Soler_Ana_20180613

Amy Starecheski: --introduction. Let's see what I can hear. Oh, do you think it would bother your fish if you turned the filter off for a little bit?

Ana Soler: No.

Amy Starecheski: While we're doing this?

Ana Soler: Matthew. Come here a minute. (Spanish).

Matthew: Do you want me to unplug it?

Ana Soler: Yeah, unplug it.

Amy Starecheski: I'm using these really sensitive microphones and I can tell that the noise of the--

Ana Soler: No (Spanish) That you could--do you see that red button there?

Matthew: Yeah I can turn it off.

Ana Soler: Yeah. Turn it off. Thank you.

Matthew: I can take this?

Ana Soler: Yeah. You could take it.

Matthew: Alright I'll see you tomorrow.

Ana Soler: You going to Grandma?

Matthew: No. I'm going to be in the park in the back.

Ana Soler: All right be careful out there.

Matthew: Have a nice day.

Amy Starecheski: It's nice to meet you. That's great. OK. So my name's Amy Starecheski. This is June 13th, 2018 and this interview is for the Mott Haven Oral History Project. So, can you start off by just telling me your--say your name and where and when you were born. And then tell me a little bit about your childhood, where you came from, what your family was like, stuff like that, talk as much as you want. I'll jump in and ask questions if you get stuck.

Ana Soler: Ok. I could start?

Amy Starecheski: Yeah. Go for it.

Ana Soler: Alright. My name is Ana Soler. And I was born June 5th, 1943. I just had a birthday. 75. I was born in Puerto Rico. And I had a beautiful childhood in Puerto Rico. We--You--

Amy Starecheski: Go, go. Yeah.

Ana Soler: We didn't have no TV. We did not have any refrigerator. We did not have any toilet like over here. We used to bathe in the river. We used to iron. It was the iron that you had to put the coal in and you have to blow on it. But 00:02:00it was beautiful. By the age of six, I was already cooking. My mother had to work. My father was in the Army. She had to work and we had to take care of ourselves. We used to go to school, barefoot. And then when we got to school then we were allowed to put our shoes (laughs). That's true. That's not--that's true. A lot of people come here and they forget their background, where they come from. You know and I will never forget where I came from. And I used to love where I used to live. And it was 5 of us brothers. And we used to all take care of ourselves. Our mother, she used to leave the house at 4:00 in the 00:03:00morning. And she would be back at nighttime. There was no cars, they had to walk to the job. So it was hard. And the school where we used to go, it was a very, very, very long walk. But you see everybody, all the kids going to school, happy. You know, we had, I had no complaint. I love--we used to play dominoes. We used to have so many nice games not like- And not like now. Kids nowadays, they don't know what it is not to have a lot of clothes. Maybe, you know, some--I've always been a picky eater. And we always used to eat the same thing. 00:04:00Sometimes for breakfast, for lunch it's called pana [breadfruit]. The color is--I used to hate it. But my mom was, you know you used to put fish in it. She, anything she find she would just to make it exciting but, still it was bad, no matter (laughs).

Amy Starecheski: What was it made out of?

Ana Soler: Pana, It's like it's like a fruit. But you- A lot of people do it with catfish and but--nowaday I see in the supermarket and my skin (laughs) my hair stand up I could-- people go to Puerto Rico and that's what they want to eat. Everybody that goes to PR, "Bring me a pana!" And I said, me bring you a pana? That's what they--everybody that goes from here to PR. I mean I guess we 00:05:00all long for that. You know, everybody, in their own way. So but I don't complain. I love my childhood. And I live in Puerto Rico until I was nine years old. Then I- went to school to the third grade. And then I came here. I came here when I was nine years old. But then I went back a couple of years after. And then there was, then there was car. There was TV because the TV came around in 1950, but not in my house. We never had a TV. Not in Puerto Rico, we never had a TV. So when I got here I mean, I saw a refrigerator for the first time. I saw a toilet for the first time. And the funny, the funny thing when I came here was, maybe a lot of people don't remember, but the apartment, they used to be 00:06:00like a subway. They weren't divided like they are now. And the bathtub was in the kitchen. So my father used to put a, like a curtain around. So, and then the families started growing, instead of five brothers there was seven brothers. But I don't know.mWe had a beautiful childhood. My brothers, we very, very close. It's a close, you know, very close family. We get in touch and see each other, we call each other. So. It's good. It was good. It's still a good life.

Amy Starecheski: Can you describe your house in Puerto Rico for me?

Ana Soler: My house in Puerto Rico. There was a hurricane that my grandmother died in. In the hurricane my grandmother died. And it took our house. The flood 00:07:00took a lot. And not only our, but everybody's. So for about about a year and a half we live--I didn't because I was already here but my mom and my--the rest of my brothers they used to live in tent. Like when you go camping. They live like that for about a year and a half. And then the government built houses and that's how my mother has her first house. That was in I think 1959. But that same year my grandmother died, in the same year. But.

Amy Starecheski: What kind of work did your mom do?

Ana Soler: My mom worked in a factory. They made cigars. And she came home 00:08:00smelling. Oh my God. Terrible, terrible. Yeah. They used to--it was like that--I don't know if you ever seen it. It was a ball of the tobacco and they have to open it and they have to spray and they have to--'cause we used to go once in a while. She would take us to, you know and that I appreciate about my mom and my dad. They taught us, since we were very young, the responsibilities of working. Very young, very. When I was 6 years old, I was already cooking. We took turns. It was only two sisters and the other were boys so we took turns cooking, cleaning the house, ironing. My mother didn't have time. My mother worked from six in the morning to 8:00 at night. So we had to cook, we had to take care of 00:09:00ourselves and make sure that when she got home she had something to eat. Because she used to eat, go to the river take a bath, and then we were in bed by 8:30 everybody was sleeping. But yeah, but that was a job. My father was in the army and then he came over here. Once he left, once he left the army, yes.

Amy Starecheski: Do you know what he did in the army?

Ana Soler: No. Because he went to World War II. And I don't think he, he ever wanted to talk about. But he was a very handsome, very handsome, yes.

Amy Starecheski: When you were a kid do you remember hearing people talking about New York?

Ana Soler: Yes. Everybody dream. Everybody. And then when people were coming it's not like now that you go traveling with sneakers, shorts. No, no, no way. 00:10:00When you were coming from Puerto Rico to New York, you wore a suit. I used to wear a suit, nice hat. The ladies, even the little kids, dressed, nice shoes, hat. A bag. You used to come, like, the first time I put on nice shoes, beautiful dress and a coat because I came in December. It was snowing like--and then the traveling, it wasn't like now. It was eight hours. Eight hours on that plane and it wasn't fancy plane like that. There was--they used to make noise. There was no eating, there was no eating. You was 8 hours sitting there, not eating, no TV, no doing nothing. Nothing. Yes. But you were excited. You were 00:11:00excited to come to New York. Because my father came first. My father came, he got a job, he got the apartment. We used to live in the Barrio in 117th. And then, you know when he settled, then, he started sending for all of us. And my mom, she didn't want to come. No. My mom, she didn't come.

Amy Starecheski: She never came?

Ana Soler: My mother came here when my father passed away. And then she stood for about, for about a year. And she always was homesick, you know. So then we sent her back and she was in and out, then, at the end, then she came back and she stay here for about 20 years. She lived in that building there for 20 years. And then she passed away, yeah.

Amy Starecheski: In Betances?

Ana Soler: Yeah.

Amy Starecheski: Why didn't she want to come?

Ana Soler: Because my mom, she was a worker. My mom. And she has so many friends. And you know, it's a different, different life. And the first time she came here, I mean it was so cold. And she didn't like it. Even though the years that she stood here, she did it mainly for us. But she was happy. My mom wasn't. I know that. We used to send her to Puerto Rico every year. She used to go every year to Puerto Rico, and she would stay a month, two months. But then she had nobody there. That was--we were all here. So you know she had no other choice but to come back, but she longed for that Puerto Rico.

Amy Starecheski: Who took care of you when you first came here?

Ana Soler: My father. My father was our father and our mom. Yeah. I Was 9 years 00:13:00old, my youngest brother was 6. He was 6 years old. Yeah. And he worked and there was a lady that would take care of us. And it wasn't like, it wasn't a like now, you could you leave your kids in the house. When we used to live on 117th, you leave the kids in the house, nothing would happen. They will go to school, you would go to school. And you know there wasn't like, you wasn't scared. Now, you know sometime I get mad at myself because there's something that I have to do outside at nighttime and like I don't, I don't really want to go outside. After a certain hour. And not before, before we used to go- me and my sister, we used to go dancing. We used to come home 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 in the 00:14:00morning. We would take the train. And there was no problem. But nowadays it's very different.

Amy Starecheski: What are you afraid of now?

Ana Soler: Hm?

Amy Starecheski: What are you afraid of, now?

Ana Soler: It's, it's not that I'm, it's not that I'm afraid but like when you're coming home, you know, I was mugged one time in the elevator. Not here, in Betances. And, I feel bad because then I started judging all Black kids. Like they were and I'm not all, not all Puerto Rican are good, not a Puerto Ricans are bad, not all Blacks are bad. And it took me quite a while to get into the elevator with somebody that I didn't know. Now, I do. Now, you know, I don't. But still it-- And the train? It's too many. I took a train--I was in a training 00:15:00yesterday about mental health. And it was so- it was very exciting. It was very, very--and it's true there's a lot of people out there that are, you know mentally ill and you know how to deal- You don't know how to deal with them. And that's why so many things are happening. But otherwise I'm happy, I don't mind--I go out. Right now I just came from church, I had a meeting. Yeah.

Amy Starecheski: I want to go back. Can you tell me about the first day that you got here? Like you're on the plane, the plane lands, just like walk me through what happened.

Ana Soler: When I got here it was freezing. The temperature was about four degrees. And I never seen snow. I never--I saw that snow, I went--I went crazy. I started putting the snow in my face. I put the snow in my arm (laughs). And I 00:16:00came with my aunt. My aunt was the one that brought--she used to go pick us up because my father couldn't do it. She said, "what are you doing? You're not supposed to do that!" And ever since, and let me tell you, ever since that time, every time that it snows, I do the same thing, I put--and people--the kids say, "grandma, why are you doing that?" And I say you know it brings me back to 1953 when I got here. So every time there's a snow, I love snow. People complain about it. I love the snow. And I love winter. Summer I'm not too crazy about. I'm not too. But winter I could go anywhere. I'm, 6:00 in the morning I'm out. Summer, sometimes I get a little tired. And summer like, here it's not like 00:17:00Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is really hot. But you don't sweat. There's not that humidity out there. So it's better than over here.

Ana Soler: But when I came here, oh, I mean I saw all those big buildings. There was no building in Puerto Rico. Everything was small houses. I'd look. I was a jibara. Like what they call jibara? I was. I was amazed by--and still am. Nighttime I--I look out the window, and, I tell you I love- I love New York. I mean I'm--Puerto Rico. I go to Puerto Rico almost every year. But I love New York. I would not change. I would not change Puerto Rico for Florida or nothing, no other place. Especially the Bronx, the Bronx. I love the Bronx. I came to live here, when I first came, I lived in Manhattan in Spanish Harlem. I still 00:18:00go. My building is still, I say my building, but it's still there. The church I went to, the church I got married. Once in a while I like to go there, and I walk around, I remember old friends that have passed away. My dad passed away in that building. You know and it's going memory lane. It's always, it's always good to to remember where you come from. And you you know, the thing, Manhattan. The Barrio has changed a lot too, from when I came to now, it has changed. And it has changed for the better, not for the worst. The Bronx either, the Bronx has changed for the better, for for the better, yes.

Amy Starecheski: Can you tell me more about how it's changed?

Ana Soler: Well, for once, at this--(phone ringing)

Amy Starecheski: Do you want me to pause?

Ana Soler: One minute.

Amy Starecheski: Sure.

Ana Soler: Because I'm waiting for--.

Amy Starecheski: You got it? [phone call]

Ana Soler: Sorry about this.

Amy Starecheski: No, no, not at all. That just reminded me to turn my phone off too.

Ana Soler: That was one of my kids. I tell them I'm not available, they keep calling. They call me every day.

Amy Starecheski: (Laughs) That's good, a lot of people wish their kids would call them more. OK. So you were saying that you like to go back and I asked if 00:20:00you could tell me more about how--I guess how both El Barrio and the Bronx have changed.

Ana Soler: The Bronx has changed. New buildings that they building from what it--from before the old building, you know, they have their furnace in the bottom of the old buildings. They used to put coal. And I remember in--I used to, when I first moved to the Bronx, I moved here 1965, November 27 that's when I got married and I came to live in 139 and Cypress. Yes. Six twenty. I remember like yesterday. Yeah, so the buildings were, they had supers. Now there's not no super in the building. They had the super. Every complaint you had to you had to 00:21:00go to the super. And Christmas, you used to give them an envelope with money, the mailman--you don't do that anymore. I miss--I still do and the people that works here, they nice kid, you know. So in Christmas I always give them something. But I remember years ago it was like a must. That, and that has changed a lot. That has really changed.

Ana Soler: And crime. Now it's--it's not that much. Like years ago, years ago there was a lot of gangs, a lot--a lot of drugs. Drug is still around. I mean it haven't gone nowhere. It's still in the South Bronx. But it's everywhere. But like years ago there used to be so many killing. [Unclear] I mean I used to 00:22:00work--I used to work in 145 and Willis in a cleaner. I worked there for 27 years. And you see all those drug dealer that would bring their clothes. But, they were drug dealer, I mean big time. But they, in Christmas, they used to come, they used to shower me with gifts, money. I used to, I like working with the public, I mean I love that job. I love it. And you know, now, like, I'm used to saying, I get in the elevator, I'm used to saying good morning to everybody. But now people like, sometimes they look at you like this--you know. Years ago, 00:23:00everybody, Good morning, Happy New Year, Merry Christmas. You don't see that now. I haven't seen it. You know, maybe there's--but. So it's, for one it has changed for the better because we've got better buildings. But like we going--instead of going forward we going backwards. They're--the people are not--are not that friendly. They're not that friendly like they used to be years ago. That--the one thing that--that I miss. I really miss that. That closeness. Even in the church. Even the church, you know. We used to go to church, we used to be in the mass, choir. But once we got outside you'll see the group hugging, talking and we used to stay outside an hour or two after mass. Sometimes the 00:24:00priest would come out: "Are you people still here?" Because that's how we used to be. Now like everybody comes out of church and--we are living like in such a rush. We rush for everything. We rush to get in the bus, we rush to go in the train, we rush to get home, and you know and--you know and I say sometime, you gotta slow down. Sometime you know you gotta sit down and talk to people. And I'm no saint. I am not against computers, I am not against cell phone, no. You need the advance. But that has taken away family talking. People--now you see everybody in the street with the phone. You know they--if you are not careful they will knock you down. So in that way it has changed. But in another way you 00:25:00know you have to go with the punches. You have to try to catch up to them. I mean, ask the elderly, it's very difficult, young people, no. Young people they catch--but, like, I don't even know how to turn on a computer. I don't. And Mark and Matthew and Freddy, they all have tried. I bought a laptop, I gave it to Matthew because--I mean I couldn't. And he would--this kid, he's very patient with me. He's very--I couldn't get it. I just couldn't get it. The telephone that you---(pause) Mark said "Grandma!" I can't. You know, it's not that I don't 00:26:00try, but I guess my mind don't want like--and when they come here, you know, I tell them right away. If they come here, put your phone away. If you're here it's to talk. You know. But it's hard on them. Family values it's, it's going down. It's going and us elderly, you know. I mean it hurts me, it hurts me to see, to see that going on.

Amy Starecheski: I want to go back a little bit. Can you tell me what school was like when you got here?

Ana Soler: Hm?

Amy Starecheski: You were 9 when you came. What was school like?

Ana Soler: The teachers, they used to wear suit and tie. Oh yes. Shave. It was 00:27:00so respectful. You went to school and they would teach and they had--that they don't have anymore--the sewing. They had sewing, they had cooking class, they had art. They had gym, that you used to put--I love--blue, blue shorts, the whole piece, blue. And it have to be blue. White sneaker--the skippies, they used to call skippies--with the white sock. You had to have your gym suit. And I remember it was on a Tuesday. You couldn't--you have to wear it. And I mean it wasn't fancy like now, you have to wear Gap, everything has to be from the Gap, the sneakers got to be Nike's or, no. We used to wear skippies for everything. 00:28:00Then when there was assembly, they don't do that. I don't know if you remember that, but there used to be assembly. You had to go with your navy blue skirt down to here. White sock, shoes. Your white shirt. And a nice little bun. That's how it used to be. And teachers, the ladies they used to dress so beautiful. They were so respectful. You go into your classroom. You salute the flag. They don't do that anymore. You used to have assembly. Every Friday there was assembly. If I asked one of my grandkid, "Do you have assembly?" They don't even know what I'm talking about. They don't get it. I'm talking about. Gym, they go like whatever they have on that's it. And it's not even gym because they take you outside. Gym, when we were going to school, it was in the gym. And I tell 00:29:00you I used to love especially sewing and cooking, baking. Baking cake, baking cookies. And all that is gone down the drain. Now, I go to schools and I'm shocked. When my kids were, because my kids, they went to public school. My grandkids, they had gone to private school. But my kids, I couldn't afford it. I couldn't afford. My kids went to public school. And one time I went to--they graduated from Dewitt Clinton. And I saw those teachers, the way they were. And the way the kids carry on, the way they curse. I mean, I was shocked. I said this is nothing like I used to. Nothing like when I went to school. And they 00:30:00used to teach you. Reading, math, everything--with homework. You had to do your homework. If you did not have your homework, you would be in detention. And if the teacher says you going to be in detention two days, you're going to be in detention two days. Now I don't even know. I don't even know now if they give detention or not.

Ana Soler: Did you go to public school or Catholic school?

Ana Soler: No, I want to public school. We all went to public school.

Amy Starecheski: And who else was living around you in El Barrio when you came? What was the neighborhood like?

Ana Soler: Beautiful. We know everybody in there in the block. We used to live in 117th. From Lexington to 3rd Avenue, I mean, in Christmas--Christmas you you 00:31:00would not forget those Christmas. Everybody, we used to adorn the whole block, the whole block. Everybody. Everybody would bring in food. And we would do it in different houses. And the apartment wasn't this big. Our apartment was so tiny. And, the bathroom, the bathtub was in the kitchen, but the bathroom was in the third floor and it was for the whole building. It was for everybody that live in the building. So if there were 20 families, everybody, we use the same, but they used to keep it clean! Every week, one person had to clean the whole building. They had to clean the--you know, we assign. Because it was like family. For Christmas, everybody. We used to go to midnight mass. The church was packed 00:32:00because everybody from the barrio from 110th to 116th, it was the church like that that I used to go. Midnight Mass was at twelve o'clock midnight. And it would finish at 4:00 in the morning but they'd be singing. Yes. Yes. But I mean, that's why I said now, I sometimes feel so sad on Christmas. Because they do that, they still do the mass, but they don't do it at midnight. Here, they do it at 10:00, and by 11:30, it's finished. And they sing the Christmas carol and, but over there I mean it was, it was a lot of beautiful music. It didn't have to be the religious. Yes, they would sing the the religious, but after a while you 00:33:00start--they used to call it parranda. The parranda you used to bring maracas, bongos, guitar. And after the mass was finished, it will be finished by 1:00, 1:30, then we would start the parranda. And when we finish we used to go to different home. They used to go to my house maybe five o'clock in the morning. Two o'clock in the morning, and the parranda would last for 16 days. Oh yeah. I used to, yeah. 16 days. They used to--and they didn't tell you, we're going to come to your home tonight, but like, everybody knew. We were prepared. We had the coquito, we had the arroz con dulce, we had, everything. But the coquito was--you have tasted coquito? Pasteles, alcupurria, all that. All that we used 00:34:00to have. And it, we usually, we used to do four houses a night. Yeah we would start about 7:30 and we will finish by 3:00 in the morning. And even little kids, you should see, even little kids would go. And we would not knock the door. We would start signing in the door (laughs). And when the people heard, they would open the door. And when the people heard, they would open the door, no matter what time. And they--and it wasn't like--sometimes there was 30, 40, 50, 60 people. Yeah. That- they don't do that anymore. No. We also do in St Pius. Once St Pius closed, they don't do anymore. No. My barrio--I remember--it 00:35:00was very close and it was very religious. From May for octove, we used to do the rosary around the block. It didn't matter that it was snowing, that it was 10 degrees, that it was raining, for 31 days--they used to. And there was a lot of people and we had candles, they had the rosary, you know those are the thing that--you miss, you miss that.

Amy Starecheski: I'm going to move your microphone up a little bit. Is that okay? It's just rubbing on part of your shirt. Is that okay?

Ana Soler: Yeah.

Amy Starecheski: Was it mostly all Puerto Ricans living around there? Like, the people you hung out with, were they often from Puerto Rico?

Ana Soler: Everybody was Puerto Rican and you know the Puerto Rican came here in the 40s and everybody came to live in the barrio. Everybody was from the barrio. Now the barrio, it's Mexican. You go there it's all Mexican. But it's still a 00:36:00very happy place, it's still. But when we came, it was all Puerto Rican, it wasn't Dominican, it was--and like, over here, the Bronx, there was only the Irish. A lot of Irish people. And when I first started going to church in St Pius, the Puerto Ricans were not allowed up in the Church. They used to make the Puerto Rican--we had the mass--Spanish Mass, in the basement of the church, and that was a very, very rich church. But it was all Irish. And there wasn't that many Puerto Ricans. After the '65-'67, then Puerto Ricans started coming to the Bronx and they left the barrio and we came here to the Bronx. And then they 00:37:00started doing the mass upstairs. But it was--and it was--everything was Irish, Irish and Italian. There was a lot of Italian. And Jewish around here too. So, the Grand Concourse, Grand Concourse now is. But that was the rich, that was only for rich people. It was beautiful. You used to walk down Grand Concourse and it was heaven. It was so clean. And you see all that ladies and men sitting in summer. They would sit, they would take their chairs and they would sit there. You know. And it was nice. It was nice. But, you don't see nobody. You don't see no, no. But now, there's a lot of white people coming to the Bronx. Because I see a lot of--on 136th. Those building over there. They even make a 00:38:00rest--I didn't even know they had a bar restaurant. I saw it on TV. So.

Amy Starecheski: And you moved to the Bronx after you got married.

In 1965, November 27.

Amy Starecheski: How did you meet your husband?

Ana Soler: I met my husband when I was on my 18th birthday. We went dancing, my sister and a friend of her. And my husband was a musician. He used to play with Charlie Panelli. Oh yeah he'd play! So he was playing in the band. And he was playing, and then when they finished their time, he came over to our table and he asked me to dance. And, yeah, I went to dance with him and he said, "You know what? You're going to be--you're gonna be my wife. You're gonna be the mother of my kids." And I said, "Mister, I don't even know you." And he says, "Tomorrow 00:39:00I'm going to your house, I'm going to ask for your hand." And I said, "First of all you don't even know my name. And, you know, you don't even know where I live." He said, "Don't worry, I will find out." So we dance a couple of dances and then he went with my sister, he started dancing with my sister. And my sister gave him the address. And he says, "Tomorrow I will be in your house at 3:00 in the afternoon." But you know, I forgot about that. Next day was Sunday. A man knocked on my door at 3:00 in the afternoon. [Long pause]

Ana Soler: And when my sister opened the door she said, "Ana, there's somebody looking for you." My father was very strict. My father--ooh! And I didn't even know his name. I didn't even know his name. So, he--my father said, "Who is that 00:40:00man?!" I said, "We met him last night in the dance."

Ana Soler: So he said, "May I come in?" My father goes, "Okay." and he says, "I met your daughter last night, and I like your daughter, and I would like to start seeing your daughter." And my father asked me and I said, "Well you know any boyfriend that I used to have my father never liked none of my boyfriends--none my boyfriends! So he didn't like him either. But he was very consistent. He--my father says, "OK, you're gonna come to the house on Saturday afternoon. You're gonna be here from 2:00 to 4:00. And if you are going to the movies, you got to take one of the kids--one of my brothers. We never went out 00:41:00alone. And my father would sit there and my boyfriend would sit there and I would--we were--we weren't allowed to--then when it was time for him to go, my father would say, "two minutes." Two minutes to say goodbye! And my father [laughs] but I love my father yeah. And we would--we went out for two years.

Ana Soler: And then one day, my father, my father had an accident at his job. He was paralyzed. And that's why he was so attached to me because I'd left school when I was 13 because my father got sick. My brothers were younger. And there wasn't no home attendant. There was nothing. So somebody had to take of my father. So I had to leave. My sister said, "Not me!" My sister was older. She would not leave school, no. She didn't. "Not me!" So then, I left school to take 00:42:00care of my father. I used to bathe my father. I used to shave my father. I used to do everything. With my brothers too. That's why my brothers said that I'm their mom. My brothers, they very good to me because they say, you know, they remember that I took care of my father, I took care of my brothers, I took care of my mom.

Ana Soler: So then one day my father says, "I want to talk to Josue." That was my husband's name. "I want to talk to Josue." So they went into the room, and my father said, "Look I don't feel well. I don't want to leave my daughter without getting married, because if I die I know you never gonna marry my daughter. So, I'm giving you a month to get your life straight." He had his apartment. He used 00:43:00to make good money. "I'm giving you a month to get all your papers ready. Get everything ready and to marry my daughter." And he say, "Yeah, okay, no problem." And we did get married. And My father, three months after, my father died. My father died in the house in the sleep. So, I guess he knew that. And that's how I got married otherwise I wouldn't. I was 21, I was 21. That's--that's him over there.

Amy Starecheski: Oh my gosh! Is that you?

Ana Soler: Yeah! I was 21 years old there!

Amy Starecheski: Is that a painting?

Ana Soler: Yes.

Amy Starecheski: That's a beautiful--I'm just--for the tape it's a beautiful painting. I'll take a picture of it if it's ok with you?

Ana Soler: Yeah. Yes, mhm.

Amy Starecheski: Of you and Josue, right? On you're wedding day?

Ana Soler: Josue, yeah.

Amy Starecheski: I have a lot of questions about this. Did you want to get married?

Ana Soler: I wanted to, but I didn't want to. Because I mean, I used to be, I used to be so close to my family. I always--I have always been very close. And you know I really wasn't prepared. But we had a good marriage, you know, we had a good marriage. We have three kids and my husband was never home. He was always traveling, you know, was always out of the house. So when he got sick and he passed away, you know I guess the kids were used to not having him that much around.

Amy Starecheski: Did he continue to work as a musician?

Ana Soler: Yes. Yeah, he used to work. That's why he was always out--we never--we lived for 20 years. We never spent a Christmas together, no New Years, 00:45:00no kids birthday, when they did they communion. And that's how I met him. I could not tell him. That was his passion. He started in the music when he was 12 years old. So you know I could not tell him not to do it. That's how I met him. But when he was home he was very good. He was very good with the kids. And then we used to do things together, but that was very rarely. So with my kids, like I was mom and dad to my kids.

Amy Starecheski: What kind of work did your dad do once he was in New York?

Ana Soler: Me?

Amy Starecheski: Your dad.

Ana Soler: Who?

Amy Starecheski: Your father, sorry.

Ana Soler: My father, he used to work in New York. When my father came, he came with the first Puerto Ricans that came to New York, to New Jersey, to the camp, 00:46:00to pick tomatoes. He did that for a couple of years. Then he started working in a factory that they used to make the boxes. He worked--that's where he--that's where he had the accident. He worked there for about - he worked there for about 20 years because my brother used to work--when my brother got older my father took him to the job and my brother were there for many--until he retired in that job.

Amy Starecheski: Where was the factory?

Ana Soler: In New Jersey in, I don't know. In Teaneck? Somewhere out there in Jersey.

Amy Starecheski: And so you left school at 13 to take care of your father.

Ana Soler: I was in the ninth grade.

Amy Starecheski: What was that like? What was your life like at that point?

Ana Soler: I--it hurt me because I loved school. I mean I used to--I used to 00:47:00love school. But you know I guess it was meant for me to do what had--I always say, you know and my father used to say, "You know what? You come into this world to take care of people." Cause when I was five years old I was taking care of my brothers. I was doing the cooking by six. Six years old, I already used to know how to cook and do everything in the house! So, and then my mom got sick. I took care of my mom 20 years, until she passed away. So, and I used to work taking care of elderly, I have kids, I have a three year old now. So I like do--I like doing that. You know sometimes I say, "You know, I wish I could go back to school but--"

Amy Starecheski: Did you get to still hang out with other kids your age after 00:48:00you left school?

Ana Soler: Oh yeah oh I still have friends that are--yes--that we see each other. One in particular, Virginia, she lives in 137. I mean I didn't see her for many many years. We used to live in the barrio and we went to school together. So you know I lost contact with a lot of people. One day I'm walking to go to my mom's house and then this lady comes and she looks at me and I looked at her. And she says, "You Ana, right?" And I said, "Yes?" And she said, "You don't remember me?" And I looked at her and I say, "Virginia?" And she said, "Yes we went to school together in 115th!" So we still see each other. She gave me her number, I gave her my number and once in a while we get- we get in touch, but--yeah but the other people? God knows, most of them are gone.

Amy Starecheski: Why did you move to the Bronx when you got married?

Ana Soler: Because my husband have the apartment here in the Bronx. Once we got--he used to live here in the Bronx. He lived here for a long time, so. He say, you know, he had, he had his apartment. I mean, it wasn't like, so. So, but I furnish it the way I wanted. I did everything. Yeah. And it was a--it was a nice nice. The building is still beautiful, the building still--I go by there and I say, "I wish I could go to where I used to live.".

Amy Starecheski: What's the address?

Ana Soler: 628, 139th street. It's right on the corner of 139 and Cypress.

Amy Starecheski: By Pio Pio, the chicken place? On the same--.

Ana Soler: Yes yes yes yes! Mhm.

Amy Starecheski: Can you describe that apartment for me?

Ana Soler: Yes. You walk in, there's the hallway. Then there was the kitchen. Then you walk another hallway, that was the living room. Then you walk and there was the bedroom, and the bathroom right next to the--I--I could see it in my--in my imagine. I could imagine it the way it is. Just like every place I lived. Just like the barrio. I mean, that apartment we used to live in the barrio--I could still see that bathtub [laughter]. And they used to call them the subway because they were--you--have you ever seen them?

Amy Starecheski: Yeah yeah.

Ana Soler: So you could--.

Amy Starecheski: I know what you're talking about.

Ana Soler: There was no privacy, no doors. No privacy. There's no doors, nothing! And we used to--it used to be five of us and we used to have bunk bed. 00:51:00The bunk beds. And it was only--it was only a 1 bedroom. We used to--my father, not us--my father used to pay twenty-eight dollars rent monthly! [Laughs] Five dollars on the phone. The telephone was five dollars [laughter]!

Amy Starecheski: You said that you furnished and set up your apartment the way you want?

Ana Soler: Yes.

Amy Starecheski: Can you tell me about how you set it up?

Ana Soler: Well I had the sofa and the loveseat, a table. I had the TV, it wasn't TV stand like this. They were like tall with skinny thing, and you used to put the TV and used to put--and it wasn't this kind of TV, you know. At first it was the big big bad TVs [laughs]. But it was nice curtains, my kitchen. I 00:52:00used to have nice nice table set and nice drapes all the time. That's one thing; I like changing my drapes every two weeks. My house I changed--this I changed this week! Every time my kids come they say, "What did you do now?" I had this, uh, chair here, I had in the room. I took--I put this one here, and the one I had here, I put it in the room. I like changing around. Yeah.

Ana Soler: And then in 400. 400 I had a big apartment. Had a three-bedroom apartment. And it was big, it was big. And I lived in the 19th floor, and you could see the airport; Kennedy, La Guardia, everything. You could see everything 00:53:00in that apartment. Everything you could see. And I had that--that's when my husband passed away. But it was a beautiful, beautiful--I go up--I still go there. I still have many friends there. So I still go over there.

Amy Starecheski: What was the address of that building?

Ana Soler: 400 Brook Avenue. Used to live in apartment 19B. [Laughs] I remember!

Amy Starecheski: Of course. of course.

Ana Soler: Yeah.

Amy Starecheski: How did your husband die?

Ana Soler: He had lung cancer. He used to be a heavy smoker and a heavy drinker. He used to--heavy heavy, but heavy smoker. Five packs. Five packs. And they were cheap, not like now. Now it's eleven dollars a pack. So now you think twice before. The cigarette was cheaper and he started smoking when he was about 15-16 years old, so. But it was painful. And you know he always, always he would say 00:54:00that he had a pain around here all the time and I say, "Josue, pero, go to the hospital." "Yeah, I go to the hospital. Yeah, I go to the hospital." One day, he finally went to the hospital. Then he went to the hospital. I remember cause I was working. He went to Lincoln Hospital. They did x-ray. And the doctor was very blunt. Doctor says, you know, you have lung cancer. If you do chemo, maybe you could live four months. If you don't, two months. [Pause] And already my two oldest were out of the house already. It was only my daughter and myself.

Ana Soler: So I remember that day, I came home from work and he was in the room 00:55:00sleeping, and it wasn't like him. So, when he got up he says, "Ana!" He used to call me mom. "Mom! Do me some oatmeal?" And I say, "Ai! Why you want oatmeal at this time? I'm about ready to cook." He says, "No I don't want. I just want oatmeal." So, and I say, "Did you go to the doctor?" He says, "Yes I went." So he say, "I called Freddy and I called Josh cause I want to talk to them when" "They gonna come in today." So, then he sat down and he started crying. And I said, "What happened?" So he says, "I have lung cancer." And he told me what the doctor said, and he said, "I want to talk to my, you know I want to talk to the kids."

Ana Soler: So the one day when my two boys came he spoke to them. My oldest boy, he took it really hard. I mean, he lost--at that time my husband--my husband 00:56:00lasted a month and a half, and my son lost about 15 pounds. He would go 6:00 o'clock in the morning, because then my husband had--he went into the hospital. Like two weeks after, he was in the hospital. He never came out of the hospital. And my son used to go every morning. 6:00 in the morning he was in the hospital! He would go see his father. They he would go to work. And then in the nighttime he went back to the hospital. And his wife, she was not supportive of my son. She was--one day he came home and she was gone. Yeah, she left the house. And since that time we have never heard from that lady. And my husband died 29 years ago. We never heard from the lady again.

Amy Starecheski: Did they have children?

Ana Soler: Hm?

Amy Starecheski: Did they have children?

Ana Soler: No. Thank God there was not children. Her name was Rosie. And she was a nice person but I mean but I don't blame her because my son lived in the hospital. For that month he was--he would be crying and crying and he won't eat. He was nasty, you know like, he blamed God. And you know, I talked to him almost every day. I say, "Josh, you have to accept that we are here and gone tomorrow. I don't know what you're going to do. I'm--one day I'm going too-" He would stop. "Don't--don't talk." And I say, "You have to prepare yourself because, what you did when your father passed away," I mean, when he went in to the funeral and when my husband was buried, there was about five people that had to 00:58:00hold him back. He got very, really--my other son took it in stride. Freddy, he is like me. I mean, you know, I cried but I don't--I know that they in a better place.

Ana Soler: I mean the man was suffering. Really the last week, he had--he was--we didn't want to put him in machine. And one day they did, without our permission. I came in the morning and he was hooked to so many machine. And I say, "You know we didn't sign for this" because I have a proxy--my mom--I had a proxy for my mother. I have a proxy for me. I don't want no machine. My mom I say, "No machine. When the time comes let her go in peace." And I wanted the 00:59:00same thing for my husband. But years ago--now they respect. Years ago they didn't respect. Because when we got there--he lasted for about a week with those--he was already gone. It was just a machine breathing.

Ana Soler: So, after that, you know, then my daughter. She went crazy! That girl, she started going out. She had her boyfriend. They were boyfriend and girl--Ana's son! They were boyfriend and girlfriend since they was about 11 year old. So then she was pregnant with Mark. She lived in Ana's house for a couple years. Then nothing changed. They used to drink heavy and do drugs. You know, so one day they took her kids away. That's when- that's when she realized that--and 01:00:00this kid was a month old when they took the two kids away. So then she realized she wasn't, you know, going nowhere. She went to a program with Matthew. Then I took--I took Mark. Then I took Mark and she went into a program for two years. She study in the program. The program, Veritas, was very good. She studied. She got her GED. When she came out of that program, she got her own apartment, she got her job, and thank God, ever since, she works in Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. She got her job. She never want nothing to do with Eddie. She live by herself and her son. And she still with Matthew. So, I guess, you know, we--everybody have 01:01:00their own--their own issues. Especially here in the Bronx with drugs and alcohol. But you gotta be strong, you can't--and don't lose hope.

Ana Soler: I always pray for my kids, and they gave me, I mean, they gave me a hard time. All three of them. But today, today I could say, "Thank God my kids never went to jail. My kids work and they very good to me." I mean they--I can not--every day for 6:00 in the morning my oldest, the one that lives in Albany, he's the first one that calls me, every morning. Every morning. Every morning he call and he call me 20 times a day. Oh yes. "Mom where are you?" "I'm home." A 01:02:00lot of time I lie. A lot of time I'm in the casino. And I say "No Josh, I'm home." [Laughter] And I'm in the casino, or I'm downtown. Cause he, you know, I don't know, but they think I'm, like I'm a two-year-old. He calls me at nighttime 10:00, "Mom, is the door locked?" I said, "No, the door's open." [Laughs] "Check the stove! Make sure!" I said, "You know I still have my mind." But I have to thank God for that, because there's a lot of people out there that don't have kids and they don't care for them enough.

Amy Starecheski: Can you tell me about when your first child was born?

Ana Soler: Oh he was so handsome. He weighed nine pounds. He was--he was [unclear] but to every parent. But they were born in Lincoln Hospital in--

Amy Starecheski: Old Lincoln?

Ana Soler: In Old Lincoln. The Old Lincoln. Yeah yeah he's 51, he's going to be 52. So, my father never got to see him. But my husband used- oh god he used to love that kid. Yeah. It's an experience like you never- you never forget when you have your first- His first born, like he said. Every time he writes a note or something: "Your first born" he always put his--yeah. Yes yes. And then I had a very bad pregnancy. And labor-wise it was really--I was in labor for 48 hours. And it wasn't like now when they used to put you in a room and there was a big 01:04:00clock there. And they used to leave you in that room. And once in a while a nurse would, the doctor would come. No. And I couldn't go home because I got so swollen. That I--I couldn't--I had to stay in that room. And they didn't let my husband or nobody. Not like now! Now you even take pictures! No. Not before. For those 48 hours he didn't see me. And when I finally gave birth, that child was nine pound boy who was beautiful.

Ana Soler: Then you forget about the pain. So fast, you forget, right? And the doctor tells me, "Please at least wait a couple of years, maybe two years to have another child." My other son was born 11 months after Josh. Yeah, they 01:05:00eleven months--they look like twins--they eleven months apart. They eleven months apart. Freddy, yeah.

Ana Soler: So I didn't listen to the doctor. But that wasn't that bad. Then I waited three years to have my daughter. Then when my daughter was born, I was again--Freddie was born fast, Fabiana was about 48 hours too. And then I had a bleeding. I bled for couple of hours. They had to put blood. And then they--they did--they say no more kids. So then, they fixed me and that was it. But my husband wanted about six or seven kid. I said, "Of course, you're never around!" But I--that was it. Three. And she's 47. Yeah.

Amy Starecheski: You had a hysterectomy after she was born?

Ana Soler: That's it. Yep. Mhm. And they used to do it nicely in your belly button. Three stitches and that's it. Not after. My daughter has--cause my daughter had C-section for the two kids. And it was big and, like, they open you- really open you!

But I remember I had some good times.

Amy Starecheski: When the--.

Ana Soler: We had some sad time, but good times too.

Amy Starecheski: When the kids were little, did you have anybody to help you with them?

Ana Soler: No. Nobody. And, I used to work. I used to work and I used to take my kids to my job. That's how they learned responsibilities. My boss would give 01:07:00them ten dollars on Saturdays. They would sweep the floor, they would--it was a cleaners. They would put the clothes, especially my oldest. He used to put the clothes away. He used to put the clothes in the machine to clean. And he used to give the clothes to the presser.

Ana Soler: So and then when they used to go to school--the school was in 140. I used to take them in the morning, and then I used to start working at nine. At lunchtime, my boss would give me permission, I would go to the school, spend the time with them. At 3:00, I would pick them up from school, take them to my job. 01:08:00I used to work until six o'clock. They did their homework, they did everything in my job, and then we used to walk home. I used to live in Brook Avenue, so we walk home. We walk home, I cook, then my husband would come home if he was in the city then he would come home.

Ana Soler: But I did that. I took my kids to high school. They used to be so mad. They went to Clark and I- I worked right across from Clark. So they--at lunchtime they would have to come into my job. In the morning I would walk them--walk them and then walk to--cross the street, be at my job. And then when they went to Clinton, I used to take them and then my daughter went to Jane Addams. I used to take her. And they used to say "Mom!" My oldest, when he was in Clark, you know Clark has two entrance. So one day, he decided to play hooky. 01:09:00He goes out the side door, because if he comes from the front I could see him. I work the counter in the front. So I would see. I would be talking to everybody- I'd see everything. So he went to the back so I didn't see him. And then my boss, that day he says, "Ana, go take--" I used to take the money to the--I used to take 40, 50, 60, thousand dollars to the bank every Friday. And I have keys to the place. And I'm going to the bank and I see this bunch of kids, about seven kids, walking to 3rd Avenue, [giggle] and in that group I see my son. And I walk fast. When he saw me, he grabbed his belly. He said, [laughter] "Mom I 01:10:00got a pain in my stomach!" I said "Oh, you got a pain in the stomach?" I used to be--I smacked him so hard. And I took him back to school. I said to the other kids, "If you want to come back with me, it's fine, but I'm taking my child back to school. And I took him back to school and I told the teacher. And the teacher, so, "Josh, you should know better than that. You should know that, even if you go to 3rd Avenue, somebody--everybody knows your mom, cause everybody know. Everybody knows your Mom, they gonna--they gonna tell your mom that they saw you. That was it. He never played hooky again [laugh].

Amy Starecheski: Why did you keep such a close eye on them?

Ana Soler: I don't know. I was always very, very protective of my kids, always. 01:11:00Even- even when they were older. Even when we lived together that they were teenagers. I used to go to sleep, but they would sneak out in the middle of the night. And I would hear them. I didn't care if it was two, three o'clock in the morning. I would get up and I kind of know. Fabiana, I knew she was in Ana's house. And they see me, they say "Fabiana, your mother!" I would smack her. I didn't care where I was. And she knew it. And Freddie and Josh they had friends in 139. And they would say, "Freddy, your mom is coming!" I didn't care what time it was. I would always--

Ana Soler: And one time the police caught Freddy. They were hanging out in front 01:12:00of the Catholic school. They weren't supposed to be. And they catch him and the police called me. They say, "Are you Miss Ana Soler?". And I said, "Yes." And they says, "You know you have your son Freddie, we have him here in the precinct--in the 40th precinct." And I said, "What'd he do?" "Well they were hanging out and this is the third time that we have told them not to hang out there. Him and Carlo, a couple of kids. They were from Clark. They used to go to Clark. And I said, "Well you know what, I'm sorry but I don't have no child named Fernando Soler." And that was on a Friday. And I hung up the phone. They call me at my job. I hung up the phone. And mind you I did not sleep that night. And it's Saturday, Sunday. He was--they had him in the precinct, for all those 01:13:00days. Monday morning, it was around 7 o'clock, the police knock on my door in 400. [Laughs]. And they say, "This is your child, right?" [Laugh] And I say, "Yes." And they say, "And you were the lady we call?" And I said, "Yes, but you know what? He knows better than to be hanging out there because I have talking to him, I talk to him and I tell him. So now he knows better not to be hanging there. Never again I had any problem with my son. Never, never again. With none of them. And while his kids were growing up, he's got two beautiful, beautiful kids, he told them the story. He say, "You know, what mommy did? And to this day 01:14:00I thank my mother for doing that." And he tell his friends. He tell the story to a lot of people, he say--. And I'm not telling you that it didn't hurt me but I had to do it. I had to do it.

Ana Soler: My father used to be the same way. My father says, "You get into trouble, like, and if you smoke, you better pay for your cigarette because if I see you asking anybody for a cigarette--and my father was [unclear] my father was--my father used to punish, but really punish. And not, like, not a little punishment like now. He used to put rice in the floor, and we had to kneel in the floor. And if he says 20 minutes, it was 20 minutes, depending on what you did. And he had a belt. And when you did something really- he's gonna give you a 01:15:00five belts in your back, it's five belts. No no no. Not one, not--he would do that. So I guess I grew up like--I mean I didn't abuse my kids but I wasn't an easy. I wasn't easy. And I'm still not. I'm still--if I have--I'm not--I don't yell. I don't like yelling. If I curse, my kid has done something really out of the ordinary because I don't. And, but when I had to tell my kid something, I tell them. I don't- I'm not a nagger. But if you do something wrong, I'm going to tell you. I don't hold nothing back. And the same thing, my grandkids. That's why my grandkids come to my house and they talk to me. They don't go talk to 01:16:00that--they come talk to me, they said, you know they said--'cause when I have to--when I have to tell them something I always tell them. If they're doing something wrong, I would tell them, so.

Amy Starecheski: What kinds of things would you get in trouble for as a kid?

Ana Soler: Well, Matthew, he was smoking. And this kid, they don't know that I know so many people. No matter, no matter where you are you can't hide. So, a lady told me, "Ana, I know that was your grandson. I saw him with a cigarette." And then, he came. I call him. I said, "Matthew, if you have a chance, come to the house." He didn't deny it. He say yes, Grandma. But, I'm not gonna do it again. And I ask him every day. He said, "No, Grandma. I'm not doing it. And I 01:17:00said, "Uou know," And like in school I tell him, "You know, you have to do what you have to do in school. You know why? Your mother is paying for your school." That's not--and that's 700 dollars. Cardinal Hayes is seven hundred and fifty dollars. And luckily he's got a scholarship. She only pay 400 dollars. But he has to keep his grade. Otherwise, he will lose his scholarship. So I'm always--I always say, "You know, Matthew, you have to do what you have to do in school. After school, If you want to go play basketball--"--cause he love basketball--"You could go play a little bit." You know, you can not have kids. And he works. He works in the Bronx Zoo. He works weekends. So the first--his first paycheck, he bought his mom a pair of shoes [laughs]. So now he told his 01:18:00mom, "Mom I'm gonna pay for my cell phone. From now on you don't worry about the cellphone. I'm going to pay it." So, you know, I mean that says that they are growing up and being responsible. He's being responsible, so. So he works Saturday and Sunday. From 8 to 6 o'clock.

Amy Starecheski: That's a long day.

Ana Soler: Yeah. His mother, she has two jobs. In order to pay his school, pay rent, Con Edison, you know how much you--even if you are not home in the house all day! It's a hundred sixty, hundred and seventy. I don't know why! Because you're not home. In summer, okay, because you put the air condition, you know. But in winter, you are not home and It's a lot of money. So she has two job. She 01:19:00works two job.

Amy Starecheski: What does she do?

Ana Soler: She works at Bronx-Lebanon from Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. And then in the weekend she works in a laundromat folding clothes. And she opens the place and she close it on Saturday and Sunday. So, and Matthew, he does the laundry. He does the laundry because he knows. And then Saturday he go pick up his mom, she close at 8:30. And he knows it's dangerous, she's there by herself and there's money in the place. So he picks her up Saturday and Sunday. But it's only for a little while, you know, and she says, "Until--he only got one more year to go." So, for next year for graduation, the ring, the cap and gown and 01:20:00everything, it's over two thousand dollars. It's over two thousand dollars, everything. Their senior trip and everything. And it has to be paid at a certain time. You know, it's not like you pay a month before. No. You gotta pay September school start. And she pay school. He's not in school. She has to pay from July up to May. So even if he's not in school she has to pay those months. But you don't regret because he's a good kid, you know.

Amy Starecheski: I was curious, too. You talked about how your dad would punish you. When you were a kid what did you get in trouble for?

Ana Soler: We didn't get in trouble for nothing, but, you know, like, if there's 01:21:00two people talking, older than you, and you would get in the conversation, they will just look at you. Your parent would just look at you and you know what's coming. Once that person leaves, Punishment is coming. Nowadays kids, you see kids three year old calling you a liar at--yeah! I seen outside, kids and they want this and they want this now. The little kid that I have. The other day she wanted an icee. And I said, "Stacy, one minute, we just got to the house. Let me take off your jacket--" "No I want it now! I want it!" She's only three years old. And I say, "You know what? Now you're not getting it." And I didn't. I 01:22:00didn't give it to her. And, you know, she knows when we go out she has to behave. I don't like rowdy kids. I don't like kids crying, running around. She doesn't touch nothing in the house. We go to church. She behave in church. Saturday we went out. Me and my friends we went out to Olive Garden. She sat down that--one of my friends say, "I can't believe that this child behaves so well." She didn't dare. She ate her food, we walk off. But you see those naked lady in 42nd Street. Wow. I was- I haven't gone down there in long time. I 01:23:00got--I was so shocked. There was--the body was just painted.

Amy Starecheski: I heard about that.

Ana Soler: And the naked cowboy?

Amy Starecheski: [Laughs]

Ana Soler: He's a good looking man, though [laughs].

Amy Starecheski: I wanna go back for a minute to when you first came to this neighborhood you said it was a lot of Irish and Italian people, Jewish--

Ana Soler: Yes.

Amy Starecheski: --and that you had to go to church in the basement.

Ana Soler: Mhm.

Amy Starecheski: I want to hear more about what it was like coming here as a Puerto Rican at that time.

Ana Soler: When I came to the Bronx, I was already familiar with the language. It was very hard when I came to the barrio when I went to school. I didn't know no English. I didn't know anything. So that time was hard, but once I came here, it wasn't that--I used to work down in Willow, you know, after the bridge down--there was so many factories out there. And I used to work, and--I didn't 01:24:00used to go to church that much. Once I moved to the Bronx, I had my two kids who were very small. Freddy was only a year old, so, you know, I used to stay more in the house. I didn't associate. Maybe I went once or twice to church in the basement. But then when I started going, then it was already, I would say, and then there weren't. All the Jewish were--all the Irish were gone. All the Italian--they left this neighborhood. I mean, like, within a year they went. I don't know. I don't even know where they went.

Ana Soler: But then, the Puerto Ricans started coming. And then, the Dominican. 01:25:00Then a lot of Dominicans started coming. I tell you mainly, around here now we have very few Puerto Rican. Very few in the barrio. Very few. In the Bronx, not many Puerto Rican. In the church, you don't see many Puerto Ricans. So, most of them have gone to Florida. Most of them are in Florida. Even in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico there's many, many Chinese. See a lot of Chinese in PR. You see a lot of Dominican. Now it's called Dominican because all the Dominicans are in Puerto Rico. And the Chinese--you see a lot of Chinese in Puerto Rico. But here, now here all we see is from Africa. Everywhere. Years ago when I came to 01:26:00housing, you had to be married. You had to have a marriage certificate. You had to take a birth certificate for your children. Every year they would come and they would check. You know, it was very strict to get into the project. Now anybody could get in the project. But no one--I moved in the project 1973, and it was very, very strict. Very strict. And now, now a lot of Africans around here. And they're nice people. You know, I got nothing to--they're very nice people. They have a lot of kids. But, Puerto Rican, like, I don't know what's going on. In this building, I don't think we got five Puerto Rican families in this building. I don't think there's five families. And this is a lot of 01:27:00apartment. And I don't think we got five Puerto Rican. We have a lot of Dominican. There's a lot of Dominican--a lot. Mainly Dominican, and now we have a lot of African.

Amy Starecheski: In here.

Ana Soler: In here. I say we have maybe about- about 20 families in this building. But Puerto Rican, in this floor, I'm the only Puerto Rican. In the twenty there was one family that she died. She died this year. And in the nineteenth floor there's one Puerto Rican family. And I think in the fifth floor, I think. Because from church we visit, you know, we visited and we put down. That's why I know that there's not even five families here that came from 01:28:00Puerto Rico.

Amy Starecheski: Why do you think the Irish and Italian people left?

Ana Soler: They got scared of the Puerto Ricans [laughs]. We were rowdy. Everywhere we go we were rowdy [laughs]. In the barrio we were, and when we came here too. Yeah. But they left fast. And they kept it nice. The church, that was kept nice. Rich. Then, well, you know, when the poor people came, that's why our church went down the drain. Cause, there were people that could give 200-300 dollars a month, but there were people that were giving 50 cents.

Amy Starecheski: And you started off going to St. Pius or St. Luke?.

Ana Soler: No, I'm from St. Pius.

Amy Starecheski: Ok. St. Luke's Is right around the corner from 139th Street. Why--

Ana Soler: My oldest son is baptized in St Luke. I used to go to St. Luke. Yeah. That's a beautiful church, too. Yeah. Yeah, but like, when I first got married, between my father being sick, and you know, I'm recently married, and like, I really didn't want to get married, you know. So, the first--I could tell you the first, maybe two-three years--they were kinda hard. And then, when I had my first child it was even harder.

Ana Soler: And then, my husband didn't want me to work. And I liked to work. I used to, you know. Then for a couple of years I couldn't work. Once I had the kids, he didn't want me working. I got very fat. I had my hair long, ugh! I 01:30:00looked like I was 80 years old.

Ana Soler: Yeah, then one day I woke up I said--one day I went into the cleaners and the boss says, "Ana, you know I need a person to work here--the front desk." And I said, "Well, Lenny, you know, I don't know nothing about--" I didn't know nothing about cleaner. And he said, "That's ok. You'll catch up." I came home. And my kids were already in school.

Ana Soler: And, you know, when my husband came home, I said, "You know what? I got a job. I'm going back to work." He says, "No!" He got very angry. Yeah, he got very--and I think--and that point on, like, our marriage really, it wasn't the same. You know, cause he was a very jealous type. My husband, he was very jealous. He didn't, like, I used to go to church, and he used to go pick me up 01:31:00in church and say, "Let's go home." Yeah, he was that type. He was, like, not physically abusive, but mentally he was. You know, he wanted to have--and he wanted to do the same with the kids. With the kids he was kinda like that, too. Once I started working, one day I cut my hair, he came home, I had my hair short, oh! I started losing weight. I did the same thing I used to do. I used to cook I used to clean. I took care of my kids. I used to take care of him, I used to take care of the house. But at least I was out for a couple of hours working, doing something, having my own money, not having to ask him for nothing. Nothing 01:32:00like, you being on your own that you do whatever you want with your money. You know, he was wasn't cheap, but I started working early. I started working when I was 16. So I'm used to be on my own. And I like being, you know. Once in a while people say, "Ai, Ana, why didn't you remarry?" I said, "What would I remarry for? I'm happy the way--I'm not unhappy. I'm a very happy person. I'm very fulfilled person. I do whatever I want. I said, "Look if I want to go to bed at 10:00, I go to bed at 10:00. If I want to go at 8:00, I go. If I want to cook, I cook. if I want to take a bath, I take a bath." Nobody has to tell me what to do. That's what I tell my kid. Like, this morning, Freddy said, "Mom what are you going to do?" I said, "I have a meeting in church." "Oh you always have 01:33:00something to do." And I said, "Yes, and what's the problem? I have things to do and you cannot tell me nothing." Because, you know, if you let--my kids, if I let my kids they would be just like their father. They are always asking me, "What are you doing, what you gonna?" They care for me, but don't boss me around.

Amy Starecheski: Can you tell me more about St. Pius--what being a part of that church was like?

Ana Soler: St. Pius--it's a family. St. Pius, I mean, we still see each other, we hug each other. St. Pious, when somebody got sick, they were there for you, right away. Anybody die, even now, if somebody died that used to go to St. Pius, we would get together and we got to the funeral. If anybody needs something, you 01:34:00know, like, one--the time that I got mugged in the elevator in my building, they took seven hundred dollars. It was one day that I was going to pay my bills. And, that same day, I don't know how the priest found out that I was--that somebody held me up. He came to my house that night with an envelope. I said, "Father Paul--" he is still alive. I love. I said, "Father Paul, what is it?" He says, "We know what happened. We know that you need to pay your bills." I could never forget that. And instead of--they took seven hundred dollars and he gave me an envelope with a thousand dollars. It was from all the people from church, 01:35:00they collected. We used to collect if somebody died and there was no money for the burial, right away we collect, and we would pay for the burial. You know, I mean there's so many stories. You see people from St. Pius, they could tell you so many stories. So many. And so many priests that--very good priests we had. They had the young group for the kids. My kids were in the youth group. We used to do retreat up in Haverstraw. Three days retreat. And I used to cook. I used to--we used to go up there to cook for the kids. You know, my kids grew up in church. My kids, They all grew up in the church. So, there used to be retreat. 01:36:00All the people--we used to cook for the kids. It's beautiful, Haverstraw is beautiful. Then on Sunday morning we used to go, they had breakfast. We used to play ping-pong. They used to play baseball, basketball. We were there all day until nighttime. And then in July, we used to go to the lake. The church used so have three--we used to rent three buses. We used to go to the lake. And there was a mountain. And the first thing we did, we put all the tables with maybe 200 people, 300 people used to go. And the priest always went with us. First thing we did: he gave a mass, and everybody that was in the lake would go there, 01:37:00whether they were from our group or not. They would hear the mass and you would see, I mean like the sky was so beautiful. It was seven o'clock in the morning. Cause we used to leave at five-thirty in the morning. So you had to go early to catch the good place and catch all the tables. And we used to spend the whole day. They used to go to the lake, take a bath. We used to play bingo, we used to play baseball. My kids were going since they were small. And there was a lot of things for the kids to do there. But the first thing was the mass. After we had mass, we had breakfast. Then, "Okay. What you want to do?" Eveybody--one group did one thing, another group play dominoes, another group play bingo. A lot of 01:38:00the people die. A lot, a lot of people die, but we stick it. On Sunday, that's why I don't come here on Sunday. Sunday I go to St. Regis. But most of the people from St. Pius are in Immaculate Conception. Fifty percent of the people are over there. In St. Rita maybe about 20 people. But we see each other on Sunday and we hug and we talk. It was a family. I go by there, a lot of time I cry. I shouldn't, but I cry when I see my church. Cause, I went there for 40 years. You know, it's a long, long time that you know the people. So, Maxi could tell you. Sylvia. 'Cause their parents, Sylvia's parents went there many many 01:39:00years. But Maxi's family, I mean, it was a big--big sisters, cousin, nephew. There used to be, maybe, in the family alone, must of been about fifteen member. They were very good. They still are. Tomasa is sick. Sylvia is sick. But they were very good people.

Amy Starecheski: Why did the church close?

Ana Soler: Because people were not paying what they were supposed to pay. I mean, people got poorer and poorer. A lot of people lost they job. A lot of people were elderly. They lived on a fixed income. You know, it's not like when you working that maybe you could take a hundred dollars and give to the church a 01:40:00month. When you live on your Social Security check, how much could you give your church? After you pay your rent and the bills you got, there isn't much. So that's what happened. It started--you know. They were saying it for a while. They was saying that, and it wasn't only our church. St. Roch closed. In the Bronx alone there was about 20 church. School. A lot of school closed because of the charter school. Charter school--I have nothing against charter school but they have taken over. Even public school are beginning to be empty. They're closing a lot of public school this year because there's not enrollment.

Amy Starecheski: Did your kids go to P.S. 30? You said it was a hundred and 01:41:00fortieth street.

Ana Soler: It was P.S. 40.

Amy Starecheski: Oh, ok.

Ana Soler: P.S. 30 is in Brook Avenue on 139. P.S. 40 it's in 140 between Willis and Brook. And that's where my kids went.

Amy Starecheski: When did you start [to] notice buildings being abandoned and that kind of thing around here?

Ana Soler: I think by 1980s. In the '80s people starting moving away. The rich people started moving away by maybe before in the '70s, because when I moved to Betances already there were no Italians here, and I moved to Betances in '73. In 01:42:001965 there was still few [pause] a few business. We have Hearns There was a lot of stores in Third Avenue. Now, a lot of store have close. They open because Burlington open, Marshalls open, and there is a couple of stores open now. But, before it was Alexander. I used to love Alexander. The five and ten. There was a lot of--you know. There was shoe store, good shoe stores. But once business, even our cleaner, there where I used to work. That cleaner was there. It was my boss's father. It was his father. Then Lenny took over and I worked there for 27 01:43:00years and when I moved in 1965, the cleaner was there and it was there for years. They used to rent tuxedos. They used to rent tuxedos. It was a big business. But then my boss, he got older and got sick. So then, he sold the business to a Chinese--Korean. Why he sold the building to the Korean? The Korean brought the business down because--I worked 10 years for the Korean anyway. But when I used to work with Lenny, Lenny used to tell me all the time "Remember, the customer is always right." And this is a business like a beauty parlor. "If somebody comes in that feels like talking, Ana, you could talk. You 01:44:00could talk all you want. Talk to the people. Be nice to them." And that's what I did. That's how I know so I know so many people. Sometimes I walk and I hear, "Cleaning lady!" Because that's how they used to call me. "Hey, Miss cleaning lady!" I seen kids that were small, that now are men, and they come and they hug me and they kiss me. Sometime I don't remember their name. I remember their faces, but I don't remember their name. But, I say, "Oh honey, how are you? How's the family?" And that's why the cleaner was always making money. When that Korean came, he stopped that. If you came in with a ticket and it was, let's say a pant was $2.50, and you had $2.25, he would not give you the pants.

Lenny, when he closed, when he left, a lot of people owe Lenny and believe me, everybody would come every week, "Miss Ana here, this is--" Everybody pay every penny, and then, once a week, I would get in contact with Lenny and one of his kids would come and pick up. They paid Lenny every penny. The Korean, if you didn't have--no credit at all. If you came in, and you started talking to me, right away he says, "Ana, you've got things to do." Never, when Lenny was there there was never--the place was never held up. While the Korean was there, in a year--in one year we had seven hold up with gun. And the Korean would hide and I 01:46:00would have to take care of the guys. They would put a gun to my head, to my chest. And they hated him. They hated. They hated. So you know I started not to like my job. And once you don't like your job--so, I told him I say, "You know, Frank, very soon I'm leaving. So you have to start looking for somebody." Cause, I was gonna leave the man hanging either. It was only the presser, himself, his wife used to come on Saturday, and myself. And I used to do most everything. So then, you know, one day, my kids they kept saying, "Mommy, one day somebody is going to get hurt in that cleaner." One day, it was on a Friday. Three guys came 01:47:00in. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon. Three guys came into the store. One guy stood outside. And it was pure winter. The door was closed, but they come in. And then, the guy tells me--he took out a gun. He says, "Open the register and give me what you have." I said--we wasn't making that much business. I said, "Look, there isn't much in the register but--" And then, the presser, he hide in the bathroom, and my boss went to the other bathroom. They locked themselves in the bathroom. And they left me with the three guys in the cleaner. So I opened the register, and there was about sixty dollars. So then, one of the guys said, 01:48:00"No, you must have something." And he started looking in my pocket. He started looking around here. He took my earrings, he took my ring, and they left. And I said, "You know, Frank, this is it." I had it. Because the least you could do is be here in the front with me. You not gonna do anything, but at least I know that somebody here. Why would you and Tony hide in the bathroom. What kind of security do I have? He say, "No!".

Ana Soler: And then he didn't want me to report. He didn't want me to go to the precinct and tell what was going on. I said, "No. That's it." I walked right out and I never looked back. And that same--it was Friday. Saturday, again, the next 01:49:00day, they gave a holdup. And his wife she didn't know English. So the guys were talking, and he did the same thing. He went to the back. He left the wife in the front. She didn't know what the guy was saying. They punched the wife. She almost lost her eye. They knock her to the ground, they opened the register, and they left. Then he had to call the police and they took his wife to the hospital. He called me, he said, "Ana, please come back." He told me what happened and I said, "Sorry."

A year after that happened, about seven months, again, then he closed the cleaner. He lost a lot of money. And I felt bad, but he wasn't a business man. Especially in this neighborhood, you got to be nice to the people, 'cause they could get back. They could get really back at you. And Lenny never, never--and he was there over 50 years. Never. Never nobody. He was such--I mean, he was 01:50:00like, to me, like he was my father. He was so good to me. And he was so good to my kids. He was really- it wasn't like he was my boss, you know, he was my father. I used to get up and I used to go to work. I'd be so happy like, I love my job. I love what I used to do. And before that, I used to work down in Willow. I worked doing ladies hat. I worked there for about seven years. Well, all together I worked 40 years. Of my life, I worked 40 years. When I first started working, I used to make twenty-eight dollars a week. And it was 40 hours you have to work. It wasn't like now, and no computer. And it has to be standing up. It was standing up. Eight hours standing up. And now people don't like what 01:51:00they do. I used to love what I do. Everything I used to do, even when I used to work in the nursing home taking care of the elderly, I used to get up, and go do what I had to do. And that's the way I live my life. I enjoy what I do.

Amy Starecheski: I can tell. When was it that the holdups started happening at the cleaners? About what year was it?

Ana Soler: Lenny left the cleaner. It was nineteen eight--they started like in 1990. In 1990 they started those. Lenny, that's when he sold the cleaners, that 01:52:00year. And the first year was OK, you know, it wasn't, but, after that he didn't want to--I mean, if you don't have--for a quarter, for a dime, you not gonna--and Koreans are like that. Koreans that have business are like that. Business come first. And it's not like that, especially if you have that kind of business, you have to work with the customer. So otherwise, they gonna get back to you, especially the Blacks. They are really--because most of them were Black kids. And they were young--twenty, twenty-one years old. The last one that that--they had one kid that he must have been eleven years old. That day I really was so mad. I wanted to grab that kid. If it wasn't that the other two 01:53:00guy had guns--because the one that was getting the money from the cash register and looking in, and the older one told him to look in my pocket, I would have grabbed that kid. But, you know, when there's gun--maybe they were toy gun but you never know. And my life, no, it was too--but the last holdup was about, I say, about 2007-'8, like that. 2007. Then, that was it. Then I started working taking care of elderly people.

Amy Starecheski: And Lenny was white?

Ana Soler: Hm?

Amy Starecheski: Was Lenny white?

Ana Soler: Jewish.

Amy Starecheski: Jewish.

Ana Soler: But he was a Puerto Rican-Jewish because, I mean, that man everybody loved that man. Everybody. He passed away two years ago.

Amy Starecheski: Why didn't the Korean owner want to report the robberies to the police?

Ana Soler: He never did. And, believe me, he was there for ten years, and there must have been about 15 robberies in those ten years alone. While I was there was about maybe 15. Every week they used to hit us! Every. Week. They used to hit us. And a few times there were customers in the cleaners, and they would take the customers' money too. Yes, yes. Yeah. It got to be very dangerous. It got to be very dangerous here.

Amy Starecheski: Why didn't he want to report it?

Ana Soler: I don't know. I don't know why. And then, what bothered me, one or two times he was in the front, he couldn't go nowhere, He would say, "God bless you." Oh my, then I really really got pissed off. I said, "After they come here, they take your money, you say, 'God bless you?'" [Laughs] He was a fanatic. I believe in God. I go to church. I do what I have to do. But I get mad too. And if you slap my face, I'm not gonna--I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna put--but he was a fanatic. Religions [unclear] but, he wasn't good with us either. He wasn't. He 01:56:00wasn't very, very nice with us.

Amy Starecheski: When did you first meet Ana?

Ana Soler: I met Ana's husband. I knew Ana's husband before I knew Ana. Ana's kids and my kids, they used to play baseball when they were small. And we met in the park, but we didn't hit it off right away. We didn't. We say "hi" and "bye." And then, I guess we started really getting close when Mark was born. When Mark was born, then Fabiana live in her house, then we really started- we started going out. We started vacationing. We went to Florida twenty times together. So we did a lot of things with Mark. We did a lot, a lot of things with Mark. Yeah. 01:57:00But I knew her husband before I met Ana. But then we got to be very good- we are very close. Yeah.

Amy Starecheski: Can you describe her for me?

Ana Soler: Well, you see, Ana is outgoing. She never gets tired. But we are very different, because Ana is, she's kind of scared to talk. Like, if her son is doing something wrong, she's scared to tell him. I'm not. If I see something wrong, I will tell you right away. My home, I always have rules in my house. I mean, I'm not a dictator, but my home I have rules. If I tell my children when 01:58:00they were living together here, "You have to come home eight o' clock" you better be home eight o'clock. Not eight-thirty, Eight o'clock. Eight o'clock. And, you know, once in a while, they ask permission to bring their friends. "Okay." But not every day. I don't allow it. I don't allow nobody drinking in my home. I don't allow nobody smoking in my home. Not even good cigarette, I don't allow in my house. And my kids know it. I will not allow--if you have a relationship, not in my house. When my husband passed away, my kids could never say--they have come into my home and they have found a man in the house. That's the way I was raised. To respect my home. And that's the way I raised my kids. 01:59:00And I raised my kids to clean their plate. "Don't leave nothin' around." If they need to wash clothes--.

Ana Soler: That was one thing. I had a lot of problem with my husband, cause he did not want my kids washing dishes. He didn't want my kids helping around the house. And I was very different. I said, "My kids are going to clean dishes. They gonna wash clothes. They gonna sweep the floor and they gonna mop. Because my brothers, I have five brothers, they all--my father used to put everybody to clean. One had to do it today, the next one. And if you did the dishes wrong? One of my brothers, he was sloppy doing dishes. He would leave grease. My father 02:00:00would go, and he was in a wheelchair, he would go to the kitchen. He would check the plate. He would check. And you had to clean the stove. You had to clean everything. And if he see grease on one of the pot, he would call, especially Tato, Freddy, my brother, we used to call him Tato. We all had nicknames. All of us had nickname. He would say, "Tato, ven aqui." Tato would go to the kitchen, he would smack Tato with the pan in his head. "Do it again." And, let me tell you, if he says, "You gonna wash that pot five times," you have to wash it five times. If he says, "Ten times--" I wish it was still when we get together- me and my brothers cause we--five years ago, we went to Puerto Rico. My sister was 02:01:00sick and she wanted to see all of us, so we all went for Christmas. I took Mark. We all went for Christmas. And we were sitting down. We cry, we laugh, and we remember everything that our father used to do. You know, we were there for six days. And every day it was a different story. We used to be around. And the neighbors, there was three neighbors, and they would come and they said, "You know, I never seen brothers that are so close." And you say the things that your father used to do, and you laugh about it. We never got mad.

Ana Soler: Tato, he was the first one that smoked. He was the first one that left the house. And, we had to take turns taking a bath. We had to take turns. 02:02:00So, my father said, "Tato it's your turn to go take a bath." He goes into the bathroom to take a shower, and he's singing and whistling in the bathroom. When it's time to come out of the bathroom, my father said, "Tato, tu te banada, did you take a bath?" He says, "Seguro, Papi." "Tato, tuto seguro? Irma, Go get the soap in the bathroom." The soap was dry [laughs]. He says, "Irma, llenar la banera." Put water in the bathtub. And he said, "Tato, go in the bathtub". He 02:03:00gave him one soap. He had to finish that soap.[laughs] He gave him a second soap [laughs] he had to finish that one, too. He gave him a third soap! [laughs] He was in the bathtub for about three hours. About three hours! You would not believe! [laughs]. You would not believe! [laughs] He never fool around again! Never. Never.

Ana Soler: There was another funny funny. 'Cause we live with our father, we didn't have a mom. One day he told Carlito, my brother--he passed away seven years ago. He say, "Carlo, go to the store and buy me a tomato sauce." The store 02:04:00was about a block away. And Carlito told Chico, my youngest, "Chico, go to the store and buy the tomato sauce." So Chico went, and Chico came back, but my father was sitting. Chico came back, "Papi, [unclear] la salsa." And Pop say "Carlo, go take it back to the store." [heavy laughter]. And we live in the fourth floor. And he had to go take it back to the store and come back home. My father said, "Carlo, go back and buy the tomato sauce." [Heavy laughter] Ten times! He Had to go back for ten times. [through heavy laughter] I don't know 02:05:00what my father was thinking, But that's the way he used to teach. I mean we have so many funny stories. But never again. My father used to say, "Carlo, got to the store." [laughs] No more fooling. Maybe you said, "that's a lie," but those are true stories.

Amy Starecheski: What was your nickname?

Ana Soler: Nini. Tato, his name is Fernando. Chico, his name is Jose. Frankie, his name was Efrain, so he was called Frank. Irma, her name is Irma Iris. So her 02:06:00was Iris. Everybody had a nickname. My mother used to call me "Nini," too. Everybody in [unclear], everybody know Nini, nobody knows Ana.

Amy Starecheski: I know we're probably getting close to being out of time, but let me think if there's just a few more things I wanted to ask you.

Ana Soler: People will not believe those stories. [laughs].

Amy Starecheski: I believe it [laughs].

Amy Starecheski: Can you tell me about what you and Ana like to do for fun together now, or just what you like to do.

Ana Soler: Now?

Amy Starecheski: Yeah. What do you like to do?

Ana Soler: I love to walk some days. If I was rich, I would go to a restaurant every day. Saturdays, usually, like, we already planned, this Saturday we going 02:07:00to Co-op City we're going shopping and then we go out to eat. Me and Ana, and the girl. I like going to the casinos. I can't go now because of the--but I love going to the casino. I don't spend no more than maybe seventy-five dollars, But I like going.

I like to visit the sick. On Mondays, that's the day I go visit them. Now this week I got to go Monday and I gotta go Tuesday, because there's somebody else that is sick and they asked me if I could go. Now I don't do it much, but I used to go to a nursing home every Sunday. After church, I used to go to nursing homes. For Mother's Day I go to nursing home. I take flowers to the ladies. You know, because, there's so many people. Believe me, we had my mom in a nursing 02:08:00home for a year. It was very hard. I used to go seven days a week I was there-yes. I was there from eight in the morning, to seven at night. I used to bathe my mom, I used to do everything. They never, they never did nothing for my mom. I used to do everything. I used to give her lunch, her dinner. I used to put her to bed. Everything I did. And, before that I used to work--I always go to a nursing home, for years!. Since, once my kids, they were on their own. You know, once my kids--when my kids were small, I took care of my family, I took care of my house. I used to take my kids play baseball. I was always there. At school trip I was always there. I used to take, on the weekend, we used to go to Central Park, Randall's Island.

We used to go to Yankee Stadium. You could go years ago. Now you can't. Now, a 02:09:00hot dog is six dollars. An ice cream is seven dollars. A beer--I don't drink beer, but a beer is twelve dollars. The ticket- I used to pay 75 cents to take my kids to the bleachers. Now it's 15-20 dollars. It depends on the team that comes. If it's not such a good team, you pay 15 dollars. But when Boston comes, and the Mets come, forget it! They could go as high as 75 dollars for the bleachers, you know, so--I don't know how people--there's a lot of white people but not from here. They come from Albany, they come from all over. And they bring their kids. But, to go into the Yankee stadium, if you have two kids, you gonna have five hundred dollars spend. Cause they want--the fingers, that finger 02:10:00cost 20 bucks, so. But I, I still, Sundays--Sunday is the day that--Saturday I like to go out. Sunday is the day that I go to church and I go to nursing home or visit somebody that's sick. Monday I go to church and then me and about three or four people from the church we go. There's so many people--there's--we go to 455 here in 138. There's so many people--there's especially one lady, she got nobody. That lady has no family. She got no telephone. Last week she went to cash her check, and they mug her, they throw her in the floor, she has a black eye. But let me tell you, they didn't take her money. She said there was two 02:11:00Black kid, "They threw in me in the floor, they kicked me, they look, but I have my money." (laughs)

Amy Starecheski: In her bra?

Ana Soler: They didn't get her money. But, oh man, oh I--that was Monday when we went to visit. I see her and she don't have a phone, she don't. And you know, that's, sometimes I say, how could, and she has kids. I say how could your kids forget about that they have a mom? She says, "Oh my daughter live in Tennessee and my other live in Queens." I said, "Queens is right across the street." They come once in a while. But, and they say I'm safe here. It's a safe building you 02:12:00know it's a very--especially that one on 285, they're very safe. But why can't they--why can't she have a phone? That's what I don't understand. And she, she don't hear well. But there's still--even if you can't hear--there are special phones for deaf people. So I don't understand. And there's a lot of, there's a lot of people that needs company. And you know we are doing nothing but watching TV. That's what I tell Ana. I said, "You know Ana once in a while you should come with me." Come, come to a hospital. Come. Come to see. You know and then you will, you will not complain because a lot, the people that complain it's because they don't see what's going on around. There's a lot of lonely people. 02:13:00There's a lot of lonely people. A lot of kids. You know something--kids that I take care of that's--I would get paid better if I just took care of a kid from 9 to 5 and they will go home because for these children they only pay 500 dollars. You got to buy them Pamper, you got to feed them. When I take her out, I pay. So what they pay, it really goes on the--clothes! Kids outgrow clothes, like. Like this, I mean my kid never outgrew. When Josh outgrew his clothes, Freddy wear it, you know. But nowadays, nowadays, it's--and clothes is expensive. It's not--years ago I used to make layaways. I used to make a layaway in Hearn's for my kids when they were going to school. I would spend maybe, maybe a hundred and 02:14:00fifty dollars for my two kids and they would use that clothes for the whole year. Shoes would last them. Sneakers, well they cost ten dollars. Not now. Now kids wants Nike's, they want--you go to 3rd Avenue it's all sneaker store. And when one sneaker come out, I mean you see the line outside waiting to buy that sneaker?

Amy Starecheski: Tell me about being a foster parent.

Ana Soler: Oh that's. That's the best thing that I've done. Because, you know they, they give you, not all kids are bad. Not all kids--and not all kids--they, they come with a package. When you have this kid, when they first come into your 02:15:00home, they had no--they could go to bed whatever time they want, they jump around, they curse. Cause a lot of these kids, they--but I don't know, I--they get attached to me. Every child that I had, I don't know what it is- because, I'm strict with the kids, but I play with them. I kiss them. They say, "Grandma-" All of them- I have so many grandkids, they all call me grandma. Because they see my kids, they come and they call me grandma. So they figure that I'm grandma and they all call me grandma. They all call me Grandma. And when they leave, they cry. I have Patrick, that he was adopted two years ago. I have to go. Every time he has a play in school, I have to go. I have gone to his 02:16:00graduation from kindergarten, for his birthday. And last year, he graduated from first grade, and he was in the line with the graduates. He saw me, he started screaming, "Ana!" He got out of the line, and he went rushing to me, all the time. Every time he sees me, he comes running. Running, running and he almost knocked me down to the--because now he's getting--now he's tall. Yeah.

Amy Starecheski: How many foster kids have you had?

Ana Soler: All together, 12. I had. The first two I had them for about four years. And I had--you know they called, they me used to call me, "Miss Soler, it's only going to be a few days," because I, after they took Zeus, I said, "No more." My kids, they do get attached to the kids too. So Josh told me, "Mommy, 02:17:00you know don't do it no more. I mean, enjoy, you know, you're 74 years old, start enjoying go--". And I took a year off. I took a year off. And then for this little girl. I show you when you leave, I show you the picture. For this little girl, it was seven kids and they took them out of the home because they were selling drugs in the house. They have guns, they have everything in the house. And there was a raid. The narcotics. They came in in their house in the middle of the night. And they took all seven girls. All seven girls. They took them out. So then, the next day, they call me, around 5:00 in the afternoon. They said, "Mrs. Soler, please, we have seven kids. Look at the time, we have no 02:18:00home. Could you at least take two? Only for a few days." And I said, "You know that I'm retired already." Cause you had to--every year you have to--you have a license and you had to renew your license. And since I wasn't going to do it no more I didn't renew. And, I said, "You know, my license expired." And she said look, "You've been doing this for 17 years, you don't even need a license. It's only going to be for a few days." And I said, "You know what? I'm only going to take one child. I cannot take--" So she say, "OK" so she says--so--I have a lot of contacts, she say, "Please would you call a couple of the parents, you know, to see if they could take?" So I said, "Yeah I could call Carmen and I call another lady, and they took, each of them took two kids. So by 8:00, everybody got--had a home. So they brought the little girl--the little kid over here. And 02:19:00I say, "How long?" She says, "You know it's going to be the weekend, you could have her until about next Monday. Monday we'll get a home for her." I say, "Okay." Next Monday already the child was so attached to me.

She was only here for four days and she was already so attached to me and they couldn't find a home. So they say, "Tomorrow, tomorrow." The--little girl has been here a year. She's been here for a year now. And this child, if I'm going to the bathroom, she goes. If anybody comes to my house, she will grab me and she will stay next to me. We go outside, she grab my hands, and she--the other day I was with Ana, and and Ana say, "You going with me to my house?" And she said, "No. I'm not going to your house, I'm going to my house." She said, "This 02:20:00is my house, my room." So, but they looking because they--all seven kids, they got to be adopted, so they're looking for places for them to be adopted. But there's so many. And you know, there's so many kids there and the agency and the judge don't see, a lot of the kids are mistreated. Even with the foster. There's a lot of foster that I know they--that mistreat the kids. And why are you going to do a job like that? I mean they come from broken home. They've been abused. Zeus was abused by his stepfather. He was in the hospital for two weeks. He had four broken ribs. His ear, his eardrum was messed up. From the hospital, they brought that child to my house. He was here two and a half years. And when he 02:21:00left, he didn't want to leave. He's still, I see he's still in the agency. He's now with another parent. From my home, he has gone to four different homes. In a year, he's gone to four different homes. He could have been here. He could have been here for years. I wouldn't mind. He was such a brigh--he was in kindergarten and they were gonna skip him to second grade. Cause he is very smart. He's not doing well.

Amy Starecheski: Why?

Ana Soler: Now he's going from home to home. His mother, she went back to--back into drugs and everything. So he's not going back home at all. He's not going back home. And God knows what's going to happen to such a nice and bright little kid. You know it's like this, like the kid I have. She could be here for a 02:22:00couple years, I don't mind. But already they judge say, "If she's not going to adopt, you've got to look for an adoptive--" and I don't want to. Not because I don't love the child, it's because I'm 75 years old already. The child is only three years old. When she's ten years old, God knows where I'm gonna be. You know, it's not fair for her. It's not fair for the kid. So that's how that's how the--that's the way I look at it. That's the way--the agency said, "No, you're still young, you could--" And that's it, you know, once Stacy goes home, or goes to wherever she's going to go, could be at the end of this month, could be next month, but that's it. I need to go, I need to go to Puerto Rico for at least a month. My sister is really very sick and you know I don't want nothing happening to her and me--and me being--not being able to be there for her, so.

Amy Starecheski: I wanted to come back to something you said before that you notice more white people coming to this neighborhood, white people coming back. I just want to hear more about that. I mean obviously I'm a white person who's come to this neighborhood.

Ana Soler: But you've been living here a long time.

Amy Starecheski: I have been living here a long time. But who--[mic noise] oh sorry--sorry. Like what do you see? What do you notice--what do you think about it?

Ana Soler: What I notice, all the white people that are coming back, they're coming around here, they all have big dogs, but they friendly--they tell you good morning. You know, when I go by, they very friendly. I like that. I--and there's a lot of--you see them walking they dog and they're not afraid. They're not afraid to walk around here. So that's a good, that's a very good sign. 02:24:00Hopefully a lot of them are going to move into this new building. This new building, they're going to be open soon. They're going to be open within--a couple of--a couple of months they're going to be open. So, that's a good sign.

Amy Starecheski: Do you worry at all that it's going to be harder for poor people or for Puerto Rican people or Latinos to live in this neighborhood?

Ana Soler: No, I don't think so. We could get along. No, I don't think so. I hope not anyway, but I don't think so. Now, you know now, we are more educated and people get along. People are--even with the--there's a lot Africans around here and we get along with them and they get along with us. So, in the school where my--where my kid go, there's a lot of them. And we say, "Hi, bye, how you doing?" You know, so, I don't see--I don't--I hope--but I don't think nothing of 02:25:00it. Yeah. They coming back. I heard people that they coming back because rent downtown are really--but rent out here are expensive too. Not that much--not like 5th Avenue--nothing like that. But I love my neighborhood.

Amy Starecheski: When you first came here were the Irish and Italian people friendly to you?

Ana Soler: Hm?

Amy Starecheski: When you first came here, just walking around being on the street in the neighborhood were the Irish and Italian people friendly to you?

Ana Soler: Not really. Not when I used to live in 146. No. No. They were not. Not at all. But now they're--now the other white people that come around, I 02:26:00don't know what nationality they are, but they are nice people. They talk to you, you know.

Amy Starecheski: When you first came here were people actively not nice? Like how did they behave? How did you know how people felt?

Ana Soler: It wasn't that they weren't nice but, you know like a lot of times--not now, but a lot of time--I guess, not to me, they never did it. But they see some other people and they would just cross the street. You know they would just, like ignore you. But I never, I never experienced that. I never did. So I cannot say that there were nasty to me, or, no. And like I said, right after I move I guess I chased them away because they--by 1965 there wasn't that many people here. 1965 there weren't. No.

Amy Starecheski: I just remembered when we first met you told me a story about being I think in Florida, maybe, at the pool--and telling people--

Ana Soler: Yes.

Amy Starecheski: Can you tell me that story again just for the tape?

Ana Soler: Well, we were in the pool, you know, it was in Florida and we were playing, Ana was there. Mark was--Mark was about two years old. And this family--white people that came, nice, we started talking because I'm a talker. I go anywhere and I start talking. We talk and she told me where they came from and then she said, "And where are you from?" And I said, "I am from the South Bronx." "From the South Bronx? Hell's Kitchen?" And I say, "You know what--and it's true--there are nice people in the Bronx--not everybody is a killer. Not 02:28:00everybody in the--" but those people walk away so fast from me like--like I had the plague. They got out of the water. And I would see--and we were there for about ten days. And I used to see them and they didn't even look at me again. Just because I'm from the South Bronx. And that's how you know because I always say--I'm not ashamed to say I'm Puerto Rican. I'm not ashamed to say that I used to take a bath in Puerto Rico naked. Everybody used to do. And in the river. I see people that I know, they are from my home town. And they said, "Oh, we had refrigerator, we had this--" No you didn't because you're from my same age and we are from the same town, and everybody used to be poor. And we still poor. I'm not rich. We're still poor. You know. I mean the first time I got into a car, it 02:29:00was to go to the airport to San Juan. And I was already nine years old. I used to see the car and I used to see ugly buses that they take people. I never got into a car. I never got--when I got--the first time I got into a car, oh my God it was like I hit the lotto. Yeah. Yeah. But- and when I saw a TV. And the TV was black and white. And my, I tell you, you know I would--I could nev--my father died 52- 54 years ago. And it was like my father died yesterday. I will never forget my father was so--he was a genius. The TV was black and--it was black and white. There was no color TV. He used to buy the colored--the plastic in color in blue and red. He used to put it on the TV! (laughs) Who would think 02:30:00of doing this like that? He used to do that! (Laughs) And we had colored TV! (Laughs) I tell you about that was--my father he was a genius.

And my father, he used to sing beautiful. He used to sing. I mean like, he used to tell us story. You know, he used to punish us, but my father wasn't abusive. Now, the thing that he did, it would have been abuse. But we never saw it as abuse. Never. And we used to respect and we used to love, even you know, it's sad to say, but even more than my mom. You know it's--I love my mom very much and I've spent her last 20 years, I spend with her. But my father, my father 02:31:00was--when I first had my period, there was nobody to tell. He was the one that knew. The first person that taught me how to cook, how to do everything, it was my father. And yes, he was strict, but he was funny. My father wasn't--and everybody loved--everybody in the block. When my father died, the man--we put him in 116th, the [unclear]. It was an Italian funeral home, and the director, he says, "In the years that I've been here, I have never seen so many people."--went to my father wake. To the cemetery, there was 52 cars. And my 02:32:00father was buried in Long Island because he was a veteran. There were 52 cars went to that, to his burial. I mean and because whatever my father had it was everybody's. Nobody went hungry when my father was alive. Never. Anybody. And my house, my apartment, it was a hotel. Because anybody that didn't have a place to stay, they would say, "Go to Nando." They used to call him Nando. "Go to Nando. You will find--even if you have to sleep in the floor." My father was that kind of, my father was that kind of person, you know. But he was funny. He was funny. He punish us, but my brothers, they always admire--they always say- you know my brothers, they've been married 50- 52- There was not a divorce in my brothers. No. They live, they, my oldest brother that is 79 years old, he's been married 02:33:00for 59 years. My other brother that he--his wife passed away two years ago, they were married 50 years. Chico never marry. Chico never marry. Carlito- he was married for many years. I would have been married 52 years, 53 years if my husband was still alive. You know they, all my nephews are good kids, they had nice education, you know. And it was thanks to what our father taught us, you know and we--and my kids are the same way with their kids. They strong but they, you know. And my, my boys are not--Fernando was married 15 years, but then they 02:34:00got divorced. He's got two kids and he's got his first daughter. That she's about- she's 32 years old. In his first, his first marriage. Then he divorced. He lives by himself. Josh, he's like his father, he could never, he could never be married because he likes to dominate. So he lives by--on his own. He lives in Albany. He's got beautiful apartment. You go to his house, you could eat off the floor. I have taken my kids over there. I took Zeus, the first time I took Zeus, my son, "No he can't touch there. He can't touch that, he can't--" I say, "you know what I'm not bringing you my kids no more here." He's very very very very clean. And I thank my father for that. I thank my father. Maybe other people 02:35:00will say oh, your father, but no my father was not abusive. My father was--he knew what he was doing with his. He was alone with five, six kids. You know it wasn't like you with one kid. Six kids. And then he worked. And then he got that accident that, he was for about six months in a hospital. And then when he came home he was in a bed. For almost a year we had to bathe him. And we were young kids. We were young. We were very young. The oldest was Frank. He was 18. So you know, we were all in that range. We all a year apart. So we were all in that in the range. I was 13, and so you know. And even though he was like that he was- still would punish us (laughs). In the wheelchair. But the good thing about that 02:36:00when he passed, when he got that accident, they gave him eighty thousand dollars. So we got a big apartment because we used to live in a one bedroom. We got a big apartment, right in the barrio, he didn't want to move from there. We all have--me and my sister had our own room and the other kids had their own room. He had his room. And he sent us. He gave us a gift. He sent us to Puerto Rico, all the brothers, to see my mom. He helped my mom to finish paying off her house. Yes, yeah. My father, he died with nothing because he gave everything away but, he died happy. My father died. And he always used to say, "I don't want to die in a hospital." He always used to say, "I don't want to die in a hospital. I want to die in my home." And that day he got up, he told my sister 02:37:00[who] used to live in the same building. I was already married, I was in the Bronx. He told my sister, "Irma, do me a cup of coffee." And you know what, my sister went to the kitchen, she came back with a cup of coffee, my father was dead already. It was a big shock to my sis--he was dead already. Just like that, and sitting down, he died. Sitting in his bed. And that's what he wanted. That's what he wanted. Mhm. But we live a full life. We can't complain. We were poor. That's why I say, I don't have--I wasn't rich when I--when I was young and I'm not gonna be rich now. I have enough to live and that's it.

Amy Starecheski: I have to record a little bit of like the sound of the room to 02:38:00use when I'm editing the piece.

Ana Soler: Mhm.

Amy Starecheski: So, I'm gonna just--we have to just sit quietly for like 20, 30 seconds and I want you to think if there's anything that I should have asked but I didn't ask, or anything that you want to say more about, or anything that you want to add and we can add it on at the end. I can also come back and do another day, too. But let's--we'll take a minute and let it record the quiet, and I'll think if there's anything that I wanted to ask that I forgot to. [Pause] I can hear all the construction out there (laughs).

Ana Soler: I know.

Amy Starecheski: I realize--I think I said the wrong name for the building where your mother lived, it's the senior center on 138th. Right, what's the name of it?

Ana Soler: No, my mother lived in Mitchell.

Amy Starecheski: She lived in Mitchell. Oh ok.

Ana Soler: Right across.

Amy Starecheski: Ok. Nevermind. Yeah I think I thought it was the senior housing.

Ana Soler: There's the senior--285.

Amy Starecheski: Yeah. Ok.

Ana Soler: That's beautiful. You've never been inside? It's beautiful.

Amy Starecheski: No I haven't. Yeah. So is there anything else that you wanted to say, anything you wanted to add?

Ana Soler: No but I would like one day you come, have coffee and I will tell you so many stories that I did not record. We'll have a nice time.

Amy Starecheski: That sounds lovely.

Ana Soler: Because I got a lot of good memories. (Laughs) You will laugh a little bit.

Amy Starecheski: I do. That sounds really, really nice. I thought of one thing that I wanted to ask: the people that you hang around with, your friends and family, do they talk about gentrification in this neighborhood?

Ana Soler: No, no.

Amy Starecheski: That's interesting. That's good to know. Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me. It's been so fun getting to know you a little bit and hearing about your family. And I'll send you the audio and you can listen and then you can also share it with anyone you want.

Ana Soler: Yeah my kids don't want to hear (laughs).

Amy Starecheski: They will. All right thank you.