners with his ethical and honest character and grew business for everyone. His hard-earned investments paid off to make a life for his family.
All in all, my maiden name is Flores. My mom is blonde. My father is Hispanic. My Oma was Asian. My Opa was blue-eyed and blonde-haired. I had a heck of a time trying to explain my family and our appearance until I realized after elementary school that I did not need to explain my family to anyone and my family was my family, regardless of how we appeared on the outside. I vividly recall a time in elementary school where my classmate shouted out, "Hey Iris, some white lady is here to pick you up. Are you going to get kidnapped?" In retrospect, these thoughts from a child must have been learned for him to formulate that theory.
All in all, I am proud of my heritage and grateful for my family's hard work, and determination to make a better life. From fresh off the boat on the Port of Oakland in 1959 while entering America from Indonesia and into the fields of agriculture across the United States, my roots are diverse and rich as the history it came from.
Hi Iris! Really nice to meet you virtually! I should say this to make you feel that you are not alone. I graduated in 1995 :). I have 2 kids myself, both in college. And looks like we are both aiming to graduate in Spring of 2021! Congrats and good luck to both of us!
ReplyDeleteHi Iris, what a great intro!! Super detailed, and very interesting background. I too can relate that life flashes before your eyes, and then one day, I'm like hmm maybe I should continue my college career and graduate! Nice to virtually meet you!
ReplyDeleteHi Iris, Nice to meet you. My Name is Claudia , I am from Brazil. I enjoyed reading your introduction. You look so young!! I am going to graduate at NDNU in human services. I love to serve as you do. I wish the best to you. See you in Spring 2021 in our graduation!!!
ReplyDelete