Interview on Immigration and Cultural Identity

Name: Kezia Suteja

Country of origin: United States of America

Where do you live now, and why? I live in the United States, specifically Valley Stream, New

York. I was born in Elmhurst, NY, and lived there till I was 11. I moved to Ozone Park, NY (2

1/2 years). Then Maspeth, NY (2 1/2 years) . Then moved to Long Island for a bigger space

(house). It is cheaper and more affordable to buy a house in Long Island compared to Queens

(where my parents initially wanted to buy a house there but too expensive for the size).

Any other places you have lived: I lived in The Netherlands for my first 4-5 years. I moved

back to NYC when I was 5. However, I don’t remember much being there because I was so

young.

Questions

1. What’s your native language and do you speak it? Why or why not, and how do you

think this has affected your daily life and cultural identity?

English. However at home I sometimes speak Indonesian but not much. I would

understand when my parents speak Indonesian to me, but I respond in English. I think I

regret not speaking Indonesian frequently at home because I am not that fluent when

speaking it to a native Indonesian speaker, like family relatives in Indonesia.

2. A lot of countries have different beliefs, practices and superstitions. Are there any in

your culture that you believe in or practice? Or does your family practice any?

Christianity

3. What’s one of the most challenging aspects of living in another country different

from your family and/or culture?

 A language barrier. I can not express as much as I want to my family relatives because I

don’t know complex Indonesian vocabulary. There are some cases where I also didn't

want to be Indonesian when I was little because everyone is Americanized. However, I

am fortunate enough growing up in a diverse community, such as the Hispanic and Asian

(south, south east, East Asian) community so I didn’t really feel different. My peers also

celebrated their culture so I didn’t feel silly Celebrating mine if that makes sense.

4. What are you most grateful for living in other countries? Do you think you’d have

benefited more from living elsewhere or would you have liked to live elsewhere?

I would occasionally go to Indonesia and Singapore to visit family during school

summers. I think I learned how different their customs and people's behavior can be. Also

to understand and learn the true culture that they have in the country. Also, appreciating

what I have because I know some people in Indonesia don’t have that much privilege that

I have. For instance, free public school in the United States is pretty good compared to

Indonesia public school which is why a lot of my cousins go to private school in

Indonesia.

5. Do you think exposure to other cultures has helped with your own cultural identity

and appreciation for other cultures?

Yes, I definitely would say that. Here is what I wrote for a scholarship prompt that relates

to this question:

“I hate being Indonesian,”—said 10-year-old Kezia Suteja. For the majority of my

childhood, I neglected my Indonesian culture and traditions. Although my Ma raised me

well in immersing myself in Indonesian culture by being heavily surrounded by the

Indonesian community, I despised it. In elementary school, there was an event where
each class had to perform their song. I planned an outfit for the performance, a pink

velvet dress I received from my aunt. However, my mom made me wear a batik dress. On

the day of the performance, my peers would laugh at me because I looked different from

everyone else.

I asked my Ma to teach me how to cook Indonesian dishes. My Ma raised her eyebrow

and smiled. I can confidently cook a few Indonesian cuisines, such as satay and ayam

goreng, although I know it doesn’t taste as good as my mother’s cooking. I also began

incorporating wearing batik into my outfits because I grew fond of the patterns and their

cultural background on it. Attending a bilingual high school further immersed me in

Chinese culture. My school hosts a mid-autumn festival and a Chinese new year festival.

For the Chinese new year festival, the hallways are roamed by lion dancers, musicians,

and Chinese Characters calligraphy posters. Acknowledging various cultures taught me

to respect and appreciate their unique traditions and beauty. I grew an interest in

exploring cultures other than my own.

Name: Maylynn

Country of origin: China

Where do you live now, and why? I currently live in New York City because I attend university

here.

Any other places you have lived: I previously lived in the suburbs of Chicago.

Questions

1. What’s your native language and do you speak it? Why or why not, and how do you

think this has affected your daily life and cultural identity?

The native language in my part of China is mandarin however being adopted from China

at the age of 11 months I never really spoke it. With my father and brother, we went to a

Teacher to learn but I was young and did not grasp it nor was I interested at the time. I

think because I am adopted and do not speak mandarin it has changed how I view myself

especially being in NYC where there are people of many backgrounds. I've been asked if

I speak mandarin and when I respond "no" I get an "oh" afterward. Sometimes I almost

feel misleading when I am not what they expected, like I am not really Chinese if I don't

do this that and the other thing.

2. A lot of countries have different beliefs, practices and superstitions. Are there any in

your culture that you believe in or practice? Or does your family practice any?

My family celebrates Chinese New Year, when I was younger we used to decorate the

house and my father once cooked a whole fish with the head and everything. We often go

to the New Year parade too. Some superstitions may be if a bird poops on you it is good

luck! You must wash the rice and take your shoes off before entering. I will wear red on

my wedding day (if I ever land a husband) and white will be worn on my funeral.
3. What’s one of the most challenging aspects of living in another country different

from your family and/or culture?

Being adopted by caucasian people so early I don't recall life in China at all. I was lucky

though that my family embraces the Chinese culture and wanted me to remember my

roots. Therefore our house has lots of art and pottery from when they adopted me, and we

eat at the authentic Chinese mall, and why my father tried so hard for us to learn about

my culture.

4. What are you most grateful for living in other countries? Do you think you’d have

benefited more from living elsewhere or would you have liked to live elsewhere?

I am grateful I live here because who knows what I would be doing if I stayed in China

and grew up in an orphanage. I am sure everywhere has there positives and negatives but

I am happy I live here.

5. Do you think exposure to other cultures has helped with your own cultural identity

and appreciation for other cultures?

Most definitely especially since coming to NYC because I have met so many. other asian

people who have showed and introduced me to delicious food like KBBQ, Hot Pot, Boba,

pop culture like anime and manga, as well as k-pop and dance. I have an appreciation for

their cultures and able to look into my own!

Name: Tomisin Coker

Country of origin: Nigeria

Where do you live now, and why? I currently reside in Lancaster as I am a student of the

University Of Lancaster.

Any other places you have lived: London, United Kingdom and Lagos, Nigeria

Questions

1. What’s your native language and do you speak it? Why or why not, and how do you

think this has affected your daily life and cultural identity?

Yoruba and I do speak it. I speak it as I feel it's necessary to keep the language alive and

preserve the heritage of my ancestors and people of my culture. I initially learnt it as my

mother was hell bent on ensuring I could speak it, hence all the hired help would be able

to speak it and were only allowed to speak to me in this language. Being able to speak

Yoruba has impacted my daily life in a positive way, as I can now watch movies in this

language and I can communicate with people of the same heritage whilst we're outside

Nigeria without others knowing what we are saying.

2. A lot of countries have different beliefs, practices and superstitions. Are there any in

your culture that you believe in or practice? Or does your family practice any?

There are many in my culture that I and my family practice or believe in, like the kings

mouthpiece committing ritual suicide after the king dies, lying down on the floor when

greeting someone of a significantly greater age than you, using different words with same

meanings when talking to someone of a greater age or higher status than you, not picking

up money found lying on the floor as you could turn into cattle or an inanimate object.
3. What’s one of the most challenging aspects of living in another country different

from your family and/or culture?

I don't believe there's any severely challenging aspect of living in another country

different from my culture.

4. What are you most grateful for living in other countries? Do you think you’d have

benefited more from living elsewhere or would you have liked to live elsewhere?

The better training grounds and organisations to play with. Being an avid polo player

living in the uk means I have access to the better polo grounds on a daily basis, I get to

train with some of the high gaolers that fly in from around the world for competitions.

Although there are some excellent grounds in the northern part of Nigeria, it's much more

convenient for me to play on the grade one fields in the uk, as I attend university here.

5. Do you think exposure to other cultures has helped with your own cultural identity

and appreciation for other cultures?

Yes I do. Seeing the numerous ways of life of other cultures has allowed me to see my

culture in a different light and has helped me develop greater love for my nation state.

The exposure has also allowed me to further appreciate free will, and a love for other

cultures and individuals.

Name: Maria Hadim

Country of origin: Algeria

Where do you live now, and why? I live in the United States of America. My parents both

immigrated here in search of a better life, so I am currently residing here. My father came here in

the 90s because he was tired of his accounting job and decided to enter the visa lottery to move

to the United States or France. He eventually won and informed his parents a week before

moving to New York City. My mother later moved to the United States to be with my father, but

she also hoped to pursue her professional interests because she was unhappy as an electrical

engineer in Algeria.

Any other places you have lived: N/A

Questions

1. What’s your native language and do you speak it? Why or why not, and how do you

think this has affected your daily life and cultural identity?

Yes, proudly and loudly. My parents instilled in me the importance of speaking my native

language as a child, believing that it was important to continue using our native tongue

even though we lived outside of our country of origin. I speak my native language and

make an effort to incorporate it into my daily life because, for a long time, I believed in

the "we only speak English in America" mentality. So speaking my native language

compensates for the time I spent as a child trying to conceal my cultural identity and

native language. Yes, it has had a significant impact on my daily life, particularly since

the start of my college career. I've made a concerted effort to learn more about my

language, its history, and, most importantly, something I never imagined I'd do as a child:

encourage conversations about my culture and the language I speak.

2. A lot of countries have different beliefs, practices and superstitions. Are there any in

your culture that you believe in or practice? Or does your family practice any?

The belief in the evil eye has always been ingrained in my mind. As a kid, I chose not to

believe that nonsense, but it bit me in the ass. As an adult, I believe that shit is

everywhere; people simply don't want you to succeed, are envious of what you have, or

are preying on your downfall. As a child, the belief of someone giving you the evil eye or

praying on the evil eye can come from anywhere, anyone, and at any time. For example,

after seeing a relative you aren't as close to or haven't seen in a long time; they look at

you strangely, say something condescending to you, and the next thing you know, Mom

is screaming "she gave you the evil eye."

3. What’s one of the most challenging aspects of living in another country different

from your family and/or culture?

There are so many challenging aspects of living in another country different from your

family and culture....where do I start? The most significant factor is a constant sense of

disconnection. What if I forget my native language? How will I communicate with my

family back home? How will I consistently incorporate my people's culture into my daily

life in another country? (only one I can think of as of right now but definitely is the most

important).

4. What are you most grateful for living in other countries? Do you think you’d have

benefited more from living elsewhere or would you have liked to live elsewhere?

There is so much to be grateful for. The most important aspect for me is education. If I

had lived in Algeria, I would never have received the education that I have received over

the past 16 years. The Algerian school system severely lacks the functional value of
 educating for the benefit of society's people; instead, the education system is designed to

support Algeria's political power. I'm glad I lived in the United States because I believe it

taught me independence and the value of education. I wouldn't have minded living

somewhere else, but it would have to be a country where open minds are encouraged

rather than frowned upon.

5. Do you think exposure to other cultures has helped with your own cultural identity

and appreciation for other cultures?

Yes. Absolutely. I need to be surrounded by people who are culturally aware and diverse.

I perspire around those who are open to exposing their own cultures and cultural

identities. It has helped me understand the value of open dialogue and the ongoing need

to encourage others to learn about where I come from and the history of my country. 1, 2,

3 Viva la l'algerie!