The Reality of Immigrants

The Reality of Immigrants

Essay I:

It was March 22, 2001, in Guangdong China.2001 was the year that Beijing won the 2001 Olympics games and China became a member of the World Trade Organization. This was also the year that changed someone's life in a small village called Hui Siang. The rain poured heavily on March 22. It was midnight when Xiu Yi felt it was time for the baby to come out. Inside the cold empty hospital, her husband paced back and forth with shaking legs hoping the hours would go by fast outside the emergency room. On the other side of the room, Xiu was screaming in excruciating pain, her legs were shaking just like her husband’s. As the hours passed, Xiu desperately wanted the baby out. A small baby girl that weighed just under 5 pounds made its first cry. Xiu cried in both pain and joy. A small part of Xiu was scared for her own baby, she was scared that her baby will have a futureless life here in China. She made an oath on that hospital bed that she will do whatever it takes for her daughter to achieve a better future than hers.

The years have passed and Yin was now 7 and the chance of going to America has come.Xiu came out of the airport, closed her eyes and breathed the American air. She then looked around to see and hear this unfamiliar setting she’s in. Everything was going in 1.25X speed in her eyes, people were speaking in an alienated language on their phones as they seem to be walking like there's no tomorrow. They got into the car and drove to what Xiu heard during that time Aokliand(Oakland). When the car came to a halt Xiu was greeted with a decrypted gray looking building. Xiu was hoping the inside of the building was going to be better but it didn't.

 “The rooms were so crammed, it only fits one bed and that was it. Both the restrooms and the kitchen were shared with 15 other people on the same floor. There were roaches and rats roaming on the dihealved floors. “ Xiu said as her face scrunched up in disgust as if she is reliving that day.

ESSAY II:  
Depression happens to immigrants when they become homesick due to stress. There was a study conducted to test the correlation between homesickness and stress. The research article is called “Acculturative Stress as a Risk of Depression and anxiety,” it talks about the stress people go through due to the adaption of a new culture which leads to homesickness .“The ratings of both homesickness (2.49) and general psychosocial stress (2.24) ranged between moderately disagree (score of 2).”(Revellow 88).If homesickness leads to stress, then there’s a high chance that stress leads to depression.When migrants are depressed they might not want to tell their kids about their past for the sake of wanting to bury the memory as a coping mechanism. For example, my mother Xiu was extremely homesick when she first came to America. I didn't understand why until I grew older and realized America is not what she expects and adapting was a challenge. When I would ask about China or her past, my mother was reluctant to tell much. I didn’t know much about China or the amazing life of my mother until I was older, and my mother had to chance to visit and became less homesick.

Community Call to Action-

          To help honor migrant's stories I am sharing the story of my mother as an immigrant. She has been through a lot for the sake of me having a better life. My mother wants me to live in the American dream and through that process, she sacrificed a lot. Achieving the American Dream is challenging but it doesn't mean that it's impossible. America is the land of freedom and opportunities. It gives hope to immigrants that they or their future generations will have a chance to succeed in life.