i think juliana cardoso just walked by, a isis valverde lookalike. they’ve been here in rocky view for about five years, and seem to hang around the rocky view national park a lot. i’ve also seen them working at blueberry hill bakery as a baker. when asked to describe themselves they’re likely to say star-shaped cookie cutters, freshly baked pies, flour smudged smiles, messy ponytails and aprons marked with paint by tiny hands.
❝ ¦ ❧ ». stats
full name: juliana oliveira de palmas cardoso
nicknames: juli, jules, ju
birthday: july 15th, 1990
place of birth: belo horizonte, brazil
nationality: brazilian-american
sexual orientation: bisexual
religion: roman catholic
language(s) spoken: portuguese, english, spanish
pinterest board.
❝ ¦ ❧ ». biography
tw: abuse, deportation, mentions of death
i. when she first arrived at the united states at six years old, juli cardoso didn’t speak one word of english. but she was extroverted, beautiful and extremely charming, meaning that language barriers didn’t matter much when it came to making friends. it wasn’t long until she was living her own little american dream.
ii. growing up, she was your typical girl next door. with her looks, kindness and charm, she was easily one of the most popular girls in high school, with a curriculum which read head cheerleader and homecoming queen. her boyfriend was the quarterback and everybody wanted to be friends with her. at the same time as she was easily accessible, she seemed untouchable.
iii. but despite the pretty facade, things in her life were far from perfect. ten years after arriving in america, her father lost his job and with it went his visa. living in a constant state of tension, he began drinking and losing his temper, taking it out on her mother and occasionally on juliana herself. it didn’t take long until her parents were deported, right before her high school graduation.
iv. she was devastated to see her mother, who had been her best friend in the entire world, have to go. but part of her felt relieved she no longer had to deal with her father, and wished this would mean he would get better, though part of her knew how unlikely that was. however, juli was lucky. she had a boyfriend who loved her and was willing to marry her so she could get her green card. and so that’s what they did. their original plan had been to go to college together, with both of them having full athletic scholarships. but tragedy struck on his last game of the season, and her soon to be husband got an injury which meant he could no longer go. so she stayed behind with him.
v. he got a job in construction while she took her mother’s place as a waitress and a cook at a local diner. her mother had a gift in the kitchen which she passed down to her daughter, especially when it came to baked goods. it was said they made the best pies in the entire state, attracting customers from all around. juli had hoped that she could study business when she went to college so she could open her own shop, but that dream, like so many others had been left behind.
vi. when she turned twenty-two, her mother got sick, and she didn’t know what to do. her husband, who had become more abusive each year, even escalating to physical violence on specifically rough days, wouldn’t let her go down to visit her, claiming he needed her around to take care of the house. he never hesitated to use the fact that if it weren’t for him, she would have been deported too, and she should be thankful. so a year later her mother died before she could ever say goodbye in person.
vii. the marriage only got worse. at one point, he almost had her quit her job, the only thing which gave her joy anymore. that was, until she found out she was pregnant. now more than ever, juli had the incentive to leave her husband once and for all to try and give her baby a good life. so once her little girl was born she got into a car and drove up to rocky view. since then, she’s been working at blueberry hill bakery as a baker.
