Confronting Problems

Confronting Problems

    Even though the United States is not perfect, many people still dream of immigrating to this country. In 1965, the Civil Rights Movement emphasized equality for all and opposed racial discrimination. It brought society's attention to racial equality and led American society to realize that discriminatory policies were unreasonable. Therefore, it influenced the United States to cancel multiple quotas on immigration and allow immigrants’ family members to bring their relatives to the country. Consequently, many Chinese families in my hometown, Taishan, immigrated during this period because their relatives could sponsor them. Thus, my family also had this opportunity since my aunt was already living in the United States, and she was able to apply for my family. At the same time, my family believed that living in the United States would give us a better life, but on the other hand, the experiences of immigration give many challenges for both my family and me.

    After moving to the United States many years ago, I tended to keep silent even though I used to be easygoing back home. I knew the first thing I needed to deal with was learning English, and it took me a long time to get comfortable with the language. When I was in high school, it was difficult for me to remember names. I still remember the first day of the semester. The teacher started a game in which everyone introduced themselves and remembered the names of those who went before. After I heard that, I felt like the sky had fallen. From my perspective, I thought the pronunciation of the names had no memorable points or anything I could relate to. Moreover, it was hard to communicate with others, so I often felt lonely. At first, I had no idea what my classmates were talking about, and I did not know what social media they used. As a result, during lunch, while my classmates were sitting and chatting together, I was always by myself.

    In addition, immigration changed how I stayed connected with my relatives from Jiangmen, China, who are my mother’s family. When I was in China, every summer break, my mother would take me to Jiangmen to visit our relatives, and we would stay there until the new school semester began. Because my grandfather loved me the most from all my cousins, he often took me to the little shop to buy ice cream. Therefore, I could keep in touch with them in person. Nowadays, I can no longer spend time with them. Instead, I use video calls or text messages on social media to chat with them. During the new year, I could only greet them by my phone. I rarely got to enjoy the happiness of celebrating with my family and receiving red envelopes, which are given by elders to juniors in Chinese custom to express their wishes for good luck.

       Apart from this, two years ago, I separated from my father, and my mother and I moved to Chicago. In my family, my mother took care of most of the financial responsibilities. One day, when my father was walking down the stairs, he twisted his ankle. After that, he had not been working for a long time. He often stayed at home and watched television. Although he got better, it was hard for him to find a job. He knew nothing about English. Furthermore, my aunt, who is my father’s second sister and helped my family immigrate, was often unkind to my mother. When they talked about things like the financial, my aunt always reproached that it was my mother’s fault because she was on her brother’s side. As a result, my mother suffered a lot in this family and felt disappointed in her husband. She decided to move to Chicago from Ohio, so we could have some space between her and me.

       Overall, immigration brought many challenges and changes to my family. We struggled with language, our communication pattern changed, and some family problems developed. Immigration not only changed the future development of our family but also allowed us to gain a wider perspective and explore different aspects of this country. As I grew older and adapted to my life in Chicago, I have learned how to solve these problems. I have also learned how to help my mother share some of her burdens. Finally, my journey is not over yet; there are still many things in this world waiting for me to explore, learn, and experience.