Racism Reflection Essay
Fajr Sardini
04-14-2011
Reflection Paper Racism and Ethnic Profiling The melting pot of the world and the Mecca of dreams and opportunity; the United States of America was all that and more in my head when we decided we were going to move there as a family seven years ago. The week before the big move I couldn’t sleep just picturing the Hollywood lifestyle, the extravagant lights of Las Vegas, and the “fast lane” life of NYC. Needless to say my ambitions were too farfetched considering my knowledge of the way of living in the United States came from watching shows like Friends, Buffy the vampire slayer, and occasionally translated episodes of Oprah. All that did not stop me from dreaming and picturing all that glamour and all that *chill* lifestyle one could have. Our move was not because of financial or political reasons like many; it was as my father puts it “an educational step”. My father wanted my brother and I to have an American education which we then thought was better than what was offered in Syria, my country of origin. All that being said, the excitement of a 14 year’s old coming to America could not have been contained, and all that ended the minute we got off the plane. Once the plane landed and the pilot announced our arrival it hit me, we are here now and on to a new life. We made our way through the gate and on to the immigration booth to retrieve our bags and that’s where my struggle began. We were immediately pulled from the line, my father, my brother and I that are, and were escorted to a small windowless room. In confusion and not knowing how things are done we just followed instructions and did not argue and just went and waited in the room. Thirty minutes have passed now and we are still in there, the door is locked, my little brother anxious and in need to use the restroom and no one is there on the other side of the door to help us. Tension is now growing with my father, an ex-congressman and a TV celebrity in Syria
04-14-2011
Reflection Paper Racism and Ethnic Profiling The melting pot of the world and the Mecca of dreams and opportunity; the United States of America was all that and more in my head when we decided we were going to move there as a family seven years ago. The week before the big move I couldn’t sleep just picturing the Hollywood lifestyle, the extravagant lights of Las Vegas, and the “fast lane” life of NYC. Needless to say my ambitions were too farfetched considering my knowledge of the way of living in the United States came from watching shows like Friends, Buffy the vampire slayer, and occasionally translated episodes of Oprah. All that did not stop me from dreaming and picturing all that glamour and all that *chill* lifestyle one could have. Our move was not because of financial or political reasons like many; it was as my father puts it “an educational step”. My father wanted my brother and I to have an American education which we then thought was better than what was offered in Syria, my country of origin. All that being said, the excitement of a 14 year’s old coming to America could not have been contained, and all that ended the minute we got off the plane. Once the plane landed and the pilot announced our arrival it hit me, we are here now and on to a new life. We made our way through the gate and on to the immigration booth to retrieve our bags and that’s where my struggle began. We were immediately pulled from the line, my father, my brother and I that are, and were escorted to a small windowless room. In confusion and not knowing how things are done we just followed instructions and did not argue and just went and waited in the room. Thirty minutes have passed now and we are still in there, the door is locked, my little brother anxious and in need to use the restroom and no one is there on the other side of the door to help us. Tension is now growing with my father, an ex-congressman and a TV celebrity in Syria