Amy Angosh: Heritage Roots
Title
Amy Angosh: Heritage Roots
Subject
Hertiage Fiesta Interview
Description
Amy Angosh is an Immigrant from London, England living in New Britain, Ct. She was interviewed by Sammy CampoVerde; A local history student at CCSU. During the interview Angosh and CampoVerde discuss topics regarding heritage, community roots, and adapting to new environments.
Creator
Local History and Community Development Class- Spring 2022
Source
Hertiage Fiesta 2022- April 23rd 2022
Publisher
Anna Katelyn Guzman
Date
April 23rd 2022
Contributor
CCSU Heritage Fiesta, CCSU Local History Department, CCSU
Relation
https://www.refugeesintowns.org/new-britain
Format
WMA Video File
Language
English
Type
Video File Interview
Coverage
SAMMY- Thank you for sitting down with us. Basically what we wanted to do is just to get people to sit down and share stories about their own history that is important to them or artifacts. We are going to go through and ask questions but um before we start was is your name?
AMY- Amy
SAMMY- Amy. And how do you spell that?
AMY- A M Y
SAMMY- UM you don't have to answer this if you don't want to but How old are you?
AMY- I don't want to tell you my age
SAMMY- That's fine
Where are you from?
AMY- England
SAMMY-England? How long have you been here in the united states in new britain
AMY- About 8 years
8 years?
What made you come here
AMY- Um i was trying to branch out -and like compared to my sisters but america is different its very different very very different
What are the- what are the biggest differences
AMY- Um I think the lack of -this is just my opinion but I think in England the community is connected. Everybody is separated to their own thing there are many cliques like who are you are you a versace no, who are you do you own…. A hundred thousand dollars a week. Um you know so separated like you know If you lack something or a certain skill. You won't know if you are in America or england you won't know. So it's like I think the wrong areas that are highlighted in humanities are highlighted more and that is one difference and people talk loud. I hope I can get used to that if they talk loud in England, you know they are not from here. Oh hello, they are from Africa or something. It's here everyone is talking like they are trying to plead the fifth to the judge. I'm serious. I'm trying to get used to it even on the bus. I think it's trying to acknowledge knowing where you come from or your own self identity. That's just my opinion. I have noticed many people follow other people or they lack knowing who they are and their culture. They have somebody like hey this is a grandfather or grandmother or places they will go, or cause they don't know that they think that they go or they shouldn't.
SAMMY- Like they focus on the wrong thing
AMY- Yea because they don't have any grounding …. Because it doesn't have any grounding but if you have culture or parents or your own identity
SAMMY- Like your roots
AMY- Yea like connecting it to your roots. What you know you're supposed to be doing you're not like lets do this let's do that. And I think the one thing that I really have as a pet peeve is the fake. In England when someone doesn't like you they dont like you just away from them but over here they have the fake kindness like the frienemies. I have never in my whole life seen such pettiness. I have never used the word petty until I came here. I never knew the word existed. I was like wow.
SAMMY- Um do you have any cultural identity
AMY- Well I am from; my mom is from africa and I was born in london so I know about my grandmother, my great grandmother, my great great grandmother, my great uncles, my aunt's, my nephews, my nieces and cousins. so it's pretty grounded. Everyone keeps in contact.
SAMMY- Do you guys share each other's stories you know where they come from?
AMY- You aren't supposed to like to know everyone's business. Like aunty. How did you know that, mom tells everyone like mom you aren't supposed to tell people.
SAMMY- I have the same thing in my family like immigrants family everyone talks my mom is telling my cousins what i did
AMY- Like mom you're supposed to keep it to yourself like damn there is nothing sacred. Is nothing sacred? The uncles you haven't seen in like a year knows your most embarrassing moment
SAMMY-Do you feel stronger to the african or british culture
AMY- Well both but london because i was born and raised but i am connected to the food and music and stories and i've been to africa a couple times but everything I eat is from there.It's 2022 everything is kind of americanized now so it's like the best of both world but i like learning about other people's culture as well.
SAMMY- When you came from England, were you coming to New britain?
AMY- It's such a funny story when somebody tries to tell you horror stories as to why you should move from New York to CT dont listen to them, because I was fine getting 17 dollar an hour just playing around in ny you know. work work work its different environment super by the employees it's just strange but like really. What do you think about so and so it's like a tv gme how about who should stay and who should go like oh you like her well i don't like her and the next day she is gone. What is the question you asked me again
SAMMY- Where did you first move to in the United States?
AMY- Okay yeah i moved to new york because you're forever exploring you can't stop exploring you could be there for 50 years and never stop exploring like wow it around the corner. Somebody robs you no this is just my opinions but like in hartford there are not the ghetto they don't know the challenges and struggles compared to new york but new york is more community life and they all help each other like don't worry i got you while here they are fighting for no reason like they are angry for no reason and they are more violent for no reason. I didn't know that when i came here and it's so small and again the pettiness nobody is telling you to stay there you have passport you can fly anywhere and there mentality is so dianted this is as far as i can go they're angry about everything there are 50 state and many cities you can go to like no no no they like it.
SAMMY- When you say possessive about where they are from and where they grew up you mean? Let's talk about um challenges and black history and do you know anything about that?
AMY- I see my family working the day they struggle so it's my duty to live up to more than they did because they didn't get to but the mentality here is they're stuck in the struggle. we have google if my grandma was here she would be a millionaire in a week my mom would attest to that because that how she way i don't understand people in africa go through more struggles they do hre and they don't understand the freedoms that they have they feel like they're owed something you know you have the liberty to work you are either rich or poor in africa aif your lucky or you're not lucky you are either rich or poor or you just eat the dust in the ground. Some people just do that. I don't think they appreciate the freedoms and liberties but again it's a mindset you get kicked out of all the farms if you keep talking ,like that but I think finally another round i decided to make the move to Connecticut because we were driving for hours. Take me back though. We drove for hours and it was like this is connecticut. I said what? That's when I knew my life was going to change. I just grabbed o to the things i like like music and art
SAMMY- Can you talk about music and some of the music you like?
AMY- I like everything. That's why I got kicked out of.. They're a bit over obsessive. They need to check what standard they have for music. I'm here for the music not the grammy.i've learned to travel and learn from my surroundings. Like Maine, it's a different world, they are so nice they talk. I like to explore and travel and if you get lost they help you and you wave and people will drive you back. Don't worry about anything. Hartford is so small and not everything is like that. I like to be with people who are open minded, not cliche and flexible.
SAMMY- I think we have enough
AMY- So where's my 10,000 that you promised me?
AMY- Amy
SAMMY- Amy. And how do you spell that?
AMY- A M Y
SAMMY- UM you don't have to answer this if you don't want to but How old are you?
AMY- I don't want to tell you my age
SAMMY- That's fine
Where are you from?
AMY- England
SAMMY-England? How long have you been here in the united states in new britain
AMY- About 8 years
8 years?
What made you come here
AMY- Um i was trying to branch out -and like compared to my sisters but america is different its very different very very different
What are the- what are the biggest differences
AMY- Um I think the lack of -this is just my opinion but I think in England the community is connected. Everybody is separated to their own thing there are many cliques like who are you are you a versace no, who are you do you own…. A hundred thousand dollars a week. Um you know so separated like you know If you lack something or a certain skill. You won't know if you are in America or england you won't know. So it's like I think the wrong areas that are highlighted in humanities are highlighted more and that is one difference and people talk loud. I hope I can get used to that if they talk loud in England, you know they are not from here. Oh hello, they are from Africa or something. It's here everyone is talking like they are trying to plead the fifth to the judge. I'm serious. I'm trying to get used to it even on the bus. I think it's trying to acknowledge knowing where you come from or your own self identity. That's just my opinion. I have noticed many people follow other people or they lack knowing who they are and their culture. They have somebody like hey this is a grandfather or grandmother or places they will go, or cause they don't know that they think that they go or they shouldn't.
SAMMY- Like they focus on the wrong thing
AMY- Yea because they don't have any grounding …. Because it doesn't have any grounding but if you have culture or parents or your own identity
SAMMY- Like your roots
AMY- Yea like connecting it to your roots. What you know you're supposed to be doing you're not like lets do this let's do that. And I think the one thing that I really have as a pet peeve is the fake. In England when someone doesn't like you they dont like you just away from them but over here they have the fake kindness like the frienemies. I have never in my whole life seen such pettiness. I have never used the word petty until I came here. I never knew the word existed. I was like wow.
SAMMY- Um do you have any cultural identity
AMY- Well I am from; my mom is from africa and I was born in london so I know about my grandmother, my great grandmother, my great great grandmother, my great uncles, my aunt's, my nephews, my nieces and cousins. so it's pretty grounded. Everyone keeps in contact.
SAMMY- Do you guys share each other's stories you know where they come from?
AMY- You aren't supposed to like to know everyone's business. Like aunty. How did you know that, mom tells everyone like mom you aren't supposed to tell people.
SAMMY- I have the same thing in my family like immigrants family everyone talks my mom is telling my cousins what i did
AMY- Like mom you're supposed to keep it to yourself like damn there is nothing sacred. Is nothing sacred? The uncles you haven't seen in like a year knows your most embarrassing moment
SAMMY-Do you feel stronger to the african or british culture
AMY- Well both but london because i was born and raised but i am connected to the food and music and stories and i've been to africa a couple times but everything I eat is from there.It's 2022 everything is kind of americanized now so it's like the best of both world but i like learning about other people's culture as well.
SAMMY- When you came from England, were you coming to New britain?
AMY- It's such a funny story when somebody tries to tell you horror stories as to why you should move from New York to CT dont listen to them, because I was fine getting 17 dollar an hour just playing around in ny you know. work work work its different environment super by the employees it's just strange but like really. What do you think about so and so it's like a tv gme how about who should stay and who should go like oh you like her well i don't like her and the next day she is gone. What is the question you asked me again
SAMMY- Where did you first move to in the United States?
AMY- Okay yeah i moved to new york because you're forever exploring you can't stop exploring you could be there for 50 years and never stop exploring like wow it around the corner. Somebody robs you no this is just my opinions but like in hartford there are not the ghetto they don't know the challenges and struggles compared to new york but new york is more community life and they all help each other like don't worry i got you while here they are fighting for no reason like they are angry for no reason and they are more violent for no reason. I didn't know that when i came here and it's so small and again the pettiness nobody is telling you to stay there you have passport you can fly anywhere and there mentality is so dianted this is as far as i can go they're angry about everything there are 50 state and many cities you can go to like no no no they like it.
SAMMY- When you say possessive about where they are from and where they grew up you mean? Let's talk about um challenges and black history and do you know anything about that?
AMY- I see my family working the day they struggle so it's my duty to live up to more than they did because they didn't get to but the mentality here is they're stuck in the struggle. we have google if my grandma was here she would be a millionaire in a week my mom would attest to that because that how she way i don't understand people in africa go through more struggles they do hre and they don't understand the freedoms that they have they feel like they're owed something you know you have the liberty to work you are either rich or poor in africa aif your lucky or you're not lucky you are either rich or poor or you just eat the dust in the ground. Some people just do that. I don't think they appreciate the freedoms and liberties but again it's a mindset you get kicked out of all the farms if you keep talking ,like that but I think finally another round i decided to make the move to Connecticut because we were driving for hours. Take me back though. We drove for hours and it was like this is connecticut. I said what? That's when I knew my life was going to change. I just grabbed o to the things i like like music and art
SAMMY- Can you talk about music and some of the music you like?
AMY- I like everything. That's why I got kicked out of.. They're a bit over obsessive. They need to check what standard they have for music. I'm here for the music not the grammy.i've learned to travel and learn from my surroundings. Like Maine, it's a different world, they are so nice they talk. I like to explore and travel and if you get lost they help you and you wave and people will drive you back. Don't worry about anything. Hartford is so small and not everything is like that. I like to be with people who are open minded, not cliche and flexible.
SAMMY- I think we have enough
AMY- So where's my 10,000 that you promised me?
Citation
Local History and Community Development Class- Spring 2022, “Amy Angosh: Heritage Roots,” Latino History Harvest, accessed July 26, 2024, https://library.ccsu.edu/latinohistoryharvest/items/show/87.