Family\'s Migration History Uncovering and Documenting Family\'s

Family's Migration History

Uncovering and documenting family's migration history

United States of America is a land of heterogeneous collection of people with various ethnic, lingual, cultural, traditional and religious backgrounds. The formation of this spectacular diversity dates back to several centuries when people from all around the world started to migrate and settled down in the U.S. For various reasons such as getting better jobs, attaining quality education, enjoying improved lifestyle and so forth. History depicts that America has received numerous immigrants over past several years and this trend has come under continuance until present time.

My family did not migrate to the U.S. however; I came here independently seven years ago on the student status from China. I was completely unfamiliar with the educational and cultural norms and systems of America; therefore, with an objective to learn the standards and get adapted to the society I joined a student exchange program. Generally, this course intends to facilitate international students to become comfortable in a new society where they confront plentiful problems, for instance language and cultural barriers. Furthermore, it primarily focuses on the educational excellence and building of a better career of students. I lived with an old, Native American couple in El Paso, Texas for one year. During holidays, I used to accompany my host family to multiple events so that I could observe and experience the American culture. I tried to get involved in sporting activities at school; however, it was complicated for me to socialize with my fellows because they used to mock me, as I was not proficient in speaking English. Therefore, I had only few friends there.

After that, I studied in California for the next two years where I completed my high school education. It was comparatively easier for me to adjust here because there was relatively greater proportion of Asians; therefore, I felt confident and comfortable. Consequently, I managed to demonstrate a holistic performance at the new school, as I finely balanced my academics with co-curricular activities. I enthusiastically participated in activities that ranged from science fairs to singing and various sporting events. However, the foremost problem that I faced throughout the period I spent at high school was both the schools had Christian background and I was completely unknown to the Christian teachings. Therefore, it was difficult for me to comprehend and accept the related knowledge and traditions.

After graduating from the high school, I got an admission in one of the renowned universities of America - University of California, Irvine. The environment of the university was exceptionally welcoming that enabled me to intermingle with the crowd extensively and to gain quality professional education. Moreover, the lessons learned throughout these years are indeed valuable and the experiences have augmented my horizon of knowledge. During the fourth year of university I looked for a respectable job and after an exasperating and difficult hunt, I managed to find one.

A look around the American society brings to the forefront the fact that most of the international students like me face challenges in being accustomed to a foreign environment in relation to the language and cultural differences. Often, students from Asian and African nations find it difficult to understand lessons and are unable to communicate with others effectively as English is not their first language. Moreover, America being a multi-cultured country has inhabitants with diverse speaking accents in different regions, which makes it arduous for international students to understand numerous unfamiliar American accents. In addition to it, English itself is a complex language, as at instances the written and verbal expressions differ from one another that further intensify the problems of the foreign students in comprehending the lectures and conversations. Furthermore, the formation of statements in English is dissimilar to other languages; therefore, a foreign student tends to make mistakes while translating expressions in English and is hesitant in conversing so that he does not become the subject of mockery (Liu, pp. 6-8).

It has come under observation that international students often become confused, distressed and frustrated during the initial phase in America mainly due to the vast existence of cultural differences. Like all other foreign students, even I had experienced the utter state of uncertainty when one cannot decide which direction to follow with regard to the standards of the society. Additionally, it is challenging for those students who are habitual of living in a strong family system to live and become completely independent in an unknown atmosphere. Furthermore, a large proportion of foreign pupils take a long time to become cognizant of the laws, regulations, social set up and lifestyle including the cuisine and the behavior that needs to come under practice at public and private places.