ANNOTATIONS PAGE 3 & 4- ‘The Ungrateful Refugee’

By, Youmna Adnan

-Her class was very unwelcoming and very mean to her in terms of teasing and bullying.
-US only provided them a safe haven to stay in.
-As time went on, she got used to the bullying. If she faced any problems or mishaps, she would get tics and hence had a
mantra that she’s lucky and that she is grateful to be here.
-She thought as compared to the Americans, that she is not good enough.
-In comparison to her mother, Dina had it easy. Her mother faced hatred and bullying at her work place. Just because her
accent was a little different, she understood their language a little late, they thought she was unintelligent. She was well
educated, but just because she lacked in the English language department, they considered her illiterate.
-People around them looked at them with pity, that they were only refugees, they were obliged to be grateful to the US.
-The people thought, that they owed it to them and all the Americans: what life they had and what’s to come in the
future.
-Her mother was asked to give testimonies again and again. Everyone took credit for their accomplishments and their
success.
-They had to owe them their previous identity just to be a part of that country and community.
-The people weren’t interested in their way of life in Iran. They were only interested in their story and the bad and horror
parts of their life.
-They were asked if the men were bad there, and if that is the reason they left. They laughed it off by thinking how funny
and humorous their own family-men were.
-The mother and daughter tried to live their life in the American way, as best as they could. They had to shed their old
identity and personalities to become mere Americans.
-They became American citizens in 1994. They were relieved. On the fourth of July, it was the first time they saw this many
people from different casts and cultures together.
-She was not alone in this struggle. Just like her, there were many other people, from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and
many other places, waiting eagerly to become a part of the United States.
-During this ceremony, she saw an 80-year-old man giving his testimony, he shouted and thrashed his hand in the sky. He
wanted to show his joy and his contentment on becoming an American citizen.
-This day was her favorite day, according to the author, the day she converted to an American citizen. She transformed
into someone new, she had a new identity.