December 7, 1941 the United States entered World war II due to the attack of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by the Empire of Japan. War entrance was not the only result of this vicious attack that devastated Americans. On February 19, 1942 two months after the U.S. declared war on the Axis powers, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order no. 9066. This order gave the United states the right to designate areas from which persons may be excluded. Therefore, this made it legal to detain Japanese Americans who lived in the United States and put them into internment camps. 120,000 ethnic Japanese were relocated to areas inland. The attack on Pearl Harbor left Americans with hysteria and fear, which triggered internment camps of Japanese Americans.…
The rapid growth of the western Chinese city of Xi 'an can accredit much of its success to the “Great Opening of the West” policy initiated in 2000, yet the policy may have never met fruition without the intricate rural-urban dynamic in place in Xi 'an (Loyalka, 2012, p. 5). Loyalka 's book Eating Bitterness examines eight Chinese families affected by growth of Xi 'an and Xi 'an 's High-Tech Zone, providing insight into the diverse daily lives of the families as well as the constantly evolving codependent relationship between the city and countryside. The city and the countryside are connected by the movement of people, space, money and culture, but Chinese families remain the strongest link as they enable these transfers. This heavy traffic between the the rural and urban cause a strain on the rural Chinese family, yet it is because of these hardworking, persevering families that the city manages to evolve in a transforming China. The new shift in focus to oneself and materialism has created many job opportunities in Xi 'an for both men and women. In this decade, Chinese women visit beauty parlors to improve their health and their appearance. With urban populations now having disposable income and companies such as M. Perfumine hiring young women from the countryside, luxuries such as beauty and cosmetics are becoming available to the middle class (p. 69-70). Teenage girls such as Jia Huan, who have only reached a junior high school education level, find few job opportunities in the city. Jia Huan 's mother believes “[the] beauty industry is good for Jia Huan. As a girl, what else is she going to do? She has no skills” (p. 83). These teenagers have a small chance at surviving in any other “career” where higher education and a wider skill-set are…
I began to appreciate the enormous transition my parents made by coming to the United States. I realized that this country is full of incredible opportunities that I could succeed in and possibly make a difference in people’s lives, and advice those who need to be helped. When I went back to visit Colombia I experienced one unique special occasion that I could never possibly forget. I was just seven years old when I witnessed the most horrendous…
On our way to California were horrible because of the little space in the jalopy truck, the heat from the sun light, and we were hungry because of malnutrition. We tried to save money as possible because we don’t a lot of money. When we were crossing New Mexico my grandma was getting sick. After we got crossed New Mexico my grand past away. We got stopped by police six times because they think we were transporting fruit. We don’t have a lot of money left. We spent lots of money on gas, water, camps place and little bit on food. We were hunger. In the third night at one of the camps we met this family who on their way back to their hometown and they told us about hand bills. They said the company need 800 workers but they print out 20,000…
For this week’s assignment, we were assigned to read Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong. An exquisite novel, many of the themes and motives relate closely To Kill a Mockingbird from earlier in the semester. Additionally, Monique Truong’s background was captivating. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Truong moved to Boiling Springs, North Carolina when she was seven years old. She spent the next four years in North Carolina learning English as well as experiencing first hand racism and discrimination.…
Coming to America as a four year old was very intriguing, but it is a blurr remembering the past of being in Nigeria. The only conclusion that was remembered is being in a different environment; an environment that was more civilized with cities and highways, which had a diverse amount of people who talked and acted differently from me and my family. I grew up living in a three bedroom, one story, house apartment, with eight people, which would be seen as very difficult and unusual, which it was, but the type of companionship and…
When I first came to the United States my whole life changed completely. I came from a very poor town where basic needs are privileges and even though I didn’t know the language, the culture, and the people. I was not scared about my new life, my new beginning. When my mom and I got here my dad rented a house which was in very bad conditions. At that time we didn’t have anything, we slept on the floor for almost a month, we didn’t have any furniture and not even a car to go buy groceries. My mom was very disappointed because my dad has been living here for almost 10 years and he didn’t have anything yet. Besides all the bad situations, I was very excited because I was here in this powerful country where opportunities everywhere. After couple weeks I asked my dad to do me a big favor which was start the paperwork so I can get into middle school. At first he was mad because he told me that I didn’t need that, I was devastated about his reaction because I really wanted to go, but he refused to take me. Sometime after what happened my mom decided to take me to the school and start my education. I still remember all the…
For months, my parents had been discussing sending my mom, little brother and I back to our native country. I was only eight years old then and I did not understand the reason or the quickness to return. On that day, August 23rd,2008, we departed to Guatemala, leaving behind my father, alone. As I landed at the airport, I anticipated the feeling of seeing my older sister and other relatives for the first time. Weeks passed by, my brother and I wouldn’t stop asking my mother when we would come back to the United States. At the beginning, it was difficult to get accustomed to a totally different country, and its culture, “ my culture”. Quite some time passed, I was going to school, reinforcing my spanish ( and losing my english) and completely submerging into the beautiful Guatemalan culture.…
It was a cold morning on the 20 of December, that morning I woke up sleepy as a sloth. I didn’t have school that day and from my room I could smell the beans been cocked. The atmosphere at home didn’t feel right, I felt like if there was something going on and I was the only one that didn’t know. My mom and sister looked suspicious. My house was small, it had two bedrooms and one bathroom. My sister got on her blue BMX bike and went out, I didn’t know where she was going but she went faster than a missile. Out of nowhere people started coming, more and more people, I counted 27 people including an 8 years old buy that fall asleep as soon as he got to my house. I was freak out and ran to my mom and I ask her, mom what’s going on who are these people, and she told me, my love we are going to America.…
Intro: Moving to the United States about four years ago from the Iran wasn’t easy; I had in front of me, I had to leave all my friends, family and especially my mother, a new language, a new culture, and a new beginning. For the greater part of my life, it has always been my father and myself. My mother died in the summer of my freshman year and my sister moved back to Iran, due to lack of interest in here.…
Two years ago, we moved to the United States from Afghanistan with my beautiful family and exciting travel. First, one day my family was sitting on a beautiful sunny day around the deck, and front of us was a bunch of mangos. Mangos are very tasted like sweet sugar, melted on my red lips. And my brother in law came from America, for us to bring here. My two sisters, they’re in Afghanistan, they are not coming because they are married. Next, my family was on the deck, we just got a call from the embassy, and they told my brother in law visa is ready. That moment my sister got a full tear in her beautiful brown eyes, sweating on her face and in sadness she said, “ are you guy’s leaving now, please don’t leave us alone.” And my brother said to her,” Don’t worry sissy we will be fine because this new generation has a technology we can talk to them…
I remember the exact feeling I experienced when my mom told me we were moving to America. I felt as if time had stopped. I did not know what to expect. What will it be like? Will I able to adjust to the pace of life? Will I make friends? Questions which plagued me; but no one had the definitive answers. I lived in Vietnam for the first eleven years of my life. The moment I move to America, my whole world changed. America is my greatest adventure and opportunity. Having never traveled to a foreign country before, I was intrigued by the culture, the people and the country itself. Moving to America when I was eleven, the cultural lifestyle and experience I faced along the way, how I adapt to the journey are what shaped me into the person that I am today. Coming to America really opens my eyes to the world around me. It is such a phenomenal experience to be able to live and adapt between two cultures. Even though I deeply emerge myself into the American’s culture. Vietnam will always be close to my heart.…
Small town, middle of nowhere is what it felt like, but so big at the same time. My eyes couldn’t see past the city limit being so young. Waking up to the fresh smell of the National Beef plant was always pleasant. Looking around and seeing nothing but Mexicans made it feel like that was the only race. I loved the fact I was around all my family. I have a lot of relative’s so there was always something to do. My dad was busting his butt day and night working at the beef plant. My mom sold insurance so that was decent. I was very little and didn’t know much before we moved. As a kid, I never wanted to leave all my family behind and start a new life somewhere else. Even if it was only four hours away. I would always tell myself that I was going…
The following morning, dressed in somber clothes, we had a hurried breakfast before bundling ourselves into the car for the long journey. Grandpa lived in a small town about three hours from home. During the drive my family was sharing…
It all started out when my father had a call from his boss that he had to travel abroad to Italy to finish some work that the company assigned him to do. My father decided that he would take the whole family with him to see and feel the European life that Italy had in store. I wasn't hyped about it at first, I thought it would be a disaster, I felt that we wouldn't fit in. In the end I was convinced that it would be a nice change to visit and explore the very first European city that I would go for a trip to. When we arrived at the airport and were going to board the plane, I was surprised that there were tourists from everywhere around the world! Tourists which vary from the far Eastern-asian continent to the the very western part of africa. The airplane was striped Red and White and was spectacularly big. The inside was very advanced too, almost every seat had a television linked to it to watch movies! I was glad then that I would be occupied throughout the whole flight and not sleep out of boredom.…