Interview with my Mother

Due to the distance, the interview was performed over zoom, but this nonetheless enabled me to comprehend the information clearly. In order for things to go more smoothly and my mother to have some time to prepare, I told her what kinds of questions I would be asking in advance. Computer problems caused a few disruptions, but overall it went smoothly and everything was made apparent.

Introduction

On January 6th, 1972, my mother was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She shared a home with her parents and two younger brothers. She met the man who is now my father while traveling for a relative’s wedding. She had not necessarily planned to relocate to the United States, but instead to complete her schooling and pursue a career in Venezuela. She did, however, move after acquiring her green card. Throughout the conversation, Omali tells us about her journey, her experiences with economic integration, her reception, and her connections to both nations. She was fortunate enough to have an experience smoother than others but nonetheless provides information on the process of immigration.

Summary

The hardest aspect for Omali was having to adapt to American culture after leaving her family, friends, and the Venezuela she knew behind. She describes a wide range of difficulties, including rudeness from others, the process of obtaining the correct documentation, the language barrier, and the feeling of not belonging to one country. She notes that without the assistance of my father’s family, as well as her cousin who was already in the country, her transfer would not have been as easy. She had specific expectations for herself upon her arrival which were simply, find a job and adapt to this new environment.

“You never want to leave your country, but imagine how bad it has to be to leave your family, friends, your whole life” Some people relocate to join family, pursue education, or find employment/better economic opportunities. Others relocate in order to flee hostilities, persecution, terrorism, or human rights abuses, these are what are known as the “push” factors. It is what compels or pressures people to move away from their roots. In her migration, my mother had the good fortune to experience more pull factors than push factors. In other words, the positives for leaving a certain place.

Not everyone’s experience is as favorable as hers. She has contributed to the community by working with the English Second Language programs for the school system after beginning her career as a translator in the hospital. She has firsthand knowledge of the struggles children go through when their parents are not citizens. Given the example of Dennis, who lost both of his parents to deportation and was forced to live with a step-mom. She notes that the children typically experience financial difficulty, insecure housing, and food poverty as a result of the separation of the parents due to deportation. Putting a young child under such stress at those ages.

The immigration procedure is challenging, time-consuming, and complicated. Immigrants do not deserve to be treated so poorly just because they were not born in the United States. You do whatever you can to provide for yourself and your family. She hopes that more people become knowledgeable about immigration.