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Macaulay Honors College
at Baruch, Spring 2013Professor Els de Graauw
ITF Benjamin Miller Log in
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The Abundance of Sustenance
Food was a rarity at the time of Lucy’s adolescence in Guyana. Because of this, she overindulged in American food upon coming to America.
I- immediately- like I was eating everyting I want. Ouh you should say dat. I gained weight when I got here. Because I went crazy- I went crazy eating fried chicken. Every day I want half fried chicken and lots of ketchup. It was like- ahh my god I feel like I’m in heaven. Because in Guyana you barely have food. So every day dad- every Friday actually, dad when he gets his pay, he would buy half fried chicken – me and dad and sherry was here first – and we enjai our fried chicken oh my god. And then we does go to McDonald’s and Sherry will have the big mac and this- this French fries and this milkshake. We all gained weight. I didn’t realize wah it was doing. And chocolate I was going crazy about chocolate. Eating- and we were eating like crazy. Until we start gaining weight.
Undocumented and Less Worthy
Fernando talks about his knowledge of the United States prior to immigrating.
I knew, is that if someone is here illegally and they do something, the first thing that happens is that they get deported—I knew I wasn’t going to have any right—Like hospitals, I wasn’t going to be able to go to one and receive medical care. I thought that if something happened to you, no one was going to help you, not even the police.
Not a Fan of Fidel Castro
Lets put it this way: I don’t want to give Fidel Castro anymore of the dollars that he took from us before we got to the United States. Not only that he did not let us bring money and possessions, but at the same time my father used to have a photographic supplies in Cuba, and we have to leave everything and came with empty handed. And that’s why I said that he took our money enough from us.
America: The Land Freedoms
A Traveled Young Man
James, a German immigrant, talks about his travels as a young man:
I was born in Germany, in Frankfurt. My mother—German—and my father was British. He worked for IBM and was in charge of opening new offices. Soon after we were born—I was born—we moved to England and from there to Spain. I’m sorry, to Paris, France first…some years there and then some years in Spain… some years in Venezuela, some years in Mexico. All that in my first 16 years.
