Interview Project

Although New York City has been a major point of entry for immigration for hundreds of years, immigrants still experience a culture shock. The different smells, incredibly novel and unusual sights, and vast multiracial population can be both captivating and intimidating. For some, the chaos can be disenchanting from the city that has been immortalized in global popular culture. One thing is certain: there is no place like New York City elsewhere in the world.


To browse by issues of immigration and integration, use the drop-down menus above.
To follow the story of a specific immigrant, see the descriptions and links below, or click on the map to navigate by country of origin:

[imagemap map=”imgmap_css_container_imgmap2013526224333″ direct=1 id=”imgmap2013526224333″ img=”https://files.eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3755/2013/05/15234600/degraauw13-draft-1.png?1369622623600″] [area shape=poly alt=”Jane from Canada” title=”Jane from Canada” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/jane-from-canada/”]123,181,145,164,226,164,244,199,222,218,218,207,214,213,194,208,188,204,130,204[/area] [area shape=circle alt=”Eliza from Belarus” title=”Eliza from Belarus” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/eliza-from-belarus/”]383,195,6[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Eliza from Belarus” title=”Eliza from Belarus” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/eliza-from-belarus/”]387,107,432,128[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”John from Hong Kong and Brazil” title=”John from Hong Kong and Brazil” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/john-from-hong-kong-and-brazil/”]217,298,237,302,237,309,265,324,264,328,259,339,258,358,246,363,240,381,229,373,234,369,225,353,222,340,209,331,197,330,193,326,195,320,200,317,201,305,209,304,208,308,212,303,212,300,218,298,221,308[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”Lucy from Guyana” title=”Lucy from Guyana” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/lucy-from-guyana/”]216,289,220,306,227,303,223,293,221,291[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Lucy from Guyana” title=”Lucy from Guyana” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/lucy-from-guyana/”]247,274,295,292[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Rebecca from Cuba” title=”Rebecca from Cuba” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/interview-project/Rebecca,%20a%2077%20year%20old%20immigrant%20to%20New%20York,%20who%20left%20Cuba%20because%20of%20Communism”]195,230,225,249[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Rebecca from Cuba” title=”Rebecca from Cuba” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/interview-project/Rebecca,%20a%2077%20year%20old%20immigrant%20to%20New%20York,%20who%20left%20Cuba%20because%20of%20Communism”]173,257,194,264[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Neville from Jamaica” title=”Neville from Jamaica” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/neville-from-jamaica/”]225,249,278,267[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Neville from Jamaica” title=”Neville from Jamaica” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/neville-from-jamaica/”]185,267,195,270[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Ralph from Mexico” title=”Ralph from Mexico” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/ralph-from-mexico/”]52,258,99,279[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”Ralph from Mexico” title=”Ralph from Mexico” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/ralph-from-mexico/”]119,238,145,243,154,258,151,265,156,271,163,268,164,262,171,263,167,271,156,275,136,269,125,255[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Fernando from Guatemala” title=”Fernando from Guatemala” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/fernando-from-guatemala/”]64,284,132,304[/area] [area shape=circle alt=”Fernando from Guatemala” title=”Fernando from Guatemala” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/fernando-from-guatemala/”]161,279,2[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Beatrice from Italy” title=”Beatrice from Italy” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/beatrice-from-italy/”]274,211,308,234[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”Beatrice from Italy” title=”Beatrice from Italy” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/beatrice-from-italy/”]344,213,356,220,359,224,364,230,369,222,355,207[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”James from Germany” title=”James from Germany” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/james-from-germany/”]253,114,310,131[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”James from Germany” title=”James from Germany” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/james-from-germany/”]348,190,358,193,359,203,349,208,341,200[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Roger from Poland” title=”Roger from Poland” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/roger-from-poland/”]320,103,368,122[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”Roger from Poland” title=”Roger from Poland” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/roger-from-poland/”]360,191,370,192,373,202,367,205,358,199[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Lilya from Ukraine” title=”Lilya from Ukraine” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/lilya-from-the-ukraine/”]445,109,498,132[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”Lilya from Ukraine” title=”Lilya from Ukraine” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/lilya-from-the-ukraine/”]375,206,381,204,396,210,402,203,389,196,371,198[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”Miriam and Natasha from Russia” title=”Miriam and Natasha from Russia”]377,163,393,166,473,152,610,172,589,180,584,183,591,193,591,201,576,187,581,181,552,183,552,190,562,194,567,208,565,217,558,217,559,210,540,197,526,194,531,205,491,198,496,204,464,199,440,190,431,197,436,202,414,202,418,220,395,211,403,204,389,194,389,189,379,188,378,180,382,177[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Jenny and Jessica from South Korea” title=”Jenny and Jessica from South Korea”]555,224,564,234[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”John from Hong Kong” title=”John from Hong Kong” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/john-from-hong-kong-and-brazil/”]599,262,667,281[/area] [area shape=circle alt=”John from Hong Kong” title=”John from Hong Kong” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/john-from-hong-kong-and-brazil/”]545,259,1[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Anna from Uzbekistan” title=”Anna from Uzbekistan” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/anna-from-uzbekistan/”]450,311,514,330[/area] [area shape=poly alt=”Anna from Uzbekistan” title=”Anna from Uzbekistan” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/anna-from-uzbekistan/”]459,233,448,225,430,215,422,217,427,209,461,221[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Sarah from Israel” title=”Sarah from Israel” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/sarah-from-tel-aviv/”]424,289,465,308[/area] [area shape=rect alt=”Sarah from Israel” title=”Sarah from Israel” url=”http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/degraauw13/category/interview-project/respondents/sarah-from-tel-aviv/”]393,233,399,246[/area] [/imagemap]
  • Anna, a 45 year old immigrant from Uzbekistan who has been in the United States for 14 years.
  • Beatrice is a 21 year old woman who emigrated from Rome at age 13.
  • Eliza, a 48-year old woman from Belarus who immigrated to America in 1990, on the cusp of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
  • Fernando, a 23-year old man from Guatemala who immigrated to the United States in 2007.
  • James, a 61-year-old German immigrant, has been living in the United States for 45 years.
  • Jane, a 24-year-old woman, who moved to America from Canada two years ago.
  • Jenny, a 20-year-old woman from South Korea, immigrated to the United States seven years ago.
  • Jessica, a twenty-five year old student, is an undocumented student who has legal residential status to live in the States who has lived in New York for 13 years.
  • John, a 50-year-old retired firefighter emigrated from Hong Kong to Brazil and finally made his way to the United States, where he has lived the past 30 years.
  • Lilya, a 58-year-old woman from Ukraine, has lived in America for almost 17 years.
  • Lucy, a 56-year old Guyanese immigrant, migrated to America about 30 years ago.
  • Miriam, a woman in her seventies who came with her family from Russia to Brooklyn as a late teen
  • Natasha, a 20-year-old woman, emigrated from Russia seven years ago.
  • Neville, a 63-year-old immigrant from Jamaica, has been living in the United States for 45 years.
  • Ralph, a 29-year-old minister from Mexico, immigrated to New York nearly 12 years ago
  • Roger, now 43 years old, immigrated to the United States from Poland 15 years ago.
  • Rebecca, a 77 year old immigrant to New York, who left Cuba because of Communism
  • Sarah, a woman in her mid-seventies from Tel Aviv, immigrated to Brooklyn 21 years ago.

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