Wattin, Lucela M., 1979-

"Interviewed by Stefani Evans. Arriving in Las Vegas in 2015 directly from her hometown in Cebu Province, Philippines, Lucela M. Wattin was struck by the dry climate, "like an oven!" But she immediately felt at home in her apartment near Spring Mountain Road and Chinatown, because she could buy familiar food items, and because her new next door neighbor also came from Cebu Province. Lucela, the fourth of six children, talks about how her father died before she turned two years old, how her mother supported the family by working in a laundry, and how her maternal grandmother stepped in to raise the children. She recalls her paternal grandfather taking her to his farm to see the black caribou and feed the chickens. She discusses her college years and graduation and arrival in the U.S. under her fiancée's visa. She describes her first job in Las Vegas as a non-union busser in the Excalibur dining room and the difference the Culinary Union made in her benefits and work conditions; she also speaks of taking on leadership roles with the union and describes how the union is partnering with a legal aid attorney to bring her daughter to the U.S. During COVID, when the hotel/casino was closed for three months, she was distressed because she had to temporarily stop sending money home to her daughter in the Philippines. She talks of her favorite dishes, sinagang, chicken adobo, and bugas mais and describes the way that her hometown celebrates Halloween and All Souls Day, Oct. 31-Nov. 2." from OHRC interview notes