Frustrating, but Rewarding Experiences

Conducting both the interview project and the statistical profile assignment were rather rewarding, though also frustrating, experiences.  The interview project was quite problematic for me, as there were numerous scheduling issues.  When the interview finally took place, there was yet another problem.  Thankfully, a good thing came out of it, as it helped me gain more perspective on the immigration and integration experiences of an Indian immigrant in New York City.  The statistical profile was also difficult, because I had to make sense of lots of quantitative data.  It did not help that, at first, I mixed data from various years and sources.  The research and constant array of numbers was quite tedious, and reminded me why I abhor numbers!  Conducting the research, however, gave me an idea of how diverse New York City actually is.  Although the profile limited me to researching Haitian immigrants, I looked at numbers of other immigrant groups as well. What stood out and will always amaze me is how there are so many large immigrant groups in New York City.  Yet, despite their large size, each group only makes up a small percentage of the city’s entire foreign-born population.  This diversity is astounding and my entire life I have been ignorant of the diversity surrounding me.  Now, I have actually begun noting the changing demographics of New York City, starting with the enclave of Indians forming in my own neighborhood.