Bagley

Jacob Bagley

Mrs. Raymond

UWRT 1103-EO3
12

November2014
Interview

![ith My Roommate

The topic for my semester long project is immigration to America. My partner

and

I are seeing how it has changed through history. For this prompt, I was thinking of

people I could interview about this subject when I realized that my roommate was the
perfect candidate. While he was born in Ohio, his parents are from Mexico. So for my

interview, I decided to ask him what he knew about his parent's journey to America and
ttre effects of being a

frst generation America.

My first question was '\vhere in Mexico did your parents originally come from?"
He told;ne that it was small town about halfiray between the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico

Crt{.lasked about the living conditions there, and he said it was completely different
that of a place like Mexico City. He told me that everyone seemed to know each
other, and that it was a very small town and a lot safer than what most people think

of

Mexico. In fact, he said that go back and visit the town to see distant relatives &om time
to time. I asked him when his parents came over, and he said in the 70's. They came over

with what they could carry and

work visa and they started

a new

life. Pretty soon

thereafter, they both obtained full American Citizenship, and he explained that it mostly
due to less strict laws and policies back then. From what

I was told, the laws changed

drastically shortly after his parents obtained citizenship because there started to be a huge

influx of Mexican immigrants. He told me that his parents were the lucky ones since they

Bagley

were able to move to America before everyone else. He described it almost as "beating
the curve" because a graph of the immigration changes show a huge influx a couple yeils
after his parents moved here.

I also asked him if there have been any positive or negative effects of being an
American with a Mexican heritage. He said hat there hasn't been too many negative
actions directed towards him because of his ethnicity. When asked why, he told me "well,
even though my name sound Hispanic,

I frankly don't really look like

a Mexican.

I'm

kind of fair skinned, I don't have an accent, and most people just assume I'm Spanish."

Well I'm glad that he personally doesn't get discriminated against, it saddens me, that
other might be just because of how they look or talk.

I actually learned a lot from this interview that I conducted at Toyama Express. I
told him I would buy him dinner if he helped me out with

project, but he said he'd just

help me out anyways. So I interviewed him over some Asian food, and I asked him about
what he knew, and a lot of the answers surprised me. Especially about the safety of his
parent's hometown, since I guess Mexico is stereotyped in the United States for being so
dangerous. While this may be out of my particular focus for the project,

I would love to
;t'r, .-g

somehow incorporate his information into my presentation.

b{,9N t,Ln^-* t"&Ut"t

&'W*-a
#Sivua'

fistWd'

rr

Bagley

Work Citd
Roommate, Mike. Personal interview.

ll

Nov.2014

-Mrs, Raymond, I chose to omit his name from this paper for his privacy since I didn't
foel oomfortable sharing his family life (incase I lost the paper, or someone knows him in
this class, etc.) but I will Sladly tell you or email his narne personally.

'!:

I
I