I, a young ice bear, have been on an amazing adventure to learn more about the library, and so far, I've learned a lot! For those that don't know me, I am Vanilla Ice Bear, a member of the Children's team at the Main Library. I mostly help out with Story Time with my mom [Haylee Blystone] but these days I am fully committed to being an investigative journalist. This time, I sat down with Sol Ayala, someone from my department. I've had the pleasure of working with Sol and I'm excited to see what she tells us about Hispanic Heritage Month!

Sitting down with Sol Ayala

Vanilla: Hey Sol, welcome to the interview!

Sol: Hi, thank you for having me, Vanilla. 

V: Don't be shy, we've done Story Time together so many times, you know. 

S: We have done Story Time.

 V: And did you have Kiwi at any of the story times or was it just me? 

S: No, it was just you. I don't think I ever had Kiwi with me and like us together. 

V: So, I don't think I know Kiwi, but you definitely know me. So, you don't need to be nervous. 

[Sol laughs]

V: So first, what do you currently do at the library? What's your position?

S: My official title is Children's Associate. Library Associate and in the Children's Department at Main.

V: Yes, how long have you worked here? 

S: Just over a year and a half. 

V: That's it? 

S: Yeah. 

V: It feels like you've been here forever!

S: I feel like that too, but it will officially be 2 years in December

V: Wow. 

S: I think it's felt like forever because of the fire and all of that stuff, but technically, I've been at this library for like a year, because I was out for the other half. 

V: How long have you physically been in this building?

S: I don't know, a year? Maybe under still. 

V: It's got to be under, right? I mean, we were closed for like a year. And then we've only been back since March. 

S: It was fun. I had fun during the closing. 

V: Where were you stationed? 

S: Southeast! I went to Richland Park, Edge Hill, Pruitt, Edmondson Pike, Green Hills. 

V: Dang. 

S: Yes.

V: We saw you at Donelson!

S: I went everywhere.

V: Oh yeah, that was when we could either use our vacation time to stay home, or we could pick up shifts at whatever location needed it.

S: Yeah. Then still throughout the closing, even though I was already stationed, I still went to Donelson.

V: I forget that everyone was going everywhere because we just stayed at Donelson pretty much, or we were at, we went to Hermitage like once, maybe Edmondson Pike a couple of times. Nothing crazy. 

[pause]

V: So what made you decide to work in libraries? 

S: There's like a fun version and there's like a good version. Which one do you want? 

V: Um, whichever one you are comfortable sharing. 

S: Which one am I not going to get canceled for?

V: Just say it and then I'll let you know. 

S: It was the summer before my senior year of college as the over achiever I am, I'm always looking ahead I told myself “I'm about to graduate. I need a job.” And so I applied to a bunch of places. I came across the library and my boyfriend tells me “Dude, getting a job at the library is like really hard because it's like through Metro and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, I don't believe you.” Months go by so I kind of forgot about it until I got the call for my first interview. Then I don't hear back again until December for a second interview. As I was about to graduate, I wanted to do as many interviews as I could to learn how to interview. Second interview comes through. I interviewed with Pat and she tells me, “I will know by the end of the day.” And the day goes by, I’m home thinking “oh my God, they don't like me here. why do you keep bringing me for torture? Please stop.” After so long, bada bing, bada boom, I got hired. 

V: So you did it just because you could? That's how you ended up in our department. Someone said it would be hard, so you were like, bet.

S: I'll try anything that comes my way. And I did it. And then I came here, no experience other than borrowing books. I didn’t know the Dewey. 

V: I mean, you don't have to have it memorized. 

S: I came here and I tried, I put in the work, and I think I’m good.

V: Yeah, you're all right. 

[Sol laughs]

V: Wow, that's such a touching story. My next question was going to be why Children's, but it seems like you just accepted a full-time job. 

S: Yes, I think I got two interviews for Teen’s and for Children's and I knew I was not going to do great at Teen’s. 

V: Aren't you afraid of teens? 

S: Yes. I just went for the interview. I had it with Lauren at Green Hills. 

V: Nice. 

S: I'm just going to come in wherever they call me. 

V: I mean, that looks good. You're willing to interview and then people will compare. So that was smart.

V: Well, now that you're here, do you like working with children?

S: I do. I think I prefer it. Like when we were at the branches, I was working with the adult section. And Oh my God, it was not for me. I wanted to punch some adults.

V: Adults are just as silly as children, but without the excuses. 

S: I can’t have beef with a five-year-old! That's not the type of life I'm trying to live. How awful of a person would I have to be to like have beef with kids?

V: Like pretty, pretty bad. 

[Both laugh]

V: Would you ever work in a different department? 

S: Yes, I would. I still like learning stuff. I really do. Let’s exchange, I'll see what we do for a day. That would be fun. It's also to appreciate your co-workers as well. And to understand that maybe the things they are facing might not look the same to us, but it's still hard. I get home and I'm like, I'm so tired. And then my friends are like “from coloring?” But I do think I would work in other departments for sure. If given the opportunity. 

V: Not Teen’s.

S: At this time. I don't want to work with teens just because I look like a teen. 

V: Is that like a humble brag or? 

S: It's not a humble brag, it's more like I'm scared of them. I was at a pool for Labor Day this weekend and there were some teens around. I immediately got scared and then they got kicked out.

V: They're just misunderstood. 

S: They're misunderstood and I understand because I was a teen not so long ago. 

V: Another humble brag. 

S: And so I don't, I don't have too much patience for them. Maybe when I'm older. 

V: The question was which department, not which one you wouldn't. So now that we know which one you for sure, would never ever, ever, ever work in. 

S: No, it's not ever, ever. Just maybe when I'm like 30, 40, maybe I would try. I would be more brave, but at this time I'm not brave enough. 

V: So as the current coward that you are, what department would you, could you work in? 

S: I would still work in adult or like downstairs in cataloging too. When I was in Southeast, they were barcoding for the new books. And that was so cool. 

V: Barcoding. Yes. Dream job is barcoding for sure. 

V: Okay. So, shifting gears a little bit. Did you know that it was national library card sign up month? 

S: Yes, because I'm doing some videos for it. 

V: Okay. Wow, you didn't ask me to be in your video. I have a library card. 

S: It's just, there's so many people in the video now. I was trying to get the people that work from other departments, but we did get Tommy dog in the video. 

V: Wow. So first you're trying to say you need people, not bears. Then you ask a dog. 

S: Yes.

V: Not me. Has the video gone out? It's not too late. 

S: No, not yet. We can squeeze you in for sure. 

V: Squeeze me in. 

S: Vanilla, would you be willing to fake for social media because social media is kind of fake. 

V: Social media is always fake, yeah. 

S: So would you be okay with faking? 

V: Yes. It's not going to compromise my integrity as a journalist. 

S: It's just for a fun video. 

V: Yes! Keep an eye out for that. 

[Sol laughs]

V: Okay. Do you have a library card? 

S: I do. 

V: Did you get it when you first got here or did you already have it?

S: No, I already had it. I got my library card when I moved to the States. 

V: There's several staff that do not have library cards. 

S: I mean, sometimes you stumble into a job

V: Yeah, but how can you work at the library if you don't even know how to check books out? Like if you were never a patron, if you don't have a library card, how can you explain to the patron? Because I can explain it to them because we check things out. 

S: We use the resources. 

V: It's like explaining a taste you've never had, you know? 

S: We can judge them. Do you know anybody who doesn't have a library card? 

V: I can't go on the record. I won't call them out!

[Both laugh]

V: I'm glad you have a library card. How do you encourage people to sign up for a library card? 

S: Sometimes through shame. 

V: Shame is a very powerful motivator. 

S: Sometimes groups come in and there’s that someone starts checking out books and the rest are in the back not checking out books. I'm like, “you don't have a library card? It's so fast and easy.” If you live in this county. I also love working with Spanish speaking patrons, sometimes they don't know they can get a card. The requirement says ID so they think that they have to show an American ID so then they won't get a library card. 

V: They think they can't get one.

S: A passport works! Just give me any identification that you have. I used to have to explain to my mom too. Like she didn't think that she could get a library card. I'm like, yes, mom, you can. And so she has a library card now, but for the longest she thought she couldn't just because she doesn't have an American ID. It's like, no, you can have one with a passport and then a proof of address. 

V: That's stuff we don't really think about and some of us may take for granted. We're very blessed that we don't have to think about stuff like that. 

S: Oftentimes I ask, it’s not just Spanish speaking people, from other cultures as well. I've seen that they ask, “for free?” 

V: We do get that question a lot and I'm always very confused by it. Cause it's like, yeah, for free. But I'm not thinking about what the other people, where they come from, what they're thinking about. 

S: Yeah, there was one family. I think they were Southeast Asian. And they ask, “do we need to pay to be in here? I was like, no, no, it's free. You just can't take the books.” They were tourists. 

V: I've seen more people come in here with translators. Which does make it easier, but also I'm like, dang, I hate that you have to do that. 

S: But they, I promise you, they're okay. They're actually really smart because they have that.

V: I don't think they're dumb. I just hate that I don't know Spanish. So I can't help. 

S: But yeah, connecting those people with other researchers, I think it's really important.

V: The people want to know about you, I assume. So, are you from Nashville? 

S: Well, I am almost hitting that threshold that I am. I have lived half and half. Cause I lived in, I'm gonna tell you where I'm from. Backstory. 

V: That was my next question. 

S: Okay. So I'm just saying no right now. No. I moved here 10 years ago. 

[Vanilla laughs]

Maybe I’m not as cute in real life … that’s a lie

V: Where are you from? 

S: Oh, let me tell you where I'm from. I'm from El Salvador. It's in Central America, just below Mexico for those people that don't know. And I lived there most of my childhood. And then I came here for my teen years. So I've lived here my entire teen years and my young adult years. So a lot of my young, young age years when I was a toddler, I don't remember that. Like I probably remember from like eight up. And so I probably lived here longer. So at times I do feel very connected to like, I, when I first moved, I moved to Southeast, I mean, South Nashville. And so I feel very connected to South Nashville. It's like my home. Like that's where I grew up. 

V: That makes sense.

S: But sometimes, people say stuff about Tennessee and Nashville. I'm like, I don't know that. And so, and so then I remember that I'm actually not from here. But sometimes I do feel very from here. My boyfriend is from just a county outside of Rutherford County. I don't know what county is. 

V: Coffee County? 

S: No. 

V: Wilson County? 

S: I don't even know. 

V: Sumner?

V: No, I don't know. I don't even know the name of the town. Like it's so small. It's like right outside of like Murfreesboro.

V: Shelbyville?

S: Shelbyville, that's the one. 

V: You are not from here. 

S: And so he moved to Nashville like a couple of years after college. Um, and like, you don't know, you don't know the state. You, you, you know, like Whitewood, Houston. I was like, before, this used to be the hood. The community would not see a girl in Lululemon walking around. Like, I've known this place longer than you. I know these streets. Yeah, I grew up here. And so like stuff like that. I do feel very like, yeah, this is my city. I grew up here. But then Shelby County or Shelbyville. Yeah, I'm not from here. Sorry. Like after, which I don't want to be like that. There's some people that moved to Nashville and they only know and that's really sad. I have tried to travel. Like I've been to like Knoxville and I go to Memphis a lot. 

V: And you live in the Antioch area, right? 

S: I do. I've been to Chattanooga. Like no, my stake is like, I do feel very proud to be a volunteer. 

V: Wait, it wasn't you that we were teaching. Was it Danielle that we were teaching? She's from here. Did not know that we were the volunteer state. Did not know why. So you get to be an honorary native because at least you knew that. You knew that we were and why. 

S: Exactly like Danielle went to school in Tennessee. They teach that. I may not know all the counties in the rural areas, but I know some history. 

[Both laugh]

V: Okay, so you moved here 10 years ago. What was the biggest challenge moving here that you can remember? 

S: I mean, I was gonna say that it was the language, but maybe it was more than that, but mainly the language. I did have to learn and I had to teach myself English, which was, I was always a, I was always a Disney Channel kind of girl, so I grew up like with Disney Channel and like celebrities, One Direction. 

V: Wait, who's your favorite in One Direction?

S: Niall. 

V: Harry is right there!

S: I know, but like the first one that I liked obviously was Zayne. The only brown kid in there. But then Niall is Irish and I love Ireland. 

V: Okay, so did One Direction teach you English? 

S: Pretty much. Like, I wanted to turn in my English to Gossip Girl, One Direction, and Gilmore Girls. Okay. When I say it, some people are like, they're like, that's kind of sweet. Um, but I watched Gilmore Girls because I really wanted to watch that show. 

V: God, that show is awful. 

S: It's so good!

V: No, it's not. No, Rory sucks. Like, she's a main character. But Jared Padalecki's on there and I love him. 

S: He's so cute don’t get me wrong! Back then I watched the show in English with Spanish subtitles the first time. And I think that was like halfway through like the seasons when I actually felt like I could watch it in English. I would do that a lot with shows and movies. On the bus ride to school. Shout out Antioch High School I got picked up so early.

V: That's how the bus works. 

S: I didn't know that. At 5am on a winter morning? No. Yeah. That is child abuse.

V: Well, school starts at like seven. Were you the first one on your route?

S: Like the first few. Yeah. 

V: Then yes.

S: Um, that was the biggest challenge. As I was saying, on the way there, I had my Spotify on and I would read the lyrics to kind of like enunciate the words better. So then I got to college, I realized that I didn't have a very big vocabulary, I had just memorized a bunch of words. 

V: One Direction. Baby. Girl. What else did they say?

S: Yeah, yeah. Young, all those words. So I've memorized a lot of words, but I didn't really have a great like grammar background. So in college I had to lock in a little bit. I'm still bad at grammar to this day because I miss it. Like my friends are like, enunciate the words, like make the sounds. I'm like, I don't know the sound. 

V: You live in the South. We don't enunciate down here. 

S: How could I know that? That's how you spell coronal, whatever. 

V: What?

S: What's that word with the army? 

V: Colonel?

S: Colonel. I don't know how to say that. How would I know that that's that word? Who is here to tell you that? 

V: That's fair. Your teacher should have told you that in public school.

S: It makes no sense. 

V: Shout out public schools. 

[Sol laughs]

S: I didn't know. 

V: What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you personally and do you celebrate it? 

S: I celebrate Hispanic Heritage every day of my life. Not to bring the mood down, but when I first moved here, being Latino wasn't mainstream. I would speak Spanish to the kids that look like me. And I knew they spoke Spanish. I was trying to get help, mainly with school stuff. Like what did the teacher said? And they would refuse to speak Spanish to me. Yeah, being Latino and being proud wasn't like a thing. I went to a predominantly black/Latino school, but they wouldn't speak Spanish or at least they didn't like it. At times, the teachers had to force them to help me. I don't know. Maybe it was just those mean girls that I came across. But I've always been super proud of my heritage and everything that comes with it. Anyone who came across, like a new kid came through and I already knew English so I would help them. And I'm really happy that now, I my friends, younger siblings, they're so Latino and they're so proud of being Latino.

[Both laugh]

S: Like, you know, like just, just like being really proud of who I am and where I came from. I'm never shying away from my language. Mm hmm. 

V: So which language or like, which languages, I'm sure there might be more or dialects are spoken in your family? 

S: Just Spanish.

V: Just Spanish? 

S: Yeah, my family is very colonized, unfortunately. 

V: Well, I don't know anything about the different kinds of Spanish.

S: I have a friend that her family speaks Spanish and that's from Guatemala. It's really pretty. Which I always think they're so cool because they like switch back between three languages. Like that is insane. I can only switch back between two. 

V: Two is still cool!

S: That still messes me up sometimes, but then they switch back between the three and that's like crazy good. I'm like, that's amazing. But in my family, only two languages. 

V: Hey, two is better than one. My family, we only know English. 

S: Your mom knows a little bit of German. 

V: I mean, like a little bit. Does that even count?

[Sol laughs]

V: In Story Time, we did teach the babies leche. 

S: You did?

V: It was in, it was in one of the books we read. I was like, I know this one, milk. 

S: Yes. That's right. That's perfect for babies. 

V: So, I think I just want to ask one more question. What traditional dishes from your culture do you guys like? Do they, are there any that care, carry a special meaning or story? Or are there just any that you really like to eat? 

S: I like to eat anything and everything. Not picky at all. And that can just be, but I'm going to stick to my culture. Right? Because I'm like, have you tried? I don't know. But within my culture, I feel like, I don't know if it is like a Latino thing, but I feel like it more importantly, it's like an immigrant thing. Any house that you go, either they're rich or poor, they're always going to have food for you at that table. Even if you show up unannounced. Like, yeah, I feel like that is like, even if it's like refried beans and scrambled eggs and a piece of bread. 

V: That sounds great. 

S: Um, I know. Sounds great. But, and like, that's like the most meaningful, like, it doesn't matter if it's like this like amazing piece of carne asada, which I still love. But like, it doesn't matter what kind of food it is. So like the meaning behind like, knowing that I show up to my friend's house and they're Mexican and I can only hold my spicy and I try to be really brave. But like, I have never left the house without being full. And I think that's like really, really beautiful. 

V: That's so cool. 

S: You're always going to have food at any place you go to. Maybe they're sharing like their last piece of bread that they have in the house for the week, but they're going to share it with you. They're always going to make sure you have a cup of coffee or whatever water or drink juice they have. I was going to share with you.

V: I love that. Maybe we could learn a little bit about that. I mean, we do have Southern Hospitality, but not like that. I don't know if we're sharing food like that. 

S: You know, like, oh, I swear, like, like, like this past weekend, I was, I was with my friends at the pool. And then she's like, let's go back to the place and eat. I was like, are you sure? And yeah, and I, I left with so much food in my stomach. And that it's like everywhere you go. 

V: I think it depends around here because like, we do get so many people that aren't from Tennessee moving here. I mean, because like you go over to my, my Nana's house. She's always going to have food. She's always going to have like offer you food. 

S: Food is a language.

V: It is, but like some people that like just moved here or like are from up north, you go over to their house. They're probably gonna look at you crazy if you ask for food or you get in their fridge, you know, but you can just get. 

S: Oh, I'm not gonna get in the fridge, but they're gonna offer it to you. 

V: Yeah, but they probably wouldn't offer it to you. Like I have friends that aren't from here. They don't do that. They might offer you water. Are you thirsty? Here's a drink. But like maybe not food.

S: You're gonna have food. Maybe it wasn't the best that day because nobody's cooking. It was only like the leftovers. And they're gonna have to. We actually, we have a whole thing about leftovers because no leftover gets thrown in the trash. So like for Christmas, you do this big thing for Christmas, right? And there's so much food and they just put it all away and then you invite people the next day to eat all the leftovers. 

V: Heck yeah!

S: Yeah, because like nothing has to get thrown out. It's okay. This is very important. Food is very important. 

V: Are you gonna do that tradition in your new house that you just bought?

S: I can't cook, but I'll ask my mommy. Actually, my mom isn't a really good cook. Like I tell her sometimes like you're losing your touch, lady. Because I go to houses of my friends. She doesn't make those. That's how I laugh. I go to some houses of my friends' moms. I'm like, your mom knows how to cook. Like my mom knows how to cook too. Better than me. I can't judge. I'm like, I wouldn't put you in the top three moms. What I would eat. 

V: My mom can't cook. Does not cook even a little. 

S: Yeah, I know that. She went hungry back there and Jude [Vanilla’s other mom] was just gone for a couple days. 

V: Sure was. Yeah, probably lost a lot of weight, but she's back. So it's all good!

[Both laugh]

V: My last question for you besides the other last question. My second to last question is which Hispanic artists, musicians, or writers have influenced you? 

S: Influenced me. Oh man, I gotta get names. I don't really like bad names. But I really obviously love Bad Bunny. 

V: Didn't you base your display off of?

S: I did. That's how important that man is to me. Uh, Bad Bunny is one of my favorite artists. Uh, I'm trying to think. Like suddenly I know nobody. Suddenly there's no Latin American artist. Because there's also this like, uh, he's an NPR journalist who has been covering a lot of like, Latinos in the country right now with everything going on. He is and he is actually from Mexico. So he's doing it all in like a second language, which is also really great. And then I read a book that made me cry really ugly this year. It's called Solito and it is by a Salvadorian writer, which I had not read. Before, which was really nice. Javier Zamora. I'll send it to you, everything. But that book, that book really made me cry. It was the most beautiful guy I've ever met. It was like about his journey. He was like eight when he immigrated illegally and alone without his parents to, to America. And it was so sad. I cried so much. And I like sent him an email after I read the book. And I was like, this book was so great. It really does. I really liked it with the book. And he's like, oh my gosh, thank you for reading. I was like, I'm going to cry. 

V: You're going to cry right now? 

S: No. Oh, okay. 

V: I don't do well with tears. 

S: That's okay. No, but that book was really good. That's this book [shows picture of book]. I'll send it to you. 

V: Oh, I've seen that one. Haven't read it. I don't read books that make me cry. I like to laugh and have a good time. Do you have any happy books? 

S: Happy books? Hispanic heritage books? I have a lot of unhappy books. I like this like printing company, printing company? Printing house? Printing house. It's Lil' Libros and they do a lot of like Spanish books. 

V: Okay.

S: And we have a lot of them. Let me, let me throw a rock at the collection that we have. I haven't found a writer. Like it's like, like it's been Spanish books that I follow as much just because we don't have like the entire collection. Like sometimes we have the English one, we have the Spanish book or sometimes we don't have the whole book at all. 

V: Interesting. I wonder why that is.

S: But the printing house, we have a bunch that I really like. I really see myself gravitating to those a lot. Okay. I like their, I like their translations too. Because sometimes the translations are from Spain and that's not the same. 

V: Those are different dialects? 

S: Different words. 

V: Different words? 

S: I don't know, different grammar, style. I don't know if I call it dialect. I know they have dialects in Spain. 

V: I’ve heard that the Spanish is different between Mexican Spanish and Spain Spanish. 

S: I was complaining to Danielle recently that there's this book that has like a time to go shower. It has the word poop in it. 

[Vanilla laughs]

V: I think you showed me that book. 

S: And but it says caca. Yes. Caca in Spanish is like, like saying-

V: It's a bad word. 

S: It's like a bad, it's not like a bad word, but it's like, because we don't say caca like that. You're being a little bit more vulgar, a little bit more in like with your words. It's not a bad word. You can still say it. I said it when I was little. But, um, we say popo or po, but caca is like, man, you had a big poop. You know, that's a big poop. And it wasn't one of the books. And because the kids don't get to say it as much in Spanish, when they heard it in like the book, it's like funny because they're not supposed to say it like caca. And so they laugh. It's like a funny word now in a different context. But like, if they say it, the kids like caca, my mom would be like, don't say that. 

V: And what book was that?

S: I'll show it to you. 

V: Send it to me. I want to put it on the list. 

S: Bath. It's like bath time.

V: I will put that one on the list at the bottom. Plus any others that Sol recommends for us that are some good bilingual or Spanish books.

V: So I think we're about out of time. So the only thing I have left to ask is, do you have anything you want to promote?

S: Yes. I started my line of skincare recently. I started my own podcast too.

[Both laugh]

S: Well, I'm at Story Time. Please come to my Story Time. Please, please, please, please tell your friends. I do a really good job and I do it all along. 

V: It's amazing. Kiwi's so funny. We love to see it.

S: He is Puerto Rican, by the way, because he's a frog. 

V: Are frogs Puerto Rican? 

S: They're a specific kind of frog. And like, they have a lot of frogs in the Highlands. So like, that's why he's Puerto Rican. That's why he talks like that too, because of his accent. 

V: You gotta come see Kiwi. He's so cool!

[Both laugh]

V: Well, thank you. Thank you so much for meeting with me. I'll see you in the workroom!

S: I'll see you!