Immigration Then and Now
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IMMIGRATION Then and NOW
Contents
2. When did you come to the U.S.?
3. What was your journey like?
5. What's the best thing about coming to the United States?
6. What's the biggest difference between your home country and the United States?
8. What advice would you give to other immigrants?
What's it like to be a modern immigrant? Recently, I talked with Gedion, Myint, and Quynh Thi, three young immigrants in St. Paul, Minnesota. As I got to know them, I wondered: How does their experience differ from that of immigrants a century ago? And how has immigration stayed the same over the years? Despite the challenges they face, they are an optimistic bunch. (They have that in common with immigrants from all eras in U.S. history.) My questions about their experiences got all kinds of answers.
In the early 1900s, the vast majority of new immigrants in the United States were from European countries. Today, things have changed.
GEDION: Ethiopia, from the city of Addis Abbaba. It's much bigger than here.
MYINT: Thailand, from a refugee camp. (Myint was born in Burma. Because her minority Karen-speaking ethnic group was persecuted in Burma, her family was forced to flee the country, first going to Thailand and then coming to the United States.)
QUYNH THI: I'm from Vietnam, and I speak Vietnamese.
A century ago, immigrants traveled on crowded ships, spending five or more days at sea. Upon arriving in the United States, they typically passed through the immigration station at Ellis Island in New York or Angel Island in California to have their documents checked, then traveled several more days by train to places such as Minnesota. These days, the journey is faster -- -usually by plane.
When did you come to the U.S.?
GEDION: I came on June 12, 2009.I was 16 years old. It is an important day for me. I actually celebrate it each year.
MYINT: When we were in Thailand, we got help from the United Nations -- food and help getting us permission to come here.
QUYNH THI: My family came to California first, and we didn't get any help from the government because we are not refugees. Our grandparents sponsored us. It's hard to live on your own without help. Every day I saw my parents get upset because they couldn't find a job. But here in Minnesota things are better.
Some things about being an immigrant haven't changed much over the last 100 years. If you're an immigrant, you're still the new and different kid on the block -- and that can be hard. You have to learn how things work and adjust to a new life.
GEDION: Yes, it was scary. I didn't know that much English, and I was afraid that I wouldn't have any friends. My parents said, "Just do your best and you'll get through it. The English will just come to you." And I think it's true. But when I first came here, it was really difficult to make a friend. I didn't usually go out then. I'd stay home and get bored. Now I go out more and have lots of fun.
One hundred years ago, all members of an immigrant family had to work to help make ends meet. Today, most immigrant kids go to school and enjoy greater freedom.
What's the best thing about coming to the United States?
QUYNH THI: Education. I like how the environment is in school. It's better. Also, it's easy to learn with the technology.
MYINT: My favorite thing to do? Just come to school.
What's the biggest difference between your home country and the United States?
MYINT: When we came here, if we wanted to travel, we didn't have to ask permission. In Thailand, if you don't ask permission to travel, they will catch you and you have to pay money.
GEDION: The education is different here. If you don't do your homework, you're not going to get punished. In [Ethiopia], you would get punishment. All the teachers have a stick or a rubber thing that they [use to] hit your hand.
The United States has long represented a land of opportunity. But many immigrants -- then and now -- have had to leave something important behind when they come here.
MYINT: Just my relatives. I just came with my aunt and uncle and cousin.
QUYNH THI: I miss my cousin, my friends, and my home country food, too. And when you're living here, you don't have the same relationship with your neighbor. Back home, you know everybody around you. Here, when someone is sick, you don't know who to ask for help.
GEDION: I miss my grandparents because I grew up with them. My parents came here earlier. I thought their English would be very good, but they don't have time to get an education. They just came here and got a job. Now I do most of the paying of the bills, reading, and translating things for them. I help my little brothers, too.
What advice would you give to other immigrants?
MYINT: To not give up. Try your best if you can.
QUYNH THI: Don't let other people change your mind. Keep looking forward.
This sounds like pretty good advice, whether you're an immigrant or not. Just as they did a century ago, immigrants today help to make this country great. They offer an example of how to deal with the scary stuff of life, embrace change, stay true to your roots, and learn from experience.
Many immigrants in the early 1900s came like this Polish teenager carrying his trunk on board a ship in 1907.
GEDION
MYINT
The immigrant journey-then and now-can be frightening. These young immigrants from Europe a century ago await a terry and a train to their final destination.
These immigrant children in 1911 did not go to school like Gedion, Quynh Thi, and Myint. They helped support their family by doing piecework.
American should not take their freedoms for granted.
RIGHT: Gedion (from Ethiopia), Quynh Thi (from Vietnam), and Myint (from Burma) all share the goal of getting a good job-after they've gotten an education. They're students at LEAP (ABOVE), a high school for English-language learners in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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By Gwenyth Swain
Gwenyth Swain is a writer for children, and she also works in a public library and a bookstore. She lives in a suburb west of Boston.
