| Here is a story about my struggles in America. The essay is originally written for my multicultural class, but I believe it is an interesting story to share with my friends. “I am going to U.S.A.?” I was astonished when my dad broke this news to me. Cannot believe what I just heard, I was numb for a moment. I was excited and ecstatic to know that I had the chance to go to America. Going to America is dream for many people in Hong Kong. Most of the Hong Kong populations perceive America as a free land, where every dream can be realized. I was privileged to fulfill such a remarkable dream. I was born and grew up in Hong Kong. I have a sister but I am the oldest son in the family. I was somewhat delinquent in nature during my high school years. My dad, who is an American Citizen, began to worry about our future; he decided to send us to United States to further our schooling in the hope that such an act would bring us to a better future. Before leaving for States, I thought that English was the only impediment I would have to face. Yet, I was wrong. Since I came to the States, I have confronted with many challenges and have undergone with great hardship. The following is a story about my struggles in integrating myself into the multicultural America. Furthermore, being a minority, I will discuss how I have tried to reshape my values so as to assimilate myself into the hegemonic American society. I arrived in United States on July 1, 2003. The first barrier I encountered was language. Being new in the country, I did not know a single soul. Under this difficult environment, I began my long journey into the intercultural endeavor in States. I was fortunate enough to get a part-time job at a McDonald outlet. But I was soon entangled into an embarrassment due to meager knowledge of English. “Can I have a straw, please?” A customer asked when I was on duty one day at the McDonald. Not really knowing what the customer was asking, I ventured giving him a packet of salt. “Are you kidding me!” he giggled. By his contemptuous demeanor, I hurriedly second-guessed that perhaps he wanted a tray, to which I quickly accommodated. Having noticed the commotion, my manager swiftly grabbed a few drinking straw for the customer. He apologized for any inconvenience that might have caused. I was so embarrassed that I almost sobbed. I realized the importance of being able to converse well in English and was determined to work hard towards this end. Hong Kong had been a British colony for the past 150 years; English was widely used during the time of the British occupation but it was still grossly neglected by the majority of Hong Kong population. Having ignored the importance and usefulness of English, I became a deaf and mute person in a wholly English speaking environment. Things turned for the better when I began attending Sacramento City College. First thing first, I concentrated on English comprehension. I gain tremendous confidence as my English improves. Not only did I begin chatting with my classmates and professors, but I also served on various student bodies on campus. Now, I can easily relate myself to Richard Rodriguez’s article. "Aria: A Memoir of Bilingual childhood", where Rodriguez asserted a similar predicament of not being able to speak English put him to a disadvantage situation. Not until he could speak English fluently did he gain the rights and opportunities for success (Rodriguez 335). Being able to speak English indeed has opened up many doors for me. It also has accelerated my process of integrating into the American culture. I have a better understanding of the news and TV dramas. I have made a lot of American friends. Gradually, I relish more American traditions and cultures. In addition to language barriers, I have confronted with huge cultural and social differences. I am neither accustomed to the food nor the living style. First, food is a major problem since I have no partiality for fast food. Nonetheless, fast food restaurants are ubiquitous. The second social difference I have to face is transportation. Hong Kong is a famous international city with limited space, but it is well served by Mass Transit Underground Railway, therefore automobile is less in demand and is regarded as a luxury in Hong Kong. Automobiles are necessity in the United States. It is almost impossible to move around without a car. When I first arrived, I was confined to my bachelor apartment for months. Since I did not know how to drive and have no license, my activities were somehow restricted. The absence of this daily necessity brought me the feeling of denial, loneliness, and helplessness, which brought me a short spell of depression. Besides confronting these shortcomings, I have also faced latent racism. According to the video “Understanding Race”, race is a fictional concept, yet it exists in reality. The video also demonstrates that racism leads to segregation, making the society segregated. I agree with some of the contents in the video since I have experienced the negative impacts. For instance, people have warned me to stay away from Africa Americans, who have been widely biased as criminals and drug dealers. I have also been told that I should not have a Latinos neighbor who many people portray as trouble makers. Although the law protects people from being discriminated against, the ideas of racism are still widely spread. People always prejudge others based on their color of skins. Different ethnicities are often separated, as a consequence of the said bias. The racism I have experienced and observed has given me a vicarious feeling about what Langston Hughes articulates in his poem, “Let America Be America Again”. In his poem, Hughes expresses his frustration on racism because racism serves him as an impediment in the advancement in his life. He asserts, “I am the man who never got ahead, the poorest worker bartered through the years.” No matter how hard he worked, he could never reach his goals. He also proclaims that America dreams are only a fantasy that can not be realized. He says, “O, let my land be a land where Liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, but opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.” Hughes’ words articulate that minorities were not given equal opportunities. He wishes that one day America would become a free land where dreams can be satisfied (Hughes 41-42). Indeed, racism has affected people very negatively. Incalculable violent events have occurred because of racism. Not only have I struggled with the adaptation of American culture, but I also have had a hard time defining my cultural identity. Unlike many of my Chinese counterparts, who have an affinity to their own community, I tend to extend myself to different races. I believe this approach can expedite my adaptation to American culture. In addition, I began to enjoy listening to American and Western music, watching TV, and reading newspaper every day. Although I have tried to Americanize myself, but I still treasure the Chinese values that have been instilled in me. Sometimes I have over extended that many of my Chinese friend do not accept me because of that over stretch. My American friends tend to keep a distance to me since I am not fully Americanized. To some extent, I am in the course of losing some of my own cultural leniency and accept part of the Western culture. The feeling of not being able to define my cultural identity has stressed me in many ways. My experience relates to the article, “NOT BLACK, NOT WHITE, BUT BIRACIAL”, in which Dr. Mitchell stated that “living with the biracial label can be stressful.” ( qtd in Watt 708). Moreover, I have found myself somewhat fit in the “one-drop rule” that Watt asserts. He claims that “under this rule, anyone possessing one drop of Africa blood, no matter how remote in their ancestry, was considered black” (Watt 708). I feel as if I was one of the Africa Americans who will never be accepted by the hegemonic America society under “one-drop rule”. No matter how hard I have tried to Americanize, people always treat me as a Chinese, a minority and subordinate, who can rarely have as many privileges and opportunities as the white majority. Even though I have faced countless challenges and difficulties, I do not give up on fighting for a better future in multicultural America. I will continue assimilating into the American culture while keeping my own cultural traditions and identity. Not only do I believe I can overcome my struggles, but also the problems of racism can be solved eventually. As Martin Luther King said, "Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" If the American people free their minds from prejudeges and biaes toward races, America will be a better and happier place for everyone to live. *Yearning to succeed in America, I, a Chinese minority, have somewhat lost my cultural identity. Many Chinese friends of mine have left me because they think I have twisted the Chinese values. It's a bitter pill for me to swallow. Yet, I chose to have changes in my life. I would have chose to stick with my Chinese community, but I would not have been able to assimulate into the American society.... |
