interview

她我菜放VANESSA。她是TAWAINESE。她也说普通话。她 是三十岁。他的生日是八月而是一。她家有无个人。妈妈，爸爸，弟弟，妹妹，和她。
Vanessa was a very open and helpful person to interview. She answered all questions without hesitation and with eagerness. Her family is still in Taiwan. She is a foreign exchange student, who has come to America to further he education and to live. She now attends DePaul University studying business management and now works as an intern at the Bank of Tokyo in the Downtown Loop Area. She views education as the most important gift that any one person will posses. She feels that education is something that no one can take from you no matter what. You can get money taken, houses, cars or whatever else, but your education will be with you forever. She first came to America April of 2006 with her eyes wide and full of hope. She said during this interview that as soon as she stepped foot off the plan she knew this was somewhere she was destined to be to better herself and to make a positive name for herself, her family and her country. Maybe not like most but like some foreigners she felt like an outsider for a short period of time only because she couldn’t speak the language. So as dedicated as she is that was the first thing she set out to do was to learn the language and that was her most difficult challenge. She’s not very fluent in it, she doesn’t understand some things, but she tries her hardest, and that’s better than knowing everything. Along with her soon to come success of mastering the language, she received her legal citizenship as an American because she attends school, and her tuition is also paid for, that’s the most successful out of her many successes to come. Once she started to learn English she found adapting to the culture easy. As far as discriminations she said that she felt none. She mostly tried to keep to her self because she didn’t know or understand, but once she began studying it she felt more American and she wasn’t faced with any discriminations. For the most part she felt that the American people close to her did nothing but try to help her achieve her goals. She feels the same way about America as she did when she first set foot off the plane…it’s a place of ambition, of choice, a place to make life whatever you chose it to be. As far as being caught in between two worlds, she sometimes feels that way. Sometimes she feels that she has to do as the Americans do, but at the same time she feels that she must stay true to her country and her nationality. Sometimes it’s a challenge but she says she just splits herself between her country and America where necessary. As far as interracial marriages, she has no problems with it. As long as you’re in love and happy then what does it matter the race. Being accepted as an American is no issue for her, she already feels like she’s American so anyone that doesn’t see her as an American that’s their own personal issue because she feels as American as someone who was born here.
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
No I don’t think it’s harder for immigrants to invent a new identity. If this was like 200 years ago then it would be hard. Immigrants would be close to nothing, they wouldn’t even be used for the worst labor jobs. But now it’s actually possible for immigrants to own their own businesses and make positive names for them by doing jobs they would never dream of doing hundreds of years ago.
There is not really one set thing that would be determined as what it would mean to be an American. As long as you follow some or all cultural customs, make honest livings, understand the economy and what type of country America is then you would qualify as American. As long as you actually live in America can speak English at least a little, then you would classify as American. I really don’t know how to answer this question.
I just pretty much know it’s hard to come form one country and to go to another that’s just completely foreign to you. What I’ve learned is to just take everyday in stride. Don’t worry about how to become an American or what is it to be American just taking everyday slowly and before you know it, you will be an American. I’ve learned that expanding your horizons in definitely important. If you can go to school outside of your residing state, and if possible out of the county, you make yourself more well rounded and marketable.
My family didn’t immigrate. They probably just moved from one state to another, but that’s about it. My ancestors immigrated or were forced to come here or what have you. Either way I know it was an adjustment that had to be made. I know they had to get used to different languages or dialect, which is hard for anybody. Just like Vanessa she gad to get used to a totally different world apart, and she did and is doing just that. I respect this lady incredibly.