The film, My American Girls, accurately depicts the lifestyle of immigrant parents as they struggle to “make it” in America. It was hard not to notice the obvious gap between Mrs. Ortiz and her “American” girls. Monica, Mrs. Ortiz’s oldest daughter, is probably the most “American” out of all of her siblings. Although she can communicate well with her parents and is accustomed to the Dominican culture, Monica states that she never really hung out with the Dominican “crowd”. When she was at home, she only focused on her schoolwork and rarely interacted with other Dominican kids of her age. After spending most of her school years in a private school, she attended Columbia University and once again, she became surrounded by completely different individuals. It is interesting that although Monica’s family is not very wealthy, they were still able to afford Monica’s private school education. Also, Monica, like many other first generation immigrants kids, aspires to achieve that “American dream”. Out of everyone in her family, she is the only one who seems to have a better chance of “making it”. In my opinion, Monica manages to strike a perfect balance between her “American” life and her “Dominican” by still maintaining her relationship with her “white” boyfriend, her job, and the close connections with her very much Dominican family. Just like how Mrs. Ortiz struggles to provide for her family, Monica too is struggling so that in the future, she can support her parents.
Aida, who considers herself to be a “typical” middle child, may not be as “American” as her older sister. But she still demonstrates her desire to work and earn some money so that she can pay for her expenses. This sense of responsibility and independence that she possesses distinguishes her from other Dominican kids of her age. She knows she has to focus on her studies (even though she is used to failing math) and the SAT so that she too can go to college like Monica. In the movie, Aida tells the audience that although she doesn’t show it, she is very proud of her mother’s accomplishments in America. She quits her job and has unnecessary demands for materialistic things but it is important to note that as a 16 year old, this is to be expected. But overall, she seems mature for her age and is highly aware of the importance of achieving her goals.
Mayra, who is fourteen years old, considers herself to be the “ghetto” kid. Since she is the youngest, we can expect her to be a bit immature than the others. Her focus is more on her friends rather than her studies. It is obvious that Mrs. Ortiz has the hardest time getting Mayra to be studious like Monica. Instead of using Monica as an inspiration, Mayra doesn’t want to be anything like her because Mrs. Ortiz is always comparing her to Monica. Mrs. Ortiz, who doesn’t know much English, expresses her frustration about the lack of English skills and how her Mayra is taking advantage of this weakness. Mrs. Ortiz is fed up with Mayra’s shenanigans and she wishes to send the fourteen year old to Dominican Republic. Unlike Aida, who doesn’t want to go back and finish her studies there, Mayra is agrees to finish high school in the Dominican Republic. Therefore, I consider her to be the least “American” out of all of her siblings even though she is born and brought up in the United States.
