Immigration from the Philippines
In 1972 Wilma Padua migrated to the United States from the Philippines. After a few years, Wilma petitioned so her father could come to New York. Bernabe Padua landed a job at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He wanted all his children to come to the U.S. After three years, all of his four children except Cesar came. Their names were Alex, Terisita, Delia, and Ishmael. Wilma, my mother, worked as an accountant. My aunt Delia worked as a nurse. My uncle Alex worked as a machinist. My uncle Ishmael worked as an insurance underwriter.
Five years later, my father, two brothers, and I came to the United States. My trip to the U.S. was unforgettable. We encountered air pockets and air sickness, but it turned out okay. On the plane I had a mixed feeling of happiness and sadness. Sadness because I left my country and happiness because I was going to see my mom and other relatives.
We were met at the airport by my mother, uncles, and aunts. We were so glad to be in New York. The time was 8:00 p.m. in the evening. We weren't able to sleep that night. Why? Because we had so many questions on our minds. The next morning our grandfather took us around the city. We went to the Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center, and the Empire State Building. We were so amazed by the gigantic buildings and beautiful sights. However, I was also surprised the place was also dirty. After two weeks, my mother enrolled us in our new school. There we met new friends. The school was entirely different from the schools in the Philippines.
Immigration from China
My family is from mainland China from a village in Canton. My parents worked very hard during their teenage years. They had to be pulled out of school and worked on farms. My parents escaped China together by swimming to Hong Kong. Two years later the government sent a letter to them allowing them to come to America legally. In 1980, my parents got on a plane in Hong Kong. It was very frightening because they did not know anyone on the plane. They wondered what the land of opportunity, America, would be like. Many hours later they arrived. They were very scared, but as soon as they saw my uncle they were filled with joy.
Immigration from Trinidad
Faced with threat of starvation because of a dwindling economy, my family and I were forced to flee our "Tropical Paradise"--Trinidad and Tobago. We left our new house, our blue water, and white sandy beaches, our calypso music and steel bands, and all the familiar faces of family and friends. We came to the cold, unknown U.S.A. We brought few personal belongings, no favorite toys, no family pictures; nothing to alert immigration that we meant to stay. The threat of deportation was better than the threat of starvation. We were a family of seven starting all over again in a strange country, where we knew no one, had no home, and no job. Many tears were shed as we thought of our home so far away. My father, who worked in an office all of his life, started washing cars to feed his family. My mother, a former bank teller, worked in a store for $3.00 an hour. We lived in a dark, gloomy basement. That was eight years ago. Now things are much better for my family. My dad has a well paying job as a machinist and we live in our own home and are legal residents of America. This is home to us.
Immigration from Colombia
In Colombia, my father and mother were poor. Even though my mother was pregnant, they went through some days without one bite of food. With all these problems, they started thinking that their children should have a better life. That's when they started making plans to come to America. Working hard and saving up, they had enough money for at least one person to make the trip. My mother was pregnant with her second child. She knew that she could lose her baby but she took the risk. She left her daughter with my father and my grandparents. She took a plane from Colombia to the Bahamas, and stayed over night to rest. She had to hide on a small island near there; then she switched boats to go to Florida. A guy was supposed to drive her and a few other people to New York. Since this was illegal, the people who took them were supposed to know their way around, but they got lost. This trip took longer then it was supposed too, but my mother did not worry. When they got to South Carolina they got a flat tire on the expressway. They never thought they could get help, but they did. My mother said that it's like "they were saints from God." She gave them all her money so they could buy her a new tire, not knowing if they were going to come back. All she could do was wait and see what would happen. They actually came back with exact change. After that incident, they went on their way to New York. When they reached their destination everyone went their own way. My mother looked for a job. The only job she could get was cleaning up after people.
She worked for months trying to save up to get my father to come before I was born. My father came through Central America. They had to sleep in woods to hide. Once he had to stay in a freezer where they kept meat. He tells me that they had to stay in a luggage department of a bus. Sometimes they fit so many people in a crowded place that some people got sick or fainted. The first time that he tried to come here, he got caught and had to pay to get out of jail. To make a long story short, he finally made it and he never regrets making this long journey.
Immigration from Portugal
My mom and dad met in the town called Silva in Portugal. They dated and then got married a few years later. I was born January 17, 1982. My parents decided to move from Portugal to have a better life for all of us here in America. On March 23, 1985, we came here legally. The first people to come to America was my father's brother, my uncle, aunt, and cousin. My cousin helped us learn and practice our English. She also helped us with our homework. When my mom and dad first came here my mom worked at a factory and my dad worked in construction. Now my mom watches children at home and my dad still works in construction. I am very proud of them.
