Immigrant's Journey

Welcome. A single word on the carpet by the door greets me whenever I come home. There had been times where that one word made my heart beat and cry with joy. But not now, for many things changed through the years. Now when I look at this carpet, I instead question back: ‘Do you really mean that?’

“Oh no,” whispered mother with her handed across her mouth. “What are we going to do?”

Hello reader, I’m about to tell you a story of some of my life. I am not normally one to volunteer details about myself, which I’ll remain somewhat reserved or completely leave some events out of this autobiography. Nonetheless, I believe I can still make my story interesting for the reader. I was born 1979, in Tampa, Florida; which, is also the same day my biological father decided to leave my mother and I. My mother isn’t a native Floridian, but had moved there with her family when she was still an infant, and had spent most of her life growing up in Florida. Needless to say, my father leaving was not an exciting time for my mother and I. Although she was employed Jimmy Cater was president and had taken the nation into

I was born on january/31/1919 in Vietnam and immigrated to France. In 1942 I was studying at the university in Nice, where I met a fellow student, Jadwiga Alfabet, a Jewish refugee from Poland. In the summer of 1942 the French police began arresting Jews with foreign nationality. In September 1943 the Germans occupied Nice and all the Italian controlled zones and we were in danger of deportation. I decided to hide not only my wife, but also her relatives. In November 1943 I took a train with a few of my wife's relatives to get them in touch with a smuggler who could take them to Switzerland, I made this trip several

Humanity is ever so much more complicated than one could have ever imagined. Humans can thrive on change, but ultimately look for something to declare as home. In search of this home people travel long distances and risk everything they have. When an American contemplates the word immigrant, one imagines the countless people from Mexico crossing into our country or the refugees that hope to make this country their home. What eludes most of us, however, is the reality that most people were, at one point, immigrants to this country and that our forefathers came here exactly the same as refugees come today. What is brought to mind when I hear the word immigrant is hope and perseverance. I remember the countless people who have traveled here

I was so terrified. All I could think was how I was going to continue working with my finger bleeding and being in so much pain. The other children who were working with me ran and got towels to try and stop the blood and at one point it had finally stopped bleeding. I couldn’t wait to go home to my parents. I was so anxious to just get out of this factory and get some rest, it had been a long day full of misery and pain. The owners of the factory told me “You’ll be fine, come in tomorrow by 7 am, don’t be late!” I had no choice but to come in the next day, I couldn’t afford to lose this job because I had lost a part of my finger. I know that from that day on, I had to be really cautious and work slower to protect myself from being harmed again. I had come to realize that numerous companies similar to the cotton mill wanted children my age because our hands were tiny and swift enough to do work those elder employees could not do and that’s why they needed me. Even though we children did as much work as our parents did, what we got paid was lesser than what our parents were getting. My mother and father were struggling to make a living, working so much that I hardly saw them. We would all go out in the morning, kiss each other goodbye and come back at dark in our overpopulated home.

With the settlement of first immagrants to America, this has been the phrase in which they preach. I seemed to those from an outside perspective of America, that this was the place to be. This was no exception for my grandfather. His valuable lessons of dedication, persistence and passion have shaped me into the person that I have become.

Living a good life as an immigrant in America is a big challenge. In fact, getting a reasonable life is not easy in many countries around the world, but as an immigrant in the United States that involves huge determinations. Thus, anyone who decides to move to another place or community should expect to face many challenges. Most of the time, an immigrant’s reason(s) for leaving their country is based on a hard life for some without figuring out that life in the USA might be harder as well as a better life for others who may have a good life in their motherland. Generally, they are all disappointed by what they encounter. Denis Hunt, a director of Multi-cultural Human Services, a Falls Church, Virginia-based organization that helps immigrants adjust to life in the United States, said “the issues immigrants face can be even more daunting. Most immigrant parents who arrive in new communities are faced with immediate challenges to their survival, including securing a job, finding a place to live, buying food, and enrolling their children in school" (“US immigrants face new challenges”). Despite this situation, it is conceivable for immigrants regardless their origin, to live a good life in America. However, it cannot happen merely by snapping their fingers; massive efforts are required, including working hard, learning English, resolving transportation issues, understanding of the culture, and getting

When I was 14 years old my father come to my room and told me that we were going to move to the United States. In a year, my father got everything we needed, so we can move to the United States. Our passport, the L1 that is the work visa, is the one my father got, he buy a house, and all of other stuff. The day that we travel was 2010 when I was 15 years old. We came here withouth anything we only have a house and ourselves. When we arrive home we didn’t have a bed, so we sleep in a airbed for like two weeks, while we buy the furniture. In a month we bought the beds, some sofas, a car, and some other things. A year later we have been buying a lot of new things to decorate the house. Also,

Think about life now and then let me tell you about it back then. Immigration is the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. Immigration was a negative experience for people coming to America.

Another thing that was very detailed in this chapter was the immigrants overall journey and experience while traveling. Due to the many attempts they go through because they are caught and deported various times along the way they eventually learn tricks and shortcuts in the streets and on the trains. Enrique and many of the other immigrants have an idea of which paths to take and they know where they’ll find bandits, gangs, and police and therefore they try to avoid them at all costs. They are also aware of the residents in the towns and whether they’d be more sympathetic towards them and help them out or whether they will send them away with nothing to eat. The immigrants also know that if they ask for food by themselves rather than in groups

Around 1790 and 1820 the United States population doubled more than 10 million people. Fewer than 250,000 people entered the United States. Immigration began to increase soon after the time the Napoleon's last defeat. Competing shippers which needed payloads in the westbound. Frequently transatlantic low enough fares. Which could make imigrashon affordable. Immigrants soon were interested in what was the prospect of a more bigger and better land. Which included higher wages which they saw as a never ending economic opportunities. Europe looked like they were soon going to run out of room. So a lot of immigrants were migrating to America because of how it looked like Europe soon would be full of immigrants. Many of people were taken from

I have never been fond of the question, “Where are you from?” It often led me into a paradox of confusing answers that nearly always led to more questions. However, I have always been fond of the reason why I avoid answering that question. Through the years, I never truly grew my “roots” in a place, but it did not disadvantage me. Instead, I believe it enabled me to become a person who appreciates and understands the significance of diversity.

Ellie and I lay in our beds, neither one of us knew what to say. In the other room, our host parents were arguing. We didn’t know what about, but we knew it was serious. Then we heard a “THWACK” followed by silence. Ellie and I sat up in our beds and looked at each other, I could tell she was as scared as I was. “Was that? Did he just?” she asked me. Then the arguing started back up again. We calmed back down until we heard it again. “THWACK” We knew then, the noise we heard, was him beating her. We got up, our hearts racing; neither of us knew what to do. We got our nerves together to go get help. When we opened the door to our room we saw the children sitting on the couch crying out for their mother. I could see the fear in their face and I knew something needed to change.

Amid the early days of America, countless immigrants came to the United States in pursuit of freedom, liberty, opportunity and equality that the United States offered those who were in pursuit of better lives. Immigrants sought the United States for it offered many opportunities such as property, jobs, and a new life. America is the land of the free, and the land with many cultures.