Older Adult Interview

I had the privilege of interviewing a 60 year old gentlemen who I will identify as Mr. E to protect his privacy for this assignment. The goal of my interview was to gain insight on aging from an older adult. I interviewed Mr. E in his home on a weekday evening. He expressed appreciation and was surprised that he was the focus of an interview in which his life story and thoughts would be recorded.
Mr. E was born in a ranch in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is the youngest son of nine children. His father passed away when he was 1 - year old. He was privileged to attend elementary school from the 1st grade to the 4th grade. Mr. E had the responsibility of helping support the family as there were only two male children in the family and the remaining siblings were female. At 13 years of age he went to the neighboring state of Tepic, Nayarit to work in agriculture. He was 15- years old when he immigrated to the United States by himself. Mr. E lived with friends who helped him find a job 3 weeks after he moved to the United States. He worked as a busboy at a restaurant for 3 months. He left that job to work in the garment industry making jeans, shirts and blouses for 3 years. “I was the only man working there at that time” (E. Privacy, personal communication, October 10, 2012). Mr. E observed that years later he saw more males seeking employment in the garment factories because word spread that any undocumented individual could work making clothing regardless of gender. He financially supported two infant children on those wages. He then worked in a fabric for 7 years making electrical parts for cars. After that he worked as a gardener and left the business to his son when he retired. He was married at the age of 18 and had his first child at the age of 21. Two years later he had a daughter. He became a U.S. Citizen and has helped many family members also obtain their citizenships in the past decades. He is a grandfather of 5 and looks forward to seeing great grandchildren