Interview with an Immigrant
So, tell me about your life.
Well, I was born in Trkiye Cumhuriyeti also known as Turkey. What I remember about it ... well for starters, there are a lot of very old people in Turkey. I dont know why They roam about Turkey.
Growing up I played a ton of football (soccer), its huge in Turkey, like many places in Europe. I went to games with my dad when I was little, my brother and I, hes a little younger than me. My mom lives here in America so thats why Im here.
I lived near Istanbul, in the suburbs of Istanbul basically. We used to go there, to the central city area, at least once a week. Going into the city was always fun
I have family in Bulgaria too, not too far from us.
What was your immigration experience like
My immigration experience was very hectic. There were lots and lots of papers. Im here on a green card. Ive been here in America for 8 years now. I was 10 when the process started. I dont remember all of it, but there were background checks and everything. It was pretty scary sometimes. Their questions...they made you feel like you had something to hide. But I was only 10 so its understandable for a 10 year old to be scared of questions from strange people. I immigrated with my brother hes a bit younger than me, but here for school too
Did you have help from somebody in your immigration process
Like immigration lawyers Nope. Nobody helped me other than my parents. Perhaps thats why it took a while. It took a long time for the whole process to go through. It took little under 3 years.
Why did you decide to immigrate
Well, mostly because of the educational opportunities here, for me and my younger brother, are better than the ones we had in Turkey. Its a bit ironic though that I am now in art school. Students here go abroad to study art. I guess this can be thought of as my abroad.
Did you intend to join the professions Become a doctor or an engineer or something
Yes I thought I could have been a nurse or something.
You still could be a nurse though, if you wanted to be one
No, Ive pretty much given up on that dream though I still could, in theory.
What about freedom of religious expression From what I recall there are enormous restrictions on expression of faith in Turkey, attending prayers, wearing scarves or fez hats and the military steps in whenever the democratic government tries to relax those rules Did that play a part in your decision to immigrate Did you face any of that
Not that I remember, no. I was pretty sheltered as a child, so I dont know much about what goes on in Turkish politics. And I am not all that religious.
How do you find life in the United States
Jobs are tough. Im still in college so its nothing too serious, but its still hard to find one I think. I work at a bagel shop for now.
What about racism or the anti-Muslim sentiment
Well the Muslim sentiment ... I was raised Muslim, I belong to a Muslim family, but I dont look like the typical Muslim, like the American stereotype. I dont look physically different from many other Americans of European ethnicity.
But I know many religious people of that faith that are good, kind, people and I see them get bashed so much since coming here and especially 911, you know and thats a thing I really dislike about America.
What about when people find out that youre from Turkey, do you get any harassment then
No I dont get harassed. I dont live near a lot of racist people (laughs). New Jersey is a very cosmopolitan area lots of people from different backgrounds coexist there peacefully.
Are there a lot of Turkish people in New Jersey
No.
What about Muslims from other ethnicities
Theres a pretty decent amount in New York. Turks and others. I dont live far from NYC, so yeah theyre nearby.
Do you meet up with them at community centres or Mosques or Turkish restaurants
Turkish restaurants yeah, there are a lot of those in New York. I dont really practice the faith, so thats not something I really talk about a lot.
Did you experience culture shock when you came over, or are American cities much the same as Turkish ones
It wasnt culture shock, but they American cities are a lot different from Turkish ones. Turkish cities are obviously a lot older. And theyre, well ... cleaner than American cities.
Theyre cleaner in what way
Mainly litter and pollution. Theres a lot of smog hanging over cities here.
What about graffiti
I dont think theres a lot of difference in that. In the matter of graffiti theyre very similar.
Do you think theres a greater sense of community in the people of Turkish cities
In a way, people are a lot friendlier there (laughs) it is like everyone in the neighbourhood is part of one big family.
Do you miss that sense of community in New Jersey
Sometimes, privacy can be nice too. Having hundreds of relatives can be annoying sometimes.
Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed.
No problem.
Notes to Interview
The interview transcript which has been provided is from an interview which was aimed at collecting views, beliefs and experiences of a young Turkish immigrant who came to the country along with his younger sister. Most of the immigrants coming to the US sought better life prospects which they lack in their countries. The immigration law of 1965 opened US economy for immigrant labour and soon there was an influx of labour seeking opportunities for better earning (Portes Rumbaut, 2006). The interviewee gave his reasons of immigrating as better education in the US which means good opportunities for jobs after graduating. The educational levels amongst immigrants have remained poor specially Mexicans who make up the majority of immigrants living presently in the US.
With times immigrants are striving more and more for getting their next generations achieve graduation (Portes Rumbaut, 2006). Interviewee is not an illegal immigrant as he came on the basis of his resources arranged by his parents and he did not belong to illegal immigrant category of contemporary immigrants as suggested in the book Immigrant America a portrait. However, the process of getting his immigration approved took almost three years which is in line with the ways of the US government to tap the influx of immigrants by only allowing certain number of immigrants arriving at the US airports and docks and restrict those who will become dependent upon the resources of the government. As Portes Rumbaut (2006) highlighted that majority of immigrants prefer to live within big cities of America or in suburbs close to them. Larger cities of the US apparently have more opportunities in economic terms and there are cultural blocs within these cities which have large number of immigrant settlers which give new comers to seek assistance from their countrymen sharing the same language and background. However, there are certain disadvantages of living close communities where there is privacy is one of the issues facing immigrants as highlighted by the interviewee as well. However, dispersion of communities is considered to be beneficial for greater economic benefits that could be spread amongst immigrants.
The book also highlighted the difficulties faced by immigrants. They primarily face cultural shock as they have to learn and adapt to new ways of the American society and learn to abide by the laws and constitution of the country. Language a way of communication is one of the major difficulties faced by immigrants. For them learning English and use it properly is major issues which keeps them less sociable and restricted in their dealings (Portes Rumbaut, 2006). However, the interviewee being a student had good command over the use of English and has learnt remarkably over the years as it could be observed from his tone and deliverables. The religion also plays an important role in social stratification of immigrants. The interviewee realized the potential of racism and separation of immigrants on the basis of their religion but has not experienced any such incidence. Perhaps the reasons for this are his personal appearance and non practice of the religion (Portes Rumbaut, 2006).
The interviewee also suggested difficulties in obtaining jobs in the US that is consistent with the findings presented by Portes Rumbaut (2006) that immigrants faced difficulties in finding better jobs as compared to American nationals however things have improved over the years and it can be seen that equal proportion of immigrants are graduating and findings reasonable jobs in the US.
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