Source: http://www.weeklyecho.com/blog/politics.php?itemid=160
My family’s immigration story is unique because we could be called double immigrants. First, my family and I migrated to Russia from the Republic of Georgia in the year 1993 to escape war and poor economic conditions brought on by the fall of the Soviet Union. Then, in 1999, my mother and I moved to the United States to reunite with my father, who had settled here years earlier. We entered the United States as refugees, which was a common means of entry for immigrants from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s.
Source: http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/russia.html
The main reason my mother and I moved to the United States is a reason why many immigrants have come to the United States: to have prospects for a better life. America was seen as a wealthy nation and a prestigious place to live by most people in Russia at that time, and we could not miss out on the opportunity to come here.
When we came to the United States, we settled in New York City, more specifically, in Brooklyn. This is because my father and his parents (my grandparents) have already lived here for years before our arrival. Brooklyn was and still is the most popular borough among Russian-speaking immigrants. Thus it is not surprising that they decided to settle here.
Our integration was by no means an easy process. I relied on the help of my parents and friends to do schoolwork for the entire first year of my American education as I did not speak any English. My first year in school was second grade, since I was too old to go to first grade by American standards. By third grade, I became more confident at speaking English, even though I still needed much improvement. Despite my less-than-perfect English, I managed to establish myself as a good student and ended up graduating at the top of my class in fifth grade.
Currently, my written English is quite strong and my conversational English is decent, even though I still posses a Russian accent. This is because I have spoken only Russian at home all these years. Overall, I feel more or less integrated into American society, although I do not think of myself as entirely American.
My parents, I think, are overall less integrated than I am. Their English skills are a still a bit lacking and they often watch Russian television.
