unknownamericans

[unknownamericans]

My name is Carlos Rivera; I am 29, and I live in Santa Rosa in the State of California. I am from El Salvador, a country located in the Central America. I have five brothers and 3 sisters.

I have always desired coming in the United States for education. First I told my father that a wanted to cross the line illegally, but my father did not want me to come to the United State illegal. And then he summited a request for, few years later I finally received my visa that allows me to come to this county legally. I came in 2007, it was amazing, I could say inside of me, and at last I did it. In the beginning everything was fine because I remember when they first took me to the store to get some new clothes. Days went by and I started missing my mother because due to that my father was not married with her, he could not requested her visa. In the beginning It was really hard because I felt alone in my father’s house,  I didn’t have friend, all my friends were in El Salvador. I remember that in the beginning I did not want to go to the store because I felt strange with different culture, different language, and different people. It was everything new to a boy that was not prepared to come to the United Stated, but he wanted to come because some people did not say the true of this country. I remember people visiting El Salvador, they talked about how beautiful America was. After hearing these people talking and spending money that they had earned here, I realized that on this country everything was amazing.

As soon as I came here I started looking for a job because I wanted to help my mother. I started working for Amy’s Kitchen as a cook, they offered me they only shift they had available at that time. I started at 3am in the morning, in was hard because I lived 10 miles from Amy’s. I wake up around 1 am and then drive my bicycle to my new job. As soon as I save some money, bought my first 94 VMW, it was my fist car after my bicycle. After three year later I realized that I had to learn English. I started taking classes, but my father did not want me to go to school because he want me to get to jobs. I left my house and started living with some friend that I knew at Amy’s.

Few year later I met Karla the mother of my daughter. I bought my house and then few years later we decided to separate ourselves. Now I am a single father, taking care my daughter every other week. I still working at Amy’s and now I work as a proses improvement coordinator.

After all that happened I realize that come to the United Stated was the best choose I have ever had in my life.

- Carlos Rivera

[unknownamericans]

Hello my name is Francisco Ventura, I’m from a little town name it, Copala, Guerrero, Mexico. Destiny brought me to Los Angeles CA, back in 1997 and personal decision concerning education of my kids, makes me move my family to Santa Rosa CA.

Never was in my plan to come to United States of America. I was a student in the Autonomous University of Guerrero (UAG). However, when I get to Los Angeles I thought things will be easy. Language was the first barrier I find in my way to success and most important, to find a productive job to feed my family. One of the bad things that I found in here for my community. People in US think or believe, because we Hispanic. Our intellect is lower compare to them. They don’t realize that lately more people who is coming to US, have University backgrounds and some of them have degrees. Although we want to integrate ourselves to American community, we still feel rejected from Anglo community.

- Francisco Ventura

[unknownamericans]

My name is Reika Takayanagi. I am 19 years old and from Shizuoka, Japan. I am living in Santa Rosa, California. My hometown is in the middle of Japan and a small town. My father and mother are living in Shizuoka, and my brother is living in Tokyo which is a capital city of Japan. The reason why I am in the United States is that I want to study sports science in the United States. The Japanese education is said high level, but the education of the United States is still much better than the education of Japan, especially kinesiology field. I planned to go to a university in Japan, but I could not find a university which fits me. I decided to study in the United States. My father and mother agreed with me and supported me. They always tell me do what I want and what I have to. My brother was very surprised that I want to go to the United States because I was shy and liked to stay home. My relatives were also surprised, but they supported me. Nobody opposed me and everybody backed me up. I am very appreciate that my family is warm-hearted and kind. After graduated from my high school, I left my family in Japan and went to a language school in San Rafael, California. This is my first time to live alone and I did know how to cook, wash dishes, do laundry, and clean my room. My mother did everything for me when I was in Japan. I got homesick and cried every day. I missed my family so bad. My mother advised me how to live alone. This advice helped me so much, and I could get used to live without my family. Then I graduated from the language school, I started to go to a college in Santa Rosa. I cannot keep up with my classes sometimes, but I can stay being positive now because I know my family and relatives support me and cheer me up. I cannot wait for seeing them next time, and I want to show them how much I have grown up. This is my motivation of my study.

-Reika Takayanagi

[unknownamericans]

My name is Ai Vo. I come from Viet Nam. I am 37 years old, and now I live in Santa Rosa, CA. I have been in the US for four years. When I first immigrated in the USA, life to me was very precarious. I was totally shocked by the culture, the lifestyle, traffic, American food, environment, weather, different time, and everything here. I was in my thirties then, so it was a dramatic change for me as well as my family. This change was the biggest in my life.

When I was in Viet Nam, I had a lot of friends, jobs, relationships, hobbies, and I have known many places. However, first time in the US, I was unemployed. I did not have friends, and I knew nothing about this country. I felt like I had lost all my previous life, my memory, even my work experience and skills. I had to start from the beginning again. During the first days, we lived together with the whole big family, in a two bedroom house with only one bathroom for ten adults and three kids. We had to stand in lines to go to the bathroom every morning. I remember that my life was so fleeting and seemed temporary. Sometimes, I thought I had made a wrong decision to move to the US. However, as time has passed by, my wife and I have tried to adapt to the new culture and society here.

           Now, my wife and I are back in school to study English to improve our writing and speaking skills; we have good jobs, and we have moved in a better house. I am gradually adapting to new culture. The traffic here was very interesting. I like the weather and environment here. My son goes the preschool and enjoys his class. He can speak English. My wife loves to go shopping. Everything is very good for us. I really appreciate my life now for what a flimsy period of life I experienced.

-Ai Vo

[unknownamericans]

“El otro lado”.

I can’t describe the cringe and the indescribable feeling I felt every time I used to hear that word. “They’re coming next week mijo”, my mom used to say. Is not that I didn’t like the idea, in fact, I remember liking so much the things they would give me every time they would come over. But the way they showed it off, driving their big, expensive and American-looking cars, and the fact that I knew that they didn’t went to school and decided to just go the easy way and make money, made me feel utterly uncomfortable. Of course they had their reasons and I don’t blame them, it was all they had.

My family come from a very small town called Tumbiscatio, located in the state of Michoacan. You may have heard of it, and I’m not very proud of what people talk about it. I was always the weird one in the family, the different, the one that didn’t like “rancheras”, or that traditional music that my family would dance to in parties. I was the one that would sit in the corner of the hall and enjoy my own space. Always alone, just how I like it.

It didn’t changed too much when I came to the United States. I was supposed to go to school or that is what I was told. The truth is, once I got here, all that I heard from everyone around me was work, work and work. There was no time for anything else. My family did try to enroll me in the school, unfortunately I needed to have lived at least 1 year in California in order to be considered a resident, so classes would have been way more expensive than they are now.

The transition wasn’t really difficult. I already knew the language as I took English lessons in Mexico. People often say that my accent sounds funny, like European, but it is a mixing of many different teachers I had during school days in Mexico.

Probably the hardest thing I had to deal with was the fact that my family expected so much from me. A Medical student that came to America to work in sales, is not exactly what they expected, but is the best I could get.

I keep myself up, every day I think, I have no one but me.

- Paul

[unknownamericans]

My name is Philippe Kodjale; I am 20, and I live in Santa Rosa in the State of California. I am from Ivory Coast, a country located in the west part of Africa. I have two brothers and sisters.

I have always desired coming in the United States for education, given the undeniable excellent resources and the good training quality that this country offers in this domain like any other one as well.  So, after I got my high school degree, my parents planned to send me here since I told them that I had always been interested in pursuing my higher education in the United States. And this desire became concrete on January 5th  that this the day on which  I put my feet on the American land for the first time. It was amazing, I could say inside of me, at last I did it. It  is was  a new page of the book of my life that  turned on that day and so left behind a big story. I couldn’t wait to start the classes. I wanted to start  the earliest that I would be possible; I was so exhilarated and motivated. Then I registered for my classes the week after in Business Administration in Santa Rosa Junior College.

After two months had past I started feeling alone than I could feel when I first came here. I started missing a lot of things from my country like food, my friends, my church and obviously my parents as well. And sometimes, it happens to me to be sad and sullen when I realize that I have no one I can share the things from my country with started because I have no family here. In fact, I have no family. I just have some a lot of friends from Ivory Coast who also live here but in different states.

- Philippe Kodjale

[unknownamericans]

My mom is from Guadalajara Mexico and my dad from Michoacán Mexico but they met in the United States after they got together they had me and they decided to move to Mexico where all my dad’s family lived. After that my family and I lived in Irapuato Guanajuato Mexico but my dad worked in the U.S. I lived with my mom and my little sister in the house my dad built for us. He used to only visit us a few times a year and just for a few weeks. We decided to move to the United States to be closer to him. I was the first one to arrive so I had to live with my aunt, uncle and their three daughters while my mom and sister came so we could all move to live with my dad. It was really hard because I felt alone in a place I didn’t know with people that didn’t even speak my language. I had to go to school for about 5 months after that my mom came and we finally moved with my dad. My parents enrolled my sister and I in school my dad worked and my mom stayed home to clean and cook for us. At first it was hard to adjust I just wanted to go back to Mexico. All of our neighbors were really friendly and we also had family that helped us adjust to our new home. Know that I think back I’m really glad my parents decided to move here. I realized that I have a better life and better opportunities to become who I want to be.

- Adela Calderon

[unknownamericans]

Many of us came to U.S. for different reasons and with different perspectives about how we can live a better life. For me it was the door to have a better education and eventually to have the fruits of my hard work. But I never realized how difficult the cultural shock will affected me for the rest of my life. I was only 20 years old when I came to U.S. without the knowledge of English and the communication with the people around me was hard plus the adaptation to a different culture me feel lost in this new world. To overcome the language it took me years of school and practice which I will never regret because it have open many opportunities to have a better paid job. I came with hunger of knowledge and I was ready to face any obstacles to accomplish my goal. In my native country I had the dream to become a Psychologist but the cero opportunities and the poverty that I suffered my entire life make me quit my dream to realize my goal. When I came to U.S. in 1990 I took the first real job in a fast food restaurant it was the moment of true and I have to learn English. I went to Adult School in the mornings for six months later on I stared in SRJC taking formal English classes. It was the best moment in my life because even I didn’t plan to star school that sooner it was the opportunity for me to begin with my plans to made a career in this country. But destiny has other plans for me my personal problems were taking most of my energy to stay in school to finish my dream even worst I got sick and I had  three surgical procedures and treatment at the same time in one year. That situation drained all my hopes and expectative that I have for my future.  But the same destiny that once take me out of my plans now it backs again and it gave me another chance to finish what I left unfinished fifteenth years ago. Even though I don’t have the right age to finish my goal I feel that this is my opportunity to accomplish my dream in other area. I know that the road has not been easy and it won’t be I have determination and hope to success this time because this is my time.

- Patricia Gutierrez

[unknownamericans]

I came from beautiful country, Iran. I used to leave in the historical city of Iran named Esfahan. I was very wealthy in my country I had everything. I came to United State in summer of 2012 without any plan. I got my green card and came with my family to one of the town in California, named Petaluma. I decided to stay here and get my education from one of the top university of California. Next year is my last year of college and I’m so happy about it and I can transfer to university next year. I am study business administration and I really enjoy what I chose to study.

When I came here I didn’t know any English to speak. It was very hard at the first six month because I wouldn’t be able to talk to anyone. I was work hard to learn, watching English lesson in YouTube, reading book in English, chatting with fiend, got a job at restaurant to make a conversation with people and etc. But now I really enjoy leaving here because I used to it and I knew how to speak English to my friends. I think it’s hard for all the people that they leave their country and they want to leave in a different country.  

I like to finish the school and get my degree fast and find a good job. I don’t know if I want to stay here or going back to my country but it depends on the future. I rally want’s my family living somewhere not too far from me because my family it’s my first reason that where I want to leave. I want to make my own company of import export after I got expires after few year working in some places. I don’t want to work for someone all my life.

In all I can say when you want to do something you need to work hard for it and make it possible and never give up.

- Erfan Nematbakhsh

[unknownamericans]

As a young child, it wasn’t my choice to move to the United States, but I sure was exited to embark on a new adventure. After a few years moving from one place to another, we landed in Northern California. We got to a small town, much like my hometown in Mexico, but the only problem was that it was too quiet. No bells to call for mass, no fireworks every weekend to celebrate a saint, no street vendors, no kids playing on the streets, the town simply felt dead. I started noticing how much I was missing my hometown, my family, my friends, and the things we couldn’t take along. Even though I was young, I could tell how different our lives were in Mexico, from the one we were starting in this country. I saw my parents and my brother work crazy hours every day, commuting for hours back and forth to works, to be able to make enough to pay the bills for the month. It wasn’t easy to struggle to make ends meet, but now I know that it was for a greater reason. I learned that if I work hard for something, I can be able to appreciate the achievement much deeply. Now, I have the opportunities that my parents wanted me to have, by coming to the United States. I have the culture, and traditions that have helped me adapt to this country, and made me able to not forget where I came from.

- Iliana Mejia-Morales

[unknownamericans]

I’ve lived here in Sonoma CA. for about 7 years now. I can’t say I have my own house and I'm wealthy, but I live comfortably fine. My parents decided to come here for a better future a better living. But we had our own house and we were leaving okay. My parents though it was going to be better for us if we left everything behind and start fresh in a new place. But of course everyone struggles coming here. Specially with the language, how are you going to communicate?. If you can't talk English you basically can't do anything around here. You feel worthless and desperate. I saw how my parents struggle to get a job and feed us, It wasn't easy for them.

Everyday is a struggle for people like us the Unknown Americans. But you find ways to survive in the new world. I was about fourteen years old when I got here and now I’m about to turn twenty-one. My life now is. . . Well what can I can say I got pregnant at eighteen and had a beautiful child named Brandon, his one year old already and I have my little family now. My life in the U.S is barely starting, we all build our home step by step. I can’t say does steps are going to be easy, but you’ll get through them as you keep walking forward. You never look back!

- Nahomi Perez

[unknownamericans]

My name is Hector I am from a small village call “Aguacaliente” of Jalisco Mexico. Nobody teach you how to survive, faith, and work hard once you decide to immigrate to another country you have to be able to learn all those qualities. The poverty of my family and economy situation of my country makes me leave my loved country Mexico. My story starts here I was in the last year of the High School and I really want to go to the university but when I tell my parents that my dream was to finish a career. They said, “We cannot support you economically if your dream is to study you have to work hard and make that happen.” I took those words in my mind and I take the decision to immigrate to the United States. Immigrating to the United States was the only solution I see at that moment I hear stories of many people coming to the United States and make a lot of many. I just put that idea in my mind and I decide to leave all the things and places in which I was growth my parents, my brothers, and my friends. That was a hard decision I ever make in my life.

The first day living in the United States was very hard for me because I didn’t imagine that king a life, a life without my parents, friends, and brothers. I was living a lonely life here. Nobody can support me, nobody with who can I talk or spent time doing some activity. I started working in the vineyards picking grapes, every day I have to wake up early prepare my food and wait for somebody to pick me up and be able to go to the vineyards and work. Living at that way sometimes makes me think to get back to my country because I came here with the idea to study a career but my situation here was really complicated. I was living a real life where I have to do all on my own, not the kind of life that most people talk in my little village or the stories that American movies portrait on television. For example, like living in a beautiful house and having everything easy like expensive clothes and beautiful cars all those stories were not true.

I didn’t go back to my country but my idea of finishing a career was still in my mind. I learned the language it was not easy but I did, I get a better job, and now I am taking classes for my career that is to become a nutritionist. I am very happy of all the opportunities that this country has for us. But I miss my family I have living in the United States for eight years but I wish one day no longer would be able to see my family again.

- Hector Diaz

[unknownamericans]

My family and I came from Jalisco Mexico. My dad has been living   here in the United States for a long time by himself and it was really hard for us because even though he is legal because of his work he couldn’t travel to Mexico a lot. We hardly saw him. My little sister didn’t even know him. It was like if we didn’t have a dad he was here in the United States working a lot while we were in Mexico by ourselves. Although my dad wasn’t with us we were happy because we were with other people from my family such us my grandparents. They help us to not feel alone without my dad.  Later on, he wanted us to come to live here with him, so we could have a better education.  At first I didn’t think that it was a good idea, but now I see that it was the best I could do because in this country we have a lot of opportunities that we can’t have in Mexico. When I first came to the United States it was really hard to get used to it. I felt alone in this country in Mexico I was used to be with my grandparents and in here just my mom, my dad, and my siblings. Also, in Mexico everyone spoke the same language and I could understand everyone and in the United States we have to get used to a new language. Everything was new for us.

I had faced a lot of things since I moved to the United States. Sometimes I didn’t even want to talk to my dad because I felt that he was the responsible of all my problems for bringing us to this country. I used to think that why we’re struggling here with the money and paying rent when in Mexico we have our own house and we could live comfortable. Now I can see and understand my dad that everything he did was because he wanted the best for us. I think that it was worth it to go through a lot of things in this country because you can grow as person and understand more things. Also that it was the best to come to live here at the United States because we can have more opportunities because this country offers a lot of things that we are not able to have in our country.

- Maria Juaregui

[unknownamericans]

My name is Veronica; I’m from Michoacán, Mexico. I move to the United States when I was 11 years old. In 2000 my dad got green cards for the whole family he wanted to bring us because he said there will be better opportunities for us.  We live in Arkansas, we started going to school my parents worked in a poultry plant. At first it was hard getting use it is a whole new country and different cultural and don’t speak the language. We left a four bedroom home and big yard to live in a two bedroom apartment and no yard. The first 3 years where the more difficult because your learning English and trying to comprehend everything  after that is was hard but not as much because u understand a little more and you are getting used to living here. I was my parent’s translator for everything, even though I live in a different state from my parents I still translate for them make appointments and help them with whatever they need. I graduate high school, move to California , got marry and have two kids a boy who is 7 years old and a girls who is 1 years 7 month. When I had my son I decide to go to college and got my CNA license I work at a group home taking care of people with disabilities. After that I wait it a while and I’m back at college hoping that one day I will become a nurse. Is hard now going back to college because I have a full time job and my kids, my husband support me on whatever I wanted to do, but is hard because there is rent and bill that need to be paid. I won’t give up even if I just take a class per semester it means that I will take longer to achieve my goal but at the end will be worth it.

- Veronica Pedraza

[unknownamericans]

I am Allen Fu from Beijing, China. If you ask me why come to America. The answer may relate to my love-basketball. While I was a 13 years old, I saw the NBA finals at the first time. At that moment, I fell in love with this amazing sport. So I continue play basketball for more than 14 years. Maybe somebody think it just a boring game, but for me basketball is almost like my girlfriend. Last summer, I had an opportunity to come Santa Rosa Junior college for further study. It sounds like my dream will finally come true. What is more, I can see my favorite player- Kobe Bryant as well. All these things which I dreamed many times at China will be real. Plus, I have already seen two Kobe’s games and two Curry’s games. That’s really awesome to see the superstar play in front me rather than watch TV at home. And the atmosphere in the stadium is so impressive for a real fun. I think that’s the reason why I want to be here!            Nowadays, I study in Santa Rosa Junior College right now. And I enjoyed the life here. I felt really comfortable living in California because the weather here is perfect and the people here are very nice. For me, I hope I can have a job in a winery in the future. Therefore, I worked really hard in my viticulture courses. More importantly, I have finance now so I must take the responsibility for our future which means I have to try my best to realize my dream as soon as possible. Honestly, I consider that everybody hope to live a brighter life, especially in America. People in America can fulfil their dream more easily than any other countries in the world. That’s the key point why people want to be here.

- Allen Fu

[unknownamericans]

My family came from Iran to the United States of America. My dad was born in Isfahan, while my mom was born in Tehran. My dad came here alone, at the young age of 17. He came to get a better education and life for his family. He had to work countless different jobs, just to get himself through school. He told me that he faced a lot of troubles during that time, and living in Minnesota didn’t help much. He was not used to the language, the weather, or the people. He learned what discrimination felt like. My mother came to this country to live with her sister. My father soon finished school and went to live with his brother. My parents eventually met in Nebraska, and got married and moved to California. After a few years, they had their first child, my sister. Three years later, in 1997, I was born. As every person of a different race probably feels, we are forced to live with a double consciousness. Through one eye, we have our own view of ourselves. Through the other, we see through the perspective of the people around us. It is a blessing but also a curse, as it can affect you negatively or positively. My parents live with it, and I do too. We do our best to keep our culture and traditions alive, despite the ever changing world around us. There are always people that don’t view us as Americans, and that we need to go back to our homeland, even though we have just as much a right to be here as they do. I feel that they feel this way because they don’t have a double consciousness, so they don’t know that the things they say or think are hurtful. It is up to us to face it head on, and don’t let the 2nd eye affect us.

- Nima Shadzi

[unknownamericans]

I played the piano and violin in Taiwan. I owned a house and a car in Taiwan. I was wealthy in Taiwan. Yet twelve years ago I was made to leave that life in Taiwan. I was brought here with my siblings from a place that still holds all my family and culture. I lived an imperfect life but we came here with the mindset that we can be better and have that perfect American life.

It’s what we saw as the greatest land, America. Everyone is fighting for a chance to be there. Now I am here, with the slight luck by a draw with my dad’s name on it. We were given green cards and passports, while people stared as if we won the lottery. The lottery holds a price for our efforts and grits, and where every day is a living battle.

Here was not what we imagined. We came here to live on living room floors? And garages? I remembered moving continuously, sleeping on mattresses that people thrown out, eating with only two dishes with half a bowl of rice, and translating from English to Chinese every day and night. Why did we come to be pitied and looked down upon? To be called “Disgrace” simply because we didn’t know English, can’t hold a job or have straight A’s in school.

We came because it was the hope for a better and brighter future; a future that was unreachable in Taiwan. My parents wanted an education for me and my siblings. He dreams of an education that extended overseas because he believes that one day we can have the ability to do what we want.

I have faced a lot of adversity after moving to America: living off by paychecks to paychecks, my mom had colon cancer, and my dad working 7 days a week so we can afford what we needed.  I’ve carried many burdens of being my parents’ representative, translator, hands, and eyes. I can’t rely on my parents because I’m theirs to depend on. Nevertheless I’ve worked hard for a 4.04 GPA, to be captain on my school’s Varsity team and to complete over 200 hours of community-service, and soon to a four year university. So I feel like I won the lottery because this life has opened my eyes to the endless opportunities and taught me what effort can do in America.

- Alice Hsieh