Question 1: How old were you when you came to the United States?
Answer 1: I was only three to four years of age.
Question 2: How many brothers and sisters do you have?
Answer 2: I have four brothers and three sisters.
Question 3: Where were you born?
Answer 3: I was born in Italy.
Question 4: Where are your parents from?
Answer 4: My parents are from Sicily.
Question 5: Where are your grandparents from?
Answer 5: My grandparents are also from Sicily.
Question 6: What city were you originally born in?
Answer 6: I was born in Rome.
Question 7: How old are you now?
Answer 7: I am now 36 years of age.
Question 8: What is your native language?
Answer 8: My native language is the famous Italian language.
Question 9: How did it feel to leave Italy?
Answer 9: To me it felt very lonely and an afraid experience.
Question 10: Where is your family now?
Answer 10: The majority of my family is deceased.
Question 11: How old were you when they died?
Answer 11: I was 16 when they died.
Question 12: How did they die?
Answer 12: They died of being home sickness, I guess.
Question 13: How did you feel when your parents died?
Answer 13: I felt angry and devastated because I was left all alone.
Question 14: Do you have any children?
Answer 14: Yes, I do have children.
Question 16: How many children do you have?
Answer 16: I have two children.
Question 17: How old are they?
Answer 17: They are from the ages of 6 and 15.
Question 18: What sex are they?
Answer 18: One is a boy and one is a girl.
Question 1: How did you feel, when coming to the U.S.?
Answer 1: I felt excited, but kind of sad because I left family behind.
Question 2: Why did you come here?
Answer 2: I feel that America is the land of opportunities and I felt I would get better chance to educate myself and pursue a career.
Question 3: Did you think you would make a better living in the U.S.? Why?
Answer 3: Yes, because there's a lot of ways that I can invest my money to make money.
Question 4: Who did you come with?
Answer 4: I came to America with my best friend because he invited me.
Question 5: Is the government better here?
Answer 5: No, because there are more laws up here and I have to be steady dodging cops. I personally feel they are just trying to enforce laws on minorities.
Question 6: Do you make enough money?
Answer 6: I have a satisfying amount.
Question 7: Do you wish that your country was like the U.S.?
Answer 7: No, because my native land is special in its own little way. We have nice sandy white beaches, crystal clear blue water, very friendly people and caring neighbors who help each other out daily.
Question 8: Are you homesick?
Answer 8: Not really, I just miss my friends and family and my everyday activities which I enjoy so much.
Question 9: Are all your family and friends from your home town living with you in the U.S.?
Answer 9: No. Only about 5 out of 100.
Question 10: How is life different in the United States?
Answer 10: In New York the people are very rough. Their attitudes are at most times frigid. In my country, the people are very friendly and neighborly. Home sweet home is just home sweet home!
My Mother's Friend
by Krista Pierre
My mother's friend is an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies. One day her husband had a heart attack and died. He worked for the government. The money that she collected from the government pension wasn't enough to pay off the debts that built up while her husband was alive. Her house was taken from her and she went to live with a relative. Luck crossed her path when a friend invited her to America to seek employment
In 1982, she received a job as a housekeeper in the United States taking care of a sick relative. In 1983, her employer sponsored her for a green card. In 1985 her employer fired her because she did not need her anymore. Immigration denied her application because her employer pulled out her paper. She met a guy who was a citizen. He married her and petitioned for her to become a permanent resident. Today she is a legal resident. She went to school and became a Nursing Assistant in a hospital. Now she is seeking citizenship.
Immigration Story
Ethan Ashby
My immigration story is about my mother. She is from Mt. Pleasant, Carriacou, Grenada. She was raised by her mother because her father died when she was very young. Her aunt and uncle brought her to the United States on November 8, 1969. She came to the United States with three US dollars in her pocket. She lived with her aunt and uncle and worked two jobs while she was going to school.
Because she had a positive attitude, she finished school and got a job at a hospital as the recovery room nurse. She has been working there for seventeen years. This story shows that when you come to a new place you have to know what you are going to do.
