My American Girls (Mis chicas Americanas): A Dominican Story

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Prompt C:

In the film “My American Girls” Sandra Ortiz, the mother of the three girls, faces a tough time in dealing with her American born daughters. Her three daughters have all taken completely different routes to their version of the American dream. Monica is the smart, talented and hard working of the three. Aida is the one that tries to balance street and home life. And the final daughter, Mayra, cares only about having a good time.

The eldest daughter, Monica, lives a drastically different life than the rest of her family. She thrives off her independence from her family and has detached herself from her Dominican culture. Monica is living her version of the American dream through testing different things to see which makes her happy. The end result will be her choosing that thing to spend the rest of her life doing, currently that thing to her is acting.

The middle daughter, Aida, is the typical middle child, She, like Monica, tries to be independent but in a different way. She turns to working at McDonalds when her parents fail to provide her with the things she desires. She, unlike Monica, has taken a materialistic approach to the American dream. She chooses material things over her education, because to her having designer shoes are more valuable than books. Even so, she tries to maintain an identity as a Dominican and be an American too. She fits in the middle of her two lives.

The last and youngest daughter, Mayra, is the most immature of the three siblings. She regards herself as “ghetto” and does everything in the name of fun. Unlike her two sisters, she does not pursue a solid education or material things, she only wants to have fun with her friends. Her version of the American dream is to have fun all the time.

The three daughters have all grown up to live various different lifestyles. The biggest reason for this may be the language barrier between the parents and their children. Since the parents struggle with English, there is no way to check up on their kids to see if they are really doing their work. This has allowed the three of them to venture out and live out the different lives they find themselves a part of in America.

South Asians in Queens

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Michael Maly is able to show how Jackson Heights transformed from a once upper middle class community to the hyper-diverse neighborhood it is today. He does this by making a clear timeline of events that occurred in Queens. In the very beginning of the twentieth century, Queens was nothing more than rural land made up of individual townships. Ten years later, Jackson Heights was bought by Edward MacDougall’s Queensboro Corporation. When MacDougall began to develop Queens, he imagined an exclusive community of young, educated Protestants living in an area of “calm tree-lined streets” while “sharing a common garden.” The construction of the Queensboro Bridge as well as the E, F and 7 trains provided a link between Queens and Manhattan. These new modes of transportation as well as the Hart-Cellar Immigration Act of 1965, which decreased restricted immigration, attracted a “massive influx” of immigrants from Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean. Initially a diverse community was formed but “white flight,” the move of white settlers to escape immigrants, followed soon after. The steep drop of white settlers in the area actually proved to be beneficial to immigrants in more ways than one. First, the value of real estate significantly declined. This made it possible for new immigrants to afford housing that they would have been unable to afford if the area remained exclusive to the upper middle-class. In addition, residents were able to open up new businesses and institutions in the area that catered to the likings of new immigrants such as Indian grocery stores, sari shops and temples. Queens went from rural land to an exclusive community of white Protestants into a safe haven for immigrants. Today we see Queens as a hyper-diverse community that many South Asians have found a home in.

My American Girls: A Dominican Story

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My American Girls: A Dominican Story tells the story of a family of Dominicans living in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Mr. and Mrs. Ortiz work blue collared jobs as cleaners. In order to support the family, they must take up more than one job. Because of their busy schedules due to multiple jobs, they hardly get to spend time with their three daughters. In the beginning of the movie, the eldest daughter Monica expresses how instead of getting the extra $100 per week, her parents should invest more time with their children. This movie gives a raw look at the struggles immigrants must face in order to achieve the “American Dream.”

Although the three daughters were raised in the same household, it is clear that each have their own distinct personalties. As the oldest daughter, Monica is the most studious of the three. She majored in neuroscience and graduated from Colombia University. She was the first college graduate in her family and her parents were so proud even saying that they’re “glad they finally did something right.” Although Monica was on the path towards medical school,  she decided she wanted to pursue her passion for acting. While she felt she was letting her parents down for not continuing on to becoming a doctor, she decided acting was what made her happy. It is clear that Monica has put distance between her and her family. Although she would like to help her mom raise her other two sisters, she does not want her family to hold her down from creating a future for herself.

While Monica is extremely studious her sisters Aida and Myra, are quite the opposite. Aida is mostly concerned with making money to buy the clothes she wants. She begins to work at McDonalds but is fired shortly after due to tardiness. Myra is doing so poorly in school that she needs to go to summer school. One of the scenes that most affected me was watching Mrs. Ortiz in the parent teacher conference meetings. All of Myra’s teachers tell Mrs. Ortiz that Myra is not doing well in school which is not what any mother wants to hear. Due to Mrs. Ortiz lack of knowledge for the English language, she can never even help Myra in her homework so there is not much that Mrs. Ortiz can do for Myra besides yell at her to do well in school.

The most striking part of the film for me was when the family went back to the Dominican Republic. Going back was an escape from bad grades and multiple jobs. You can see how the family is happy in their home country. In the Dominican Republic, they are considered well off compared to their relatives and it is clear that they do not want to return to the U.S. where they have to continue struggling in order to make ends meet.

Unity Within the Community

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The articles mention how the U.S. government tends to generalize immigrants into basic ethnic groups and fail to recognize the diversity within these groups. This is a result of America’s lack of understanding of the newer yet increasingly prominent immigrant groups such as the South Asians. This lack of understanding makes it difficult for the federal government to meet the needs of these immigrants and, as a result, these immigrants have a harder time thriving in the city. Here, we can ask the question of whether the government is actually making an attempt to understand them.  If they are, perhaps they lack the resources to be able to do so.

However, we see that within these communities immigrants form their own organizations (such as Chhaya CDC) in an attempt to better the conditions immigrants face when attempting to live in the United States. These organizations have a much better understanding of the diversity and culture of the ethnic groups. They are more efficient than the government consensus at obtaining data that accurately reflects the condition of the community. They are more in touch with the culture and traditions of these ethnic groups and much more inclined to help these groups for the sake of bettering their lives. They also work for representation in the government for these minority ethnic groups so that the needs of these groups can be met and actually provided for by the government.

In my opinion, the forming of institutions and organizations within ethnic communities is a result of a need for protection, support, and representation. These organizations help bring the voices of the community together and permit them to be heard by the government. Where the U.S. government will not or cannot efficiently provide for the needs of these ethnic communities, the organizations will step in and attempt to resolve the problem or attempt to pressure the government to do something about it.

Becoming American, Being Indian

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In this piece the author, Khandelwal, discusses the “Indian” immigrant experience in America and the larger implications of the term “South Asian”. While the discussion of the “Indian”-American experience in Queens was fascinating, especially as a life log Queens resident who has observed these dynamics first hand, I found the issue of defining “Indian” and the issue of who should assume responsibility for that issue, to be most interesting.

Khandewlwal addresses is how exactly to define “Indian” identity and how it fits in within the larger category of “South Asian” identity. While the author does not provide a definitive definition (indeed, considering the vast diversity within and originating from the subcontinent there really can be none) what is settled is that the American manner of defining “Indian” and “South Asian” is flawed, or at least, lacking perspective. Here’s my question though: upon whom does this burden of definition fall? Should American society be obliged to properly define a set of cultures that are distinctly not American (and what is American?)? In my opinion, yes, there is inherit social and humanistic value in properly defining and understanding a foreign culture. However, for the practical purposes of the American government, isn’t it better to simply construct a definition that would best serve the needs of a people. In a sense, much of the Indian immigrant community would benefit from this broad association and conflation with other south Asians. Historically, there have been more communal and non-profit resources designated towards to struggling South Asian immigrants in general, as opposed to those struggling Indian immigrants whose economic needs are consistently marginalized the the “Indian” economic elite who maintain an image of Indian communal  wealth and comfort. In other words, the “burden of definition” should fall solely upon the “Indian” community, and the American government should simply be obligated to define “Indian” only insofar  as it helps and improves the lives of the immigrants.

South Asians of Queens

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Deepening Roots and Creating Space: Building a Better Future for New York’s South Asians gives a clear, thorough urban analysis of the South Asian plight in New York. Using a variety of research tools and methods such as statistics, focus groups, surveys, charts, and the current US census data, the Chhaya Community Development Corporation specifically focuses on the dire housing and economic development needs of the South Asian community.

South Asians, the fastest growing ethnic population, are composed of immigrants from a variety of countries in that region. They face a great deal of obstacles in their attempts to maintain housing, mainly language barriers, discrimination, and limited civil service access. Chhaya describes how most of them (70%) are forced to rent due to high costs. The 30% of them who do own homes bought them recently within the past decade, and they struggle to pay the mortgage; to afford these costs, they rent out their basements or attics illegally. Renters also engage in dubious behavior as well, for they rent in cash, do not own leases, or live in the informal units. In not having anything on paper, they make themselves vulnerable to displacement. Furthermore, the places that they find themselves dwelling in are overcrowded and are just generally bad living conditions. Particularly because of the recent economic downturn, they are much more unwilling to do renovations to their places. The prices for the most part continue to be on the rise and unfortunate statistic is that the number foreclosures continues to go up as well, specifically in the Queens section that is 50% South Asian.

Another issue that Chhaya raises is employment for South Asians. Their economic mobility is severely limited and therefore they are mostly confined to the service industry. An ironic statistic is that regarding education, the highest academic achievement for them is either a college degree or below a high school degree. Chyyana also includes anecdotal evidence to support the claim that for most people, the higher education still does not have an effect on their job; they are still stymied in the classic South Asian service industry. Especially as of late, they have faced severe unemployment, which causes them to have difficulty meeting a living wage. Therefore, the problem of employment and housing is highly correlated.

Chyyana gives many recommendations as to how to ameliorate the housing predicament and substandard living conditions that South Asians are facing. And while I understand that he is trying to address a severe issue that occurs today, I do not think that some of his solutions are feasible. It is indeed problematic that South Asians have trouble paying the high housing costs. However, I do not think that lowering down payment costs is the solution. Chyyana mentions that during the housing bubble they, like others, did not pay a down payment; when the bubble burst, many of them went into foreclosure. The lack of a down payment clearly tempted them to buy houses that they could not afford; had they paid the initial sum, they might have thought twice before signing on the dotted line. A down payment is a therefore a safety measure in the housing market. If we lower it, the economy will surely return to its nadir a la 2007. I certainly believe in helping educate marginalized people and immigrants into making proper, sound financial decisions, but I do not believe in policies that will negatively affect the outside economy.

My American Girls: A Dominican Story response

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In My American Girls: A Dominican Story, all three of the daughters have an identical upbringing. They all grow up in the same crammed house in Sunset Park. They all grow up going to school while their parents work two jobs each to support them. They all grow up exposed to their Dominican Republic roots through their family traditions. Yet they each are very distinct individuals who represent different American experiences and identities.

The eldest, Monica, is the most removed from her Dominican roots. Going to an Ivy League college, she fulfills the American dream of achieving a prestigious education. Her American identity is further strengthened by her disassociation from the Dominican crowd. Instead of living with the rest of her family in Sunset Park, she moves to an upscale, more expensive neighborhood with her American boyfriend. This change in her living situation is a clear attempt on Monica’s part to distance herself from the community she was raised in. The neighborhood intrinsically does not harm her ambitions in any way, but rather the community hinders her attempts at “making it.” She does not wish to rebuff her hardworking parents, but she does intend, and humbly so, to elevate herself in society. And while she is physically and culturally separated from her family in Sunset Park, she recognizes that each of her achievements is a first for any of her family members in America. It was interesting to note how swift her career shift from neuroscience to acting was; such a change is only possible in America, where people is able to alter their future goals on a whim in order to enjoy the [American] experience by doing something they truly enjoy.

Aida, the middle child, also discusses jobs and a future, despite being only sixteen. She wants to have money to buy things, something that most American teens take for granted. Her parents struggle to barely support the family and pay the bills; they certainly cannot support a life of materialism that is prevalent in today’s youth. Instead, Aida feels the need to get a job so as to support her desire to shop. She starts out by working at McDonald’s-what she considers a classic job. (“I mean, it’s McDonads.”) Fired for her tardiness, she recognizes that now she will have more time to study for the SAT’s- a priority in the eyes of her teacher’s but not her own. Despite not being the most conscientious, Aida does orate that she wishes to break away from the pattern of not graduating, a rampant problem among many Dominicans.

The youngest, Myra, has complete disregard for the concerns of her two older sisters. She contributes to the statistic of Latinos not doing well in school; she fails math and has to attend summer school. An American experience that she considers import is hanging out with her friends. For her, friendship is more of a priority than school work-an idea that causes her to clash with her mother. While the oldest daughter barely acknowledges her Dominican roots, Myra is clearly the most conflicted by her heritage. She desperately tries to be a normal American teenager, but feels confined by living in Sunset Park. There are intercommunity problems where she lives: at one point, she is harassed by other children and needs her mother to smooth things out. The declaration of her desire to go live in the Dominican Republic, despite never having grown up there, reflects an important aspect of her identity crisis as an American teen. She feels that the possibility to have a normal American existence is hindered by her identity; she believes that she would belong in the Dominican Republic.

Since the parents work late hours, the daughters are stuck watching television all night. The daughters recognize that because of their unique identity as Dominicans, their American experience is not the average one. The family infuses their heritage into their daily life through language and food in addition to returning to the Dominican Republic for vacation. Specifically because of financial and cultural hardship, the daughters acknowledge that their experience in America is second rate. Identifying with the American culture, unfortunately, is not enough to have the ideal American experience, identity, and existence.

d.

A question that resonated throughout the course of the movie was whether or not the second generation felt any obligation to the first generation –the parents- to succeed and achieve the American dream. The movie made me feel very guilty as I watched the parents toil from early in the day until the late hours. Yet the children showed both appreciation and disregard for what their parents did. A clear theme that was prevalent was that the parents were willing to sacrifice their well being for the sake of their children achieving success and having a better life than they did. But did their children necessarily wish to reciprocate this easier way of life?  Certainly, their upbringing was not one that was enviable. Nonetheless, were they in a way taking the better lifestyle they have, compared to their parents’, for granted?

Response to My American Girls

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The documentary, My American Girls, focuses on the lives of the Ortiz family residing in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It provides an insightful window into the lives of this family and the difficulties they face. This is a reflection of the lives of many immigrant families throughout New York City. The community and the environment play a vital role in the development of the children within the family.

The neighborhood and community supported the Ortiz family, but at times it also affected their lives negatively. The support the Ortiz family receives from their community is evident in their weekly barbeques and events where their friends and family congregate to celebrate and dance like they did back in their native home in Puerto Rico. Monica’s surprise graduation party is another example of the community’s support. The neighborhood the Ortiz family resides permits their children to be more in touch with their ethnic roots but because it is a less affluent part of the city, as Sandra complains one night while accompanying her daughter back home because of unsafe conditions, the police are less inclined to enforce the law there. This issue of safety is one that usually comes with living in a neighborhood with working-class immigrants.

Mayra and Aida were more inclined to participate in neighborhood events than focus on her studies. They represent the challenges children of immigrants face in America. They are more in touch with their Puerto Rican roots, but as a result are much more detached from the social standards in America. Monica is the most Americanized of the three daughters in terms of culture and social standards. She moves into the city and attempts to “draw a line” between her life and her family’s. However, we see that because she conforms to American social standards, she appears to be the most successful of the three daughters academically, socially, and financially. In terms of upward mobility, she moves to a much more affluent neighborhood of the city. So does this mean that assimilation to traditional American standards results in natural upward mobility for immigrants or children of immigrants?

In the video, the daughters in the Ortiz family lived in a house with their extended family. The basement, first floor, second floor, and the third floor are all partitioned to families within their family (i.e. the Ortiz family that was interviewed lives on the third floor). This is a characteristic of Sunset Park that Min Zhou describes in her writings, but instead of one family renting parts of the house out to others, the Ortiz family was large enough to all find work and pay for the house this way. Min Zhou’s writing focuses on the influx of Asian immigrants. She mentions how in 1990, the neighborhood was fifty-one percent Latino, but that an increasing number of Asian immigrants were moving into Sunset Park. However, this documentary was filmed in the late 1990s and depicted the image of a still prominent Latino community within the neighborhood.

My American Girls reflects the lives of many immigrants in New York City and the difficulties they face. In this film we see the importance of culture and we also see how American culture can clash with the culture of immigrants. Even within the ethnic neighborhoods immigrants reside in and seek comfort from, there are conflicts and safety issues. The difficulties immigrants face in a new country are endless, however as in the case of the Ortiz family, some are successful in achieving their dreams, but “do the ends justify the means”?

Sunset Park Through My Eyes

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Having grown up in Sunset Park, I was easily able to identify the surroundings. The parks, the houses-all areas that I have, in some way or another, passed by. Yet, it was definitely a shock to see what Sunset Park was like on the big screen, to outsiders. Most of Sunset Park is not middle class or anywhere near that strata. Sunset Park and its residents are predominately working-class immigrants and their families. Therefore, Mrs. Ortiz and her three daughters are one family amongst many others, struggling to make a better life for themselves in a strange country.

I would argue that her three daughters: Monica, the eldest, Aida, the middle child, and Mayra, the youngest, have characteristics that all define the American experience. As the film goes to show, all three sisters are very different, and yet, the same.

Monica is the epitome of the American dream: she is from a poor family who studies and works very hard, graduating from one of the best institutions in the world. Yet, she originally wants to sacrifice her happiness-acting- for a steady job as a doctor for her parents’ happiness. Monica is also the one who pushes aside, willingly or involuntarily, her Dominican heritage. As she herself and her sisters said, she doesn’t have many Latino friends. She characterizes the immigrant who wants to adopt a new identity, someone who is more American. This is part of the American experience: an immigrant or the second generation immigrant is eager to discard their old identity in favor of conforming. Monica also describes herself as a “jack of all trades, master of none” which is something a lot of young adults face nowadays in an economy that demands multiple skills.

Aida says that according to her psychology textbook, she “is the typical middle child.” As we see, she fits that description perfectly. Much of the film doesn’t focus on her problems, but rather on Monica and on Mayra. Aida struggles to get attention from her parents, who are working long hours as custodians at the hospital and at the doctor’s office. She tries to find her own independence-like many of us- by getting a job at McDonald’s. It was supposed to be a way for her to not ask her parents for money, yet she ends up getting fired because she is late too frequently. Aida is the immigrant who tries to find her identity and the teenager who is growing up and trying to get independence through his/her own means.

Mayra is the youngest child, and she is the one who is closest to her Dominican heritage. She calls herself-or her sisters do-the “ghetto Dominican.” As we see in the film, Mayra struggles in school; she hangs out on the streets with her friends and family. Her mother, Mrs. Ortiz, tries to be more involved in Mayra’s activities in school. Mayra is the one who famously dubs her house as a “hotel in the Dominican Republic.” Mayra represents the experience of the immigrant who is yet unable to cut ties to her heritage. Unlike Monica, who has few connections to her Dominican background, Mayra is immersed in it.

All three of these sisters represent the American Dream and the American Experience in some way or another. All the sisters come from humble background, but all have their heads held high: they may struggle and toil as their parents are/were, but what they will realize is that despite the work that goes into achieving a better life in America, the result will be so worth it. Eight years after the film was created, in fact, the Ortiz family opened a hotel in the Dominican Republic, which is managed by Aida. All three sisters have higher education and families of their own now. Now, that is the American experience.

Response to My American Girls

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The documentary My American Girls: A Dominican Story centers on an immigrant Dominican family struggling to make a living in Brooklyn, New York. The parents, Sandra and Bautista Ortiz, are compelled to work long hours at low paying jobs in order to provide their daughters the opportunity to obtain an education and lead a comfortable lifestyle. Both Sandra and Bautista, dream of retiring and returning to their native country of the Dominican Republic. However, because their daughters desire to make the most of the opportunities available to them in New York, the Ortiz’s dream of returning with their entire family becomes unlikely. The documentary provides the audience with an insight into the life of this Dominican family and into the daily issues they face. The documentary demonstrates how both the community and neighborhood of this family plays an integral part in the development of each of their identities and aspirations.

A) The Ortiz daughters live in a five-story crowded apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn along with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Despite the different kinds of immigrants that reside in the surrounding area, the Dominican community of the Ortiz family manages to remain a presence in the streets of Sunset Park. Even though each of the three daughters have different mindsets and ambitions, they still retain a strong tie to their Dominican culture and community. The strong ties that the daughters have to the neighborhood can especially be seen in the way the youngest daughter, 13 year old Mayra interacts with the other kids living in the community. Because the parents are always busy working, they are unable to provide Mayra with the proper attention to make sure that she is on the right track with her school work. While her parents are out working, Mayra is out on the streets meeting up with her friends and upholding her “ghetto” reputation. In the scene where she is playing in the park with her friends, Mayra claims that she does not understand why her sisters do not spend as much time as she does having fun and fooling around with the Hispanics kids in the community. To Mayra, the Hispanic community is an fundamental part of identity. 16-year old Aida is the more mature middle child who desires to become an independent woman who does not have to rely on her family for money or protection from the violence that goes on in the community. This can be seen in the scene where her parents refuse to give her money and she decides to start working in McDonalds and in the scene where she stands up to the neighborhood kids threatening to throw eggs at her. Furthermore, 21-year old Monica is the oldest daughter. She is the example of the family, proof that being part of the lower class of Brooklyn did not impede her from graduating from Columbia University. She breaks away from the community in the sense that she moves out with her American boyfriend and focuses on finding an appropriate job to kick off her career. However, Monica keeps in mind her roots and where she came from, attending her graduation party and thanking her family and friends that supported and contributed to her college success. All through out the movie, the Ortiz’s organize community events to relieve some of the stresses the come with working and providing for their family. This can be seen in the cookout scene, where many of the Dominicans in the community gather to dance and eat Dominican food, almost as if they were still in their own country.

D)  One of the scenes that resonated with me was the scene where the daughter claimed that Mrs. Ortiz did not know sufficient English to help her with her homework. She stated that, “My mom does not know anything about Charles Dickins so how could she help me?”. In another scene, Mrs. Ortiz stated that she barely read through her daughter’s homework because she could not understand the language. In my opinion, both of them are just giving excuses to Mayra ‘s poor grades. Sure Mrs. Ortiz has a point when she says that she cannot read through the homework, but if she was a strong enough disciplinarian, setting stricter consequences for her daughter, perhaps Mayra’s performance at school would improve. Even though she cannot read through the material, can’t she at least make sure that her daughter completed an appropriate amount of work? I say this because growing up my mom did not understand much English either, however she was always there asking me how I was doing at school, and asking me to explain some of the material so she can help me with it. She enabled my brother, who is now studying at Harvard, and I to rise above the Hispanic stereotype and obtain a college education. It just pains me when I see other Hispanics being stereotyped by other people who think that Hispanics cannot progress in their careers. It pains me even more when I see Hispanics contributing to these stereotypes with excuses such as “well I cannot understand the language so how can I help my daughter with her school work?” I just think that anything is possible with the proper amount of effort, and it made me happy to see 21-year old Monica being proof that the stereotypes associated with Hispanics are not for all true for all Hispanics individuals.