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The relationship between China and us
My life as an immigrant in the US
My life as an immigrant in the US
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When I first arrived in the United States, I was very surprised at everything. This is a country completely different from my country, whether it is language, race, background, and even political system, relative to China, like a mirror in the outside and outside, is the two extremes. For me, these are unfamiliar. Before I came to the United States I never thought I would be in such an environment, in such a completely unfamiliar, I do not enter the country to start my new
When Chinese immigrants enter the United States of America, it is evident from the start that they are in a world far different than their homeland. Face to face with a dominant culture that often times acts and thinks in ways contrary to their previous lives, immigrants are on a difficult path of attempting to become an American. Chinese immigrants find themselves often caught between two worlds: the old world of structured, traditional and didactic China and the new world of mobile, young and prosperous America. They nostalgically look back at China longing for a simpler life but look at the United States as a land of opportunity and freedom that they did not know in China. For this is why they came to America in the first place, to provide for their children and themselves what they could not in China. To do this, of course, they are faced with the challenge of assimilating. Learning the language, acquiring education, owning property, etc. are all ways to seize the American Dream. However this poses a problem for the Chinese immigrant for, in the process of assimilation, they lose some of their Chinese culture. This especially rings true for the children of Chinese immigrants: the second-generation Chinese Americans.
There are many challenges that one must face as we go through life. I have faced a few myself, however, none proved more challenging than moving from my country; Jamaica, to the United States and subsequently moving to the state of Wisconsin. Deciding to leave behind family and friends is the hardest decision to make, however, there are a few things that I was not prepared for that made the transition more challenging than expected. Moving away from all that is familiar culturally, socially and economically can be even more of a daunting task than imagined. There are things that are taught to us by our parents and others that are more dictated by our environment than anything else, so when I immigrated to the United States I had three major challenges to overcome.
New country means new language, new culture, new people and different lifestyle. I never thought of being somewhere where you don’t know the language and people. For my parent and me the difficult part was learning new language. Since, I and my sister were going to school, so we knew Basic English. But for my parents adopting new language after so many years was really tough. Since, my dad had his own business, he also had to take care that before we move to us.
In the beginning of September 2005, disappointment and excitement revealed on my face when I boarded the plane to move to the United States of America. The feeling of leaving my families, friends, school, clothes, and culture in Cameroon presented a hardship for me on this journey. Of course, I anticipated this new life because it indicated a fresh start. I envisioned it resembling life in movies, where everything appeared to be simple and life was simply excellent. All things considered, I was heading off to the United States, known for the American dream. To me it meant that everyone is given equal opportunity to prosper, achieve a family, and attain a successful job as long as they are hardworking and determined. I felt exceptionally honored and blessed to have this open door since I realized that it was not provided to everybody. Coming to America denoted my transitioning on the grounds that I deserted my previous lifestyle in Cameroon, began a new chapter in my life once again, and finally became a much grateful individual.
“You are in America, speak English.” As a young child hearing these words, it did not only confuse me but it also made me question my belonging in a foreign country. As a child I struggled with my self-image; Not being Hispanic enough because of my physical appearance and not being welcomed enough in the community I have tried so hard to integrate myself with. Being an immigrant with immigrant parents forces you to view life differently. It drives you to work harder or to change the status quo for the preconceived notion someone else created on a mass of people. Coming to America filled me with anxiety, excitement, and even an unexpected wave of fear.
When my family and I got in the plane that would take us to the U.S., I was very excited. It was as if I had butterflies in my stomach. I was also nervous because I had heard of people that were turned away when they got to America because the government was not letting as many immigrants into the U.S as they had in the past. Therefore, my whole family was a little anxious. Two things could happen when we arrived at the Washington, D.C., airport. We could either come to the United States to chase after “the American dream”, or we could be turned away which meant that we would have to return to our country of origin.
Chinese Americans have always felt different in their ways of life than the rest of society. Chinese Americans were very heavily prejudiced and discriminated against because of their culture. Immigrants from China to the United States have always faced more difficulties in accepting who they are and their own culture, and some continue to face these struggles. From various articles of research and also the short story “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, it is clear that Chinese Americans struggle with accepting themselves and their culture. Chinese culture has played a very important role in the history of the United States.
Ten years ago I came to America from my native homeland of Iran. I came to America as a woman with very little skills, and knowledge of the culture, and with a major language barrier to overcome. One major reason for me leaving my homeland was because wives, mothers, and daughters even in today 's culture and society are still looked upon as homemakers, minorities, and second-class citizens. Upon arriving to America, I knew having little money and a lack of family support, I felt as if my future and dreams were already doomed for the start. The first thing I did when I arrived to America was to attempt to land some sort of job so I could take care of my family. It was not easy, but I was able to secure full time employment at a local daycare
IMost Americans in the US for a long time agree that the first time when they are new to the United States is difficult, while just getting to know the new life, while adapting to many different cultures. Acquiring culture, learning a foreign language, finding a job in the US is something that newcomers in the United States need to care about. I am 52 years old, living in America for four years. During the four years I learned more things than when I first arrived in America and also lost the things that I had in Vietnam.
The United States and China are two very large countries that have cultures that are well known throughout the world. There are many differences between the United States and China, but there are many contributing factors that shape the cultures of these two countries. Language is universal, but there are different meanings and sounds, which vary from one culture to another. In China, citizens speak many languages, but about 94% speak the Chinese language. The difference in dialects was overcome by the written word and eventually a version of Mandrin became the “official speech” (The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 1996, p.304).
Coming to a totally new country can be difficult if a person has no knowledge about the country. It's stressful when the language makes it difficult to communicate with others. Its also embarrassing when a grown person has to ask what does the sign above a shelf, says or when people can’t help out because they simply can’t understand what you are trying to say.
Throughout life you meet many different people and encounter many different personalities. This at first confused me because sometimes due to this people cannot understand or respect each other's opinions and feelings, but after realizing that there are so many people with different ideals all over the world I realized how close minded my views were. I can even use my home country as an example. As a child I was raised to believe that there is equal opportunity but learned eventually this is not the case in America due to things such as institutionalized racism. Nothing is perfect but there are some things in the world that could be helped or prevented and people often fail to take notice of these problems. Things such as water shortages, energy pollution, and dwindling fossil fuels often fall behind things like what clothes someone famous is wearing. Everyone may not be socially aware of what is going on around them but, I think that people who support my views would agree with me when I say the people who are worried about these kind of problems have to be prepared to think of some kind of solution to these problems. They have to work harder to actually help with these problems and they need the work ethic and selflessness to put themselves aside and do it for the
It was about two years ago when I arrived in United States of America, and I still remember the day when I left my native country, Honduras. As I recall, one day previous to my departure, I visited my relatives who live in San Pedro Sula. They were all very happy for me to see me except my grandmother Isabel. She looked sad; even though she tried to smile at all times when I was talking to her, I knew that deep inside of her, her heart was broken because of my departure the next morning. I remember that I even told her, “Grandma, do not worry about me, I’ll be fine. I promise that I will write you letters and send you pictures as much as possible.” Here reply was, “I know sweetie I know you will.” Suddenly after she said that I started to cry. For som...
I have never really thought how different places could be from each other until our family vacation. This summer my family went to Maui, Hawaii. In Maui, they grow and eat many different types of food because of the different soil and the warmer climate. The people of Maui are very generous and polite to others, especially to those who are there to learn about Maui. These are just a few differences I noticed on our trip to Maui that helped me realize how different places could be.
Even before arriving to the United States, the fear I felt was not having the familiarity of home (St. Lucia). Moving to the U.S meant that I had to start my life all over again. This time it would be without the unwavering support of my family and friends. Whether I succeeded or failed in school was entirely up to me. It wa...