Running

Head: IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW Cook 1

IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW

Jennifer Cook

Connie Christensen

Edu 280-1006 Valuing Cultural Diversity

College of Southern Nevada

IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW Cook 2

The United States of America has been considered the land of the free and home of the

brave. The U.S. has been was established and founded by immigrants from Britain. “Many

immigrated to the U.S in hopes of improving their lives, to seek religious freedom, or to get

away from oppressive conditions, or war-torn areas. Most Africans, on the other hand, were

transported against their will to a foreign land and forced to work and live in cruel and inhumane

conditions as slaves” (Manning, Baruth, 2009, pg. 57). Immigrants are still migrating to the

United States each and every year with most coming from South America. According to DHS

data, “in 2013, 990,553 foreign nationals became lawful permanent residents, also known as

green card holders” (The DHS Program). Whether we call the United States a “salad bowl” or

“melting pot,” we all can agree that there are many culturally diverse groups of individuals and

together we have created the beautiful country we call home.

In my quest to interview an immigrant, I found 3 friends who were willing to answer the

questions I had for them. Each interviewee emigrated from very different places: Guam,

Turkey, and Romania. Although Turkey and Romania are close to each other, they are quite

different. There has been debate whether Turkey is considered South-eastern Europe, due to the

fact that geographically it is located half in Europe and the other half in Asia. Turkey is the

bridge between Europe and the Middle East. Turkey in itself has a diverse group of people

because it once was a place for refugees to find asylum. Still today, Syrians are seeking asylum

in Turkey.

Guam, on the other hand, is considered a United States territory. My friend Tanya was

born in Guam and she says it has similarities to the United States. She was born in a village

called Rigo and moved to the main land when she was 22 years old. Although most speak

English in Guam, there is a large Asian population. They are taught the history and culture of
IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW Cook 2

Guam in school, including Chamorro the native language of Guam. She stated, “Guam has

culture, the U.S does not,” when I asked about the culture of Guam. She moved here because

she was looking to improve her life. Because Guam is a United States territory, there is not a

process for citizenship. She had traveled to the United States several times before she moved

here and therefore was comfortable with the move.

Since Guam is in the Pacific, people from Guam are Pacific Islanders, just like Hawaiians

and are considered a minority group. In the book it states, “ Socioeconomic disparities continue

to plague people of color (African, Hispanic, Asian, Native, Hawaiian,/Pacific Islanders, and

American Indians) including both differences with the majority culture as well as intergroup

differences” (Manning, Baruth, 2009, pg. 29). She briefly touched on the fact that the public

schools were far behind schools in the United States, even in Nevada. Nevada is ranked almost

last in the education department. That fact is important to mention since she stated the schools

are behind even Nevada. She also mentioned a lack of culture, but a lack of culture is her

opinion related to her own.

My friend Claudia was born and raised in Romania, Transylvania in Ceprosani. The

languages spoke are Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, French, and English. During Communism,

she was required to learn Russian in school. Once communism was over while in High school,

she choose to stop going to the Russian class and instead learned English. She received a 6-

month scholarship to come to the U.S as an exchange student. The first time she was here she

received a student VISA. Then she came to the U.S on a tourist VISA and married an American.

She did not want to tell any more details about that. After she was married, she had a 10-year

green card. She did not apply for citizenship until recently when she was offered a dual-

citizenship. Usually, if you apply for citizenship in a country, you lose citizenship from your
IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW Cook 2

home. She did not want to lose her Romanian citizenship. Recently Obama opened up

immigration and they allowed dual-citizenship. She said the process was easy and all she had to

do was fill out paperwork and send it in.

Education in Romania was quite different than in the U.S. and the schooling was very

easy for her. She says the expectations of American schools are low and mediocrity is

encouraged. In Romania, there are strict rules, and exams to get in and out of High School and

college. Because she was raised Hungarian and Romanian she experienced a bicultural

upbringing. She says the main difference between the 2 cultures is: Hungarians are family

oriented and hard working and Romanian are always trying to find the short cut and filled with

corruption. Communism forced families to only have one child, so most families had only 1

child and were penalized with paying higher taxes if they had more than one child in the family.

Claudia and her family have similarities with the book’s statement about European American

family’s expectations. The book states, “Parents and families are expected to be involved in

their children’s education and to work as partners with teachers. Education is highly regarded at

all levels. Cultural emphasis on independence and achievement becomes manifested in parents’

expectations for self-reliance on the part of children” (Manning, Baruth, 2009, pg. 151).

Last interview was conducted with a Turkish woman named Aysen. She had a lot to say

and most of it I could understand. She has a pronounced Turkish accent. She was born and

raised in Turkey and moved to the U.S. to marry her husband who she met in Turkey during his

military stay. She was married for 3 years with a marriage VISA before they would give her a

Green Card. She moved to Las Vegas in 2004, married in 2005, and became a dual-citizen in

2009. She said the process cost $1000 and was not easy as it took over a month to finally get

citizenship. Although English is a language spoke in Turkey, Turkish was her first language.
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Her husband’s family helped her feel welcome and she felt like she had more freedoms in the

U.S. She liked the size of the homes and backyards. The schools are very different. In Turkey,

the teachers are treated like a family member: like a second mom. They spend k-5 with the same

teacher and therefore spend almost as much time with the teacher as the parent. The teacher is

regarded with a much higher importance than here in the U.S.

Aysen also is in alignment with the values expressed by the book. The book states,

“European Americans can be best described as holding firm beliefs in support of inalienable

rights (e.g., privacy), free enterprise, and private property. Interaction patterns are characterized

by role specification, self-sufficiency (as opposed to teamwork), competition, and

communication that is direct, informal, and assertive” (Manning, Baruth, 2009, pg. 147).

The United States of America has a culturally diverse population of people and about a

million immigrants are entering the country each year. As teachers, we can first start by

acknowledging the wide range of cultures that enter our classroom and are expected to work

together peacefully. By opening our eyes to the colorful world around us, we can open the gates

for discussion and expression. We can build a micro-culture in the classroom of acceptance and

awareness. Then our students may one day enter the world as self-confident and conscious

members of society that bring with them the necessary values, beliefs, and attitudes to create a

more positive and culturally diverse world.

IMMIGRANT INTERVIEW Cook 2

References

Manning, M. L. & Baruth, L. G. (2009). Multicultural education of children and adolescents

(5ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

The DHS Program: Demographic and Health Surveys. (n.d) IFC International, Rockville.

Retrived from http://dhsprogram.com/Who-We-Are/DHS-Experts.cfm.