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Macaulay Honors College
at Baruch, Spring 2011Professor Els de Graauw
ITF Emily Sherwood -
Authors
▪ Alyssa Alicino
▪ Brandon Baksh
▪ Ru Xiao Chen
▪ Belinda Chiu
▪ Els de Graauw
▪ Becca Glickman
▪ Elisabeth Greenberg
▪ Doris Hu
▪ Peky Huang
▪ Toby Joseph
▪ Haesol Jun
▪ Nika Kartvelishvili
▪ Farrukh Khan
▪ Holly Kiang
▪ Julian Kipnis
▪ Kar Yi Lim
▪ Yang Lin
▪ Cait McCarthy
▪ Sofya Moshkovich
▪ Mariya Tuchinskaya
▪ Ying Zhang Login
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Miscellaneous
When immigrants come to the United States, many come in search of better economic opportunities, in hopes of being reunited with family, or to be able to practice their religion freely. This diversity in our immigrant population also means that feelings of belonging in a new country and a new city can be distinct for each person as a result of the different immigration experiences that brought them here.
Many of the quotes on this page address the issue of how immigrants and refugees have come to perceive American customs, values, and institutions, how they differ from those of their country of origin, and how that has affected their integration. It is possible to detect variation in the sense of belonging based on how long immigrants have lived here, the degree of their economic success, and whether or not family or an ethnic enclave is present. Some immigrants, depending on the conditions under which they left, also continue to have strong feels of attachment to their native countries. While the sense of belonging—of identifying as an American or a New Yorker—is not easily quantified, many of the following interview quotes shed light on this aspect of the integration process.
Click on another subcategory (Immigration Process, Learning English, Encounters with Discrimination, Finding Employment, or Political Participation & Citizenship) to explore other quotations about the immigration process.
Being Old in America
Maqbool immigrated to New York City from Pakistan when he was in his mid-sixties to be with his family. He has been living here for about two decades now. He talks about the advantages of being a senior in America:
I do receive Social Security checks and I have Medicaid, but that’s about it. I live with my son, so the Social Security checks aren’t really very helpful, but it’s nice to get them. I mean who doesn’t like free money? [laughs] But the Medicaid has been useful, very useful in fact. I had a spinal disc injury a couple of years back, which affected the use of my legs. I could still use them but it was difficult without a cane. But thanks to Medicaid I was able to get the operation and rehabilitation, which gave me back full control of my legs. Oh, I almost forgot Medicaid also helps to pay for my medicine. That’s all I can remember right now. Other than that I can’t really think of any advantages to being old.”
Americanized
Johnny was born in Venezuela, grew up in Colombia, and moved to Queens, NY, for the first time at the age of 11. After some back and forth, he permanently settled in the United States at the age of 18 and now is 30 years old. When we talked about identity and notions of belonging, Johnny commented that his identity was heavily influenced by his experience with learning the English language:
Nowadays, well, if by American you mean a U.S. citizen, nowadays, yes. I speak in English now. Even though it is not my first language. […] I use it most of the time. So, I would say it occupies my thoughts, the way I communicate with people, the way I want to communicate with people, the way I actually plan my life. So, that makes me very much American. The industrialized way that I have been raised, here, to learn to do things on the snap, you know, go get this go pay for that, this is how you establish certain procedures and certain factors in your life – paying bills, going to school, it is pretty much at a pace where it matches an industrialized nation such as this, yeah I am very American. If I go back home, if I ask the time I expect the time. If I say I am going to be somewhere at 1 p.m. I will be at that place and do what I am supposed to do at 1 p.m. It’s not like that in Columbia. People basically chill. It’s not such a priority.”
The United States: For Better and for Worse
Johnny was born in Venezuela, grew up in Colombia, and moved to Queens, NY, for the first time at the age of 11. After some back and forth, he permanently settled in the United States at the age of 18 and now is 30 years old. When asked what he liked better about the United States and what he like better about Colombia, he replied:
In some respects, it’s better here. But in some respects, people are more… I guess when you don’t have so much access to information and so much access to a computer and so much access to anything, people have more time to spend with people and socialize more. I mean, humans need human contact. But at the same time, when it comes to progress, people are slow to progress. I mean, here, if I needed to know my report card or what is in my bank account to transfer or make a payment or whatever it is.”
Americans Want to Take Over the World
Pedro, a 26-year-old male immigrant from Brazil, came to the United States when he was 13 years old. This is what he replied when asked how people in Brazil perceived him when he came back to visit his home country:
Brazilians really love their culture and their country. […] And actually, culture-wise, Brazilians have a very negative look upon the United States. They don’t like the capitalist culture. They think that Americans are arrogant. They don’t like the politics here, they think that Americans want to take over the world. […] But in order to improve their lives money-wise, they would come to the United States just for that.”
Easy A’s
Pedro, a 26-year-old male immigrant from Brazil, immigrated to the United States when he was 13. Here, he is talking about his first impressions of the American educational system:
The material that I had in my native country seemed to be much more sophisticated. And here, education was, one: very disorganized …it just seemed that the students had no discipline at all. Their behavior was completely awkward in class. And in school, it was very easy for me to catch on. I graduated very high in my class. One of the top students in my class, above ninety-five average. And it was easy. I didn’t even have to try that hard, when in my school I had to try very hard to be a good student. And […] I felt that […] the material was very weak.”
Still a Brazilian at Heart
Pedro, a 26-year-old male immigrant from Brazil, immigrated to the United States when he was 13. He commented that he does not consider himself an American despite the fact that he has been living here for over a decade:
Well […] culturally-wise, I feel that Brazil is much…richer. I feel that people have a way of dealing with people there that is much healthier. I also feel that […] when you like your culture, you kinda choose to be more in sync with it and […] living in a culture that’s not yours […] might not be what you would really like to have. Even though there are good things here, you might prefer your culture. And I feel the way of life, the quality of life […] is much better in Brazil.”
Services to an Illegal Immigrant
Jennifer moved to the United States from mainland China when she was 21 years old in 2002. She has been in the United States for more than eight years now. When she was pregnant, she wanted to give birth to hear baby specifically in New York City:
During the period when I was pregnant, I was eligible to apply for Medicaid even though I was undocumented. My children get free Medicaid and can be renewed every year. One important factor was the language. I do not speak English well. In New York City, they offer services in different languages, and Chinese is one of the main languages. The nurses and some doctors are able to speak Chinese. Even if they could not, there are translators. With Medicaid, we, the pregnant women, are able to visit doctor for free and check on our baby’s health. It is free to give birth.”
Gradually Integrating: 50% American
Jennifer moved to the United States from mainland China when she was 21 years old in 2002. She has been in the United States for more than eight years now. When asked how much she had “Americanized,” she responded:
So far, I would say half and half. I mean, I came here for more than eight years already. Eight years are not short. And I worked in other states, where there are [few] people who are able to speak the same dialect as you. There are mainly Americans. On the other hands, some Chinese tradition and thoughts are settled in my mind still. I do, I am a little different than people in China, since I have been trying to integrate into this culture. […] My family has a family day every Sunday. Even though we own a Chinese restaurant, we like to go to American restaurant. And when the weather gets nice, we bring our kids to beach, just like the Americans.”
Sense of Community, or Lack thereof
Carolina,a 48-year old immigrant from Romania who has resided in the United States for over 13 years, relates the difference in sense of community between her hometown Onesti and her current residence in Maspeth, Queens:
You know, in Romania, in that block we live in Romania in a city, in an apartment… in a block… how you call… in a block, no? And each family in each door know the other family. We are like a big family, you know. So if you meet one on the stairs you talk and talk and talk and someone else passes says, “hi, how are you? How is life? How are the kids?” So now it is a big, big difference. […] Here, I barely know the name of the lady next to me up and the house next to me down… since you say only “Hi” and “Bye” once in a while.”
100% Romanian
Carolina is a 48-year old immigrant from Romania. Despite the fact that she has resided in the United States for over thirteen years and has integrated here, she still identifies entirely with Romania:
100%, I am Romanian. I was over 35 years older [when I immigrated to the United States] and my roots are there you know. I don’t think I am sacrificing myself to be here. I integrated into this country. I know I have to do this, that I follow the rules and everything. But in my heart, I am over there; it’s like I belong there [rather] than here.”
The Importance of Family Support
Kevin is a Chinese immigrant who came into the United States in 2003 when he was 18 years old. Here, he comments on how lucky he was to have his family help him with the integration process:
Well… In terms of the life, the living here is easy… Like I came here with my whole family. So like…[laughs] my family take care of me. So, I didn’t feel the difficulty, but like for some international student, they say that it’s really hard for them. Everything… cause they have to take care of everything by themselves… and they gotta they gotta take care [of] housing, you know, […] like find a job something like that anything. […] I think I’m lucky. I come with my family so I don’t really have to take care many of thing.”
God Bless America
Ivan came to American at the age of 15 from St. Petersburg, Russia. He is now 47 years old, has a family, and works as a freelance computer programmer. When asked whether or not he considered himself an American patriot, Ivan replied:
Yes, I would even go to the army if needed. This country adopted my family. It took us in as her own. No one was obligated to help us, but they did. I owe this country the life that I have now and it is better than the life I had in Russia. I am indebted to this country.”
Changing Family Roles
Choi immigrated to the United States from Korea about 10 years ago. She is now 46 years old. Here, she talks about how living in the United States has made her question traditional family roles:
In Korea, my husband did all the moneymaking. Here, I have to make money, too. It’s unfair, because only I got more work to do! He doesn’t do any chores at home. He always complains he’s so tired. I understand. But that’s not fair. I’m very tired, too, but I come home and I cook, I clean, I do laundry. He doesn’t do anything when he gets home. He goes straight into his room and never comes out. It’s unfair.”
Just Like Korea
Choi immigrated to the United States from Korea about 10 years ago. She is now 46 years old. Here she comments on the neighborhood in New York City where she initially settled:
I didn’t like the neighborhood itself, but it was convenient. It was just like Korea. There were Koreans everywhere and stores had everything written in Korean everywhere I go. It didn’t feel like I was in the U.S. Sometimes I got shocked to see a white guy passing by the street.”
I’m Not a King Here
Rose moved to the United States from Jamaica at the age of 14. She has lived in New York City since and has flourished both academically and socially. Here, she comments on
If someone is jealous [of my having moved to the United States] it’s just because they didn’t like me in the first place, in which case they don’t really matter. Um, but yeah one of the things with moving here, I feel like everyone like immediately expects that you have a lot more money and you’re more comfortable, which you are, but they feel like you should be able to provide for them now. And so like my friends would be like, “oh can you bring back a cell phone and an iPod and these shoes,” and, you know especially for my parents since they’re working it’s hard. It’s particularly hard for them when it comes to family and their siblings and stuff like that. Like my mother especially will expect to send money back all the time, like when she’s coming back to bring back like a whole suitcase of stuff for them. And even with me like my friends will call asking for these things, and it’s sometimes really hard. I don’t think they understand that I’m not a king here.”
Concerned about American Race Classifications
Rose moved to the United States from Jamaica at the age of 14 . She has lived in New York City since and has flourished both academically and socially.
Here [in America], there was such a focus on, uhm, whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or something, and it was weird to have to like classify myself as something that I didn’t really think about before. And so like going into the future just kind of concerns me about like the kind of society I live in and you know like how that will affect me or my children or anything like that.”
Family Reunification Is an Education Propellant
Rose moved to the United States from Jamaica at the age of 14. She has lived in New York City since and has flourished both academically and socially. Here, she comments on how her family pushed her to do well in school:
I did pretty well. Actually did better here than I did in Jamaica. Uhm, and like I said it was kind of harder in Jamaica, but also since I didn’t live with my parents in my first part of high school I felt I was kind of more like laid back and didn’t put that much effort into it. But when I moved here with my parents, they were very involved in my education and they were always checking, you know, if I did my homework and if I was studying so I would get straight A’s in high school.”
The Ease of Fitting In
Rose moved to the United States from Jamaica at the age of 14. She has lived in New York City since and has flourished both academically and socially. Here, she comments on how easy it was for her to fit in, in part because she attended a high school with many other Jamaicans:
I didn’t really have a difficult time fitting in. People were pretty friendly. If there were any initial reservations, it’s probably just because of my natural shyness and the fact that I don’t just open up to people very quickly, but I think people were very welcoming and plus I went to high school where were a lot of Jamaican people there so it was kind of a shared cultural background and I was able to fit in easily.”
Hidden Talents
So-yeon immigrated to America from South Korea when she was 12 years old. She talked about how challenging it was for her to adjust to the way classes were taught in America. Her advisor, however, suggested she take an art class, which help boost her confidence in school:
I took the class and that was the best decision I made since I came here, because I found that I have some sort of artistic talents and [laughs] and people really appreciated that I was doing my best to finish my task. And [it] helped me build confidence on me, because I could see my paintings on the walls of the hallways sometimes and I was very passionate about art. And I think that was like a gift that I got, the first gift I got from America. So I still love to paint and I still love to draw.”
On Taxes
Casey immigrated from Hong Kong when she was 18 years old and has been living in New York City for nine years. Here, she comments on how she does not think her taxes are being put to good use:
[…] I paid taxes. And I’m not the only one, and it’s not like I say it loud and proud, but I pay taxes, a substantial amount. And it hurts me to pay that much tax and see it do nothing for me. I couldn’t think of one thing the federal government has done for me for the money that they collect every year. Crazy. Literally, they’re just taking my money. Robbed me blind. It’s like crazy.”
Praise for the American Sense of Enterprise
Casey immigrated from Hong Kong when she was 18 years old and has been living in New York City for nine years.
Being here opens a lot of doors for me and I know that. Don’t tell my husband I said that; I hate it when he says that. Uhm…I think there would never be opportunity like that if I’m decided to move back to Hong Kong. Like it would be this. Never in a million years. That’s what me and my parents always said that though. America is a really good place for people like me. There’s a lot of chances, but its also one of those places, uhm, I feel…I feel like if you don’t try to make a difference here, then you would end up being at the bottom. But Hong Kong is one of those places […] it doesn’t matter how hard you try, you will just be. I feel like it’s a lot more luck there, but I feel here, it’s like, well, luck it important no matter where you are, but there’s…there’s something in our culture, in our values, that allow people like me to do what I do. And not having a lot of education about it. I appreciate the education I got here, but I feel like mostly was how open people are just buying things on the street from me. If it weren’t for that one person who thought oh this is so cool. Hong Kong people would never buy things at that price. But in America, especially New York City , they value intellectual property so, so highly they appreciate originality, they appreciate individuality, they so think that being in a common place is dangerous, like they strive to be different. That makes my business possible.”
Regrets
Anna immigrated to the United States from China. She is now forty 49 years old and has been in the country for approximately 25 years.
If I was in China, I wouldn’t have what I have. But is there anything I regret? Lots of things. I left my husband and two baby children in China to come here and make a future. […] You know, my heart was in the right place, but… I just… didn’t get to be a good wife and mother. I missed out on the first 12 years of my children’s lives. I missed out on everything that I was supposed to be there for. […] I missed them so much… I missed them. But I couldn’t go back to see them because I never had the time off from work. I… I owe them. I’ll always be sorry for that.”
