Five Immigrant Perspectives on America and Immigration
Right now, immigration is a very heated topic in our country. Because of its racially charged aspects, people tend to hold strong opinions. I think it is an important topic because of its relevance and I decided to explore it by speaking with immigrants themselves. How can we have a serious opinion without understanding and listening to the people who have experienced it firsthand? Here is a series of vignettes that explore the motivations and opinions of immigration and the United States, from five immigrants themselves.
Mauricio Prieto, Mexico
“The more I know the United States, the bigger fan I become,” he told me. Those words hold significance because of the main reasons he came to America. In 1986, Mauricio came to the United States to attend college at Princeton University. He says that the college experience in the US is unique because in other countries college is an extension of high school. “Going to college in the US teaches you about independence and finding your own path as opposed to your following a path that has been set for you.” “Staying in Mexico for me would’ve been living a predetermined life.” Coming to the US was an opportunity for me to see the future as a white canvas,” he said. Later in 1995, Mauricio returned to the states on an H1B work visa and in 2014 acquired his green card. Working in the US is different than working in any other nation in the world,’ he told me. He said that the US has a “focus on innovation, technology and entrepreneurship,” and “there is no place on earth better than the US for that.” The United States is undoubtedly a world power, whether politically, socially, or technologically and gives its people opportunities in those fields. Immigrating to the United States gave Mauricio a clean slate to pursue his passions and work on what he truly wanted to do for a profession. “The US is a real example of how hard work and sacrifice can lead to success in any field,” he told me.
Nowadays, the American dream is seen as a bit of a far fetched fantasy to many. We talk so much about the failures of American society to immigrants but hearing the perspective from actual people themselves is very different from that. Mauricio is a prime example of how America has given immigrants vast opportunities and a great life. It is safe to say he is one of America’s “biggest fans.” He told me “immigrating to the US has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. It’s something I have recommended to all my nephews and nieces in Mexico, but so far they have not paid attention to me.” Maybe one day his nieces and nephews will come to the states and have that same clean slate that he did.
Ellie Beyers, England
As a teacher, Ellie sees a different perspective of the US than many others might. The US school system is very different than in England. First off, our university is much different than high school, while there it is more of an extension of high school. Ellie told me that while in both countries “there is access to good education,” in the US there is a bigger emphasis on “collaboration and learning.” She told me how in England the school system values are more so to pass tests and get jobs-very robot-like. Something that the American school system, especially Independent schools like Marin Academy, values is collaboration and learning. Rather than the goal is to pass a certain test, the process is important as well. While we do still hold large exams such as finals or the SAT as being the culmination of our knowledge and a measure of how “smart we are,” the teacher’s role is vastly different. She told me how in England teachers are “less connected with the students,” and aren’t really interested in making the high school experience as fulfilling. It is “more of just prep for university,” she told me. From my experience, the teachers at Marin Academy truly care about the students. They want us to learn, not just to pass tests or get into college, but to truly find what we are interested in and succeed. Ellie believes that the US school system is vastly different than the UK’s in that sense. Another thing that Ellie told me is different is that the United States is a “country of excess,” and a “place of opportunity and innovation.”Because of our strong education system, we have been able to create a society of hard work, which translates into the financial success of our country on the world stage.
When Ellie came to the US in 2006, she had a clear perspective on American people as a whole. She told me she thought all Americans were “Super friendly,” and “liked to talk a lot….” Americans tend to have this reputation, along with other flattering and sometimes not so flattering things. She also told me how living in America “seemed so different than living in the UK, but in reality, it is not that different.” The US is represented very strongly in the media. Many foreigners from an idea of what America is like from Hollywood. She told me that “From movies, you form a sense of what you think America is.” In reality, America is not this magical land. While we may excel in certain areas and be somewhat different, it is not as extreme as many think.
Anton Karbushev, The Former Soviet Union
Right before the fall of the Soviet Union, eight-year-old Anton Karbushev’s family moved to the United States. Being so young, Anton did not choose for himself to immigrate to the US. He told me it was “not much of a choice, but at the time I remember I was pissed because I didn’t get to see my friends anymore,” comically. “It took us more than half a year to get out and we got to claim like refugee status,” he told me about the immigration process itself.
As a young child, the US held a sense of mystery and excitement. His mindset was something along the lines of “Oh you go to America and there’s like, you got TVs, you can have a tape player, soccer ball. Amazing.” It is safe to say that the Soviet Union had way fewer resources than the United States did in the 1990s. From the outside, the US was the place to come for “stuff.” Anton told me the US was the “place to have stuff cause we didn’t have anything like growing up. Like we had a black and white TV. I thought that was cool.” America is definitely seen as a country of excess, as we are very financially successful, but also because American culture is more extreme when it comes to materialism. While America may seem like a place of wealth and immediate financial success, so many people work their way towards that goal over time. The US is special because of the ability to have upward mobility, with extremely hard work. “The biggest thing for me as an eight-year-old was my parents had to work so hard to struggle through the first several years. That was definitely a big change cause like growing up in the Soviet Union there was very like pretty standard like gender roles, but here both of my parents worked endlessly. My mom was off like washing windows. My dad was delivering pizza all day, so my brother and I would hang out.” Anton views the “American Dream,” differently than some of the other folks I spoke to. He told me he feels like “the freedom that you think about when you’re everywhere else in the world is that you go to America and you’re free. Then you get here, you’re like, Oh that’s like very much reserved for the few.” It is widely perceived that in America freedom, equality, success, and wealth are achievable for everyone; especially socially moving upward. Anton brought a new perspective to my attention from our conversation.
Damian P, Mexico
Hard-working is a phrase I would use to describe Damian P. Not only is he the primary caretaker of a 96-acre property in Kenwood California but is the father to two adorable sons and the husband to a lovely wife, Veronica. Family is everything to him. “I came to America for work and to have a good life for my family, especially my sons,” he told me. He initially came to Sonoma County because his brother previously had moved from Mexico to work. After coming to the states, Damian started a family of his own. He told me that his favorite part about America is being able to “have a happy family.” He still has family back in Mexico too. He told me that it is hard to not be able to visit them, as he was undocumented for years. He said that more importantly, here in the US, he has his wife, his sons, his brother, and a strong community. Approximately 27% of Sonoma County is of Hispanic descent. He has found a community where people can relate to his immigration story and feel a sense of home in the US. While he holds onto parts of his home country and culture, he says that America is “nothing but good.” Before immigrating his view of the US was that all Americans are “friendly, happy, and successful.” He also said that Americans could “make money easily.” He told me that his “experience has lived up to my expectations of America.” He said that most people, regardless of their race or class, have been nice to him. He has been able to make a good living for himself and his family while doing what he loves.
There have been some aspects of his experience that are more negative. He now has his green card, but initially, he was undocumented. He shared with me the fear that came along with that. “Driving was the worst because you never knew when you could get pulled over by the police,’ he said. For years, thousands of people in the Bay Area live with this constant fear of being torn from their families here in the US, the place they call home. This past year, Damian got his green card. He said that the process of getting papers is the worst part of living in the US. Besides that, Damian loves the US. It has given him a new life, job-wise and family-wise. He came here with not much more than his brother or the clothes on his back, and he now he is his own boss, has raised an amazing family, and has his green card. To me, this is the American Dream.
Sofia Prieto, Spain
Sofia embraces both aspects of her national identities. Her patriotism for both Spain and the United States is evident. It is not surprising to me when she told me that “both countries are extremely patriotic,” and that is the biggest commonality between the two. While both of these country’s citizens identify with this sentiment, their cultures are still vastly different. “There are too many to name,” Sofia told me when I asked her about these differences. One of the main contrasts is the culture and process of dining and drinking. “Lunch is at around 2–4 and dinner is at around 10, and meals are very long. There is a term called ‘sobremesa’ which is the time after the meal is finished and everyone stays at the table talking.” Spaniards don’t typically eat on the go; rather, they tend to take things slow and sit down for a meal. Another main distinction is the culture of alcohol. In Spain, the legal drinking age is 18. Sofia said that her friends back in Spain, “don’t go as crazy as Americans when they are exposed to it [alcohol] since they are already used to it. From a young age, Spaniards drink with their parents, and it removes the stigma around alcohol.” Obviously, those aspects make Spain very different than the US.
A more serious difference that Sofia pointed out was the contrast in work ethic between people in Spain and the United States. While there are motivated and successful people all over the world, the US stands out as a leading country in innovation and progress. She believes this is because of the work ethic instilled into American children at a young age. “Living here has made me a harder worker,” she told me. School in Spain is competitive but “it is at another level here,” Sofia explained. In the US, especially in the Bay Area, from a young age, we are put on a path to our futures. Many people put pressure on themselves and their children to go to the best high schools and attend the most prestigious universities, all in order to get the best jobs and make the most money. This is evident in how, even as a middle schooler, Sofia was aware of the difference in intensity in the education system here in America. She does not see this pressure as a bad thing though, as “Americans’ work ethic sets us up well and it may be one of the reasons our country is so successful and innovative.” Similarly to her father, Sofia appreciates the way America has cultivated a society of hard-working citizens. “I love living in the United States and I think I will probably live here for the rest of my life. I will never lose that (the Spanish) part of me though.” It takes a certain type of person to embrace to sides of their identity, as different as they may be. She told me that she feels they “complement each other,” and I feel that is what truly makes her love each of her countries so much.
America is not perfect. Our society is not fully equal to every single person. While the US is not perfect, I believe our ability to criticize our own country’s faults and shortcomings is what makes it so successful. We are ensured with democracy and opportunity to progress and move forward as a nation; widening the ability for everyone regardless of their race, gender, social class, or home country to achieve the American Dream. Hearing the thoughts of Mauricio, Damian, Ellie, Anton, and Sofia brought new perspectives to the conversation of America’s success. It has shown me how important it is to take other’s opinions into consideration when discussing immigration, especially those who have experienced it firsthand.
