From Eritrea to the United States
Introduction
On November 22nd, 2023, at approximately 7:30pm eastern time I had the honor and privilege to interview my grandmother about her immigration process into the United States. My grandmother’s full name is Alganesh Weigel, and she immigrated from Asmara Eritrea. Before taking this class, I had and shown no interest in the subject of immigration, especially not the history of my own family as I am a third-generation immigrant myself. This course had left me astonished at what immigrants may go through and have experienced on a day-to-day process, so I thought what better person to interview other than my own grandmother. During the interview I asked a series of about 20-25 questions regarding her process of immigration into the United States. While the interview was conducted, I asked her to answer each question to the best of her ability and answer each question with as much detail as she felt comfortable with. These questions that were asked included many of the topics that we learned and discussed in lecture, as well as broader implications such as where the interviewee was from, the year they had immigrated, and full name and date of birth. The topics that were covered included the migration processes, policy, Integration into the United States, and the membership (Citizenship), processes and implications.
Summary
After the interview with my grandmother, I was astonished about her story and the process it took to not only immigrate to the United States, but also how my family started in the United States. I started the interview by asking very basic questions such as full name, date of birth, and where she was from. Then I later moved onto deeper questions to further examine her experiences with the immigration process itself. My grandmother is from Asmara, Eritrea where she was born on December 12th, 1948. Her full name is Alganesh Abraha, which later was changed to Alganesh Weigel after marrying my late grandfather Steven J. Weigel. Alganesh grew up most of her childhood life into young adulthood in Asmara Eritrea, where she attended boarding school, had a sister and parents, and a religious background. She described her lifestyle as normal and fun, as it was fairly like the many things that we do here in the United States. For instance, holidays that we celebrate she exclaimed that they celebrate them too. These holidays include Easter and Christmas, although they do not celebrate Thanksgiving. Instead in their culture they celebrate a holiday based off religious standing, but the name that they call it is “Arcima”. For my grandmother, she is catholic, and during this holiday she explained that they slept in church overnight and ate, drank, and socialized. In immigrating to the United States, she explained that it was all in effect to meeting my late grandfather. She explained to me during the interview that they had originally met in Asmara Eritrea, where my grandfather was stationed in Kanyo Station, which is an American military base in Asmara. From then on her and my grandfather grew closer everyday she explained to me. As time passed, she then started the immigration process in 1968, then in 1969 my grandparents married. After getting married and my grandfather’s deployment was over, they then came to the United States in 1971, until later my grandmother became a United States citizen in 1974. As I asked questions about her immigration process, such as the migration, integration into the U.S., and membership she explained that it had two sides of it, being rough and smooth. Alganesh explained that because my grandfather was in the military the process wasn’t necessarily easy but made with a lot smoother than others may have experienced.
Migration
In terms of Migration, my grandfather being in the military played a big factor in it going smoothly. Within the interview I asked if there were any hardships that she may have faced during the process and she explained that it went fairly smooth compared to other doing the same sort of thing. Being in the military, you would typically live on base wherever you were stationed with the other soldiers and families. She explained that she was not the only immigrant present on base at the time and that there were many others marrying a military member. In terms of social ties during the migration process, this made it easier she explained, she said she could relate to many other people even if they didn’t speak the same language. If you had married an American, she explained, you would have to wait three years to become an American citizen, but in 1970-1972 they went to Germany where my grandfather was stationed. The help of my grandfather played a big factor on my grandmother’s point of view of immigration, including him helping her family and friends through the process of getting into the United States. Her sister, Balainesh, and God daughter, Ruth, were both also helped by my grandfather throughout the immigration process and migrating into the United States. “Papa? He brought my sister, her name is Balainesh. And he brought my goddaughter. Her name is Ruth. And my mom was here to visit, not to live, but to visit. She was with us almost two years. But my sister and my goddaughter still live here. No, my sister lives in here in Washington, D. C., and my goddaughter, she got married, she lives in Canada.” Something that I had noticed during lecture that stuck with me throughout the duration of the project was the policy, “Hart Celler Act of 1965”. This act diminished the discrimination of immigrants to allow more to move into the country, specifically ones that were marrying to an American. Not only did my grandfather’s military background play a huge role in the migration process, but the policy did as well.
Integration
One of the main things that I had emphasized throughout the interview was the integration process from Eritrea into the United States. Questions that I had asked included if there was education that she had obtained, a job, initial reception, culture switch, and the language barrier first coming to the states. She explained that the initial reception into the United States went really well, specifically because of the military. She said that she had felt very welcome the whole time and many things were provided to obtain things like education and a job if one was wanted. The education included classes for English to help overcome the language barrier if there was one. She explained, “Yeah, to help him. I was going in here and, uh, like I say, I was going to school in Kansas City. It, uh, the military, the military, they give us the classes.” initially the language was fairly new to her because it wasn’t her first language, but she attended an American boarding school in Eritrea which also helped teach the language. As my grandfather was stationed in Kansas, my grandmother was able to obtain an education through the military on base. She explained that she had four years of schooling and was able to obtain her GED. In terms of having a job Alganesh explained that she hardly had to work because my grandfather provided for her very well. But as time passed and they had kids, she worked at various places on base to help provide for the family, such as the PX which is the store on base. In terms of culture switch, she explained that it was not very hard at all, in fact she explained that she held onto many traditional practices from Eritrea while also adapting to the American culture. She explained that she still uses her language, which is Tigrinya, cooks traditional foods, and celebrates holidays that aren’t known in the United States.
Membership
As a newly citizen, and or immigrant entering the United States, the sense of membership is the first initial point they someone looks for. The sense of welcoming arms to endure a new country is very important for that person to thrive as a new citizen. In terms of membership and attitudes to the United States, my grandmother explained that she felt immediately welcomed. Within the interview, I had asked if she felt American and if it felt weird being in a country that wasn’t hers, she responded with, “Well, yes. You know, I feel good when I become citizen, so I can join my husband and my kids, be become American citizen. It’s always good.” So, the initial impression she had when becoming a citizen was described as amazing, as she can be with her family. In visiting home, and keeping in touch with loved ones, she explained that she had been back a couple of times, but frequently kept in touch. The sense of home was a hard adjustment she explained, but as time grew on it got easier and being in America felt and was her new home.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this project has been very eye opening for myself as I was able to dive deeper into my family’s history and how my grandmother immigrated to the United States. I was able to incorporate the things that we had learned throughout the semester and dive deeper into the history of my grandmother’s process of immigration. In the case of my grandmother, it was especially interesting, and this course opened new doors for myself. It made, me realize that with certain implications and aspects, someone’s story can vary for the better and or worse.
Tyler Pfitzner: [00:00:00] Hi Nona, today we will be conducting an interview regarding your immigration process to the United States. Firstly, before we continue, I would like to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. Now, I will ask a series of questions regarding your personal experience of the process itself. You will respond to the best of your ability and, if comfortable, go into detail about your experience.
Tyler Pfitzner: So, what is your full, uh, what is your full born given name?
Alganesh Weigel: Uh, Alganesh, Abraha.
Tyler Pfitzner: And where were you born and the year as well?
Alganesh Weigel: I was born in Asmara, Eritrea, uh, 12th December 1948.
Tyler Pfitzner: Okay, So, as you migrated from Eritrea, um, what year did you start the immigration process and what year did you become a citizen? [00:01:00]
Alganesh Weigel: Well, um, uh, we start, uh, we got married with your grandfather in 1969. So, we start the immigration from 1968, then we got married in 1969. And I came in this country 1971, and I become citizen 1974.
Tyler Pfitzner: So, you said you met Papa, overseas. Where did you meet Papa and was it in Eritrea?
Alganesh Weigel: Yes, he was in Asmara, Eritrea.
He was stationed there, the American Army Station. They call it Kanyo Station.
Tyler Pfitzner: Okay. And how would you explain your personal experience in the immigration process? Was it difficult or smooth? Did you have help going through the process? Or… Did you have any hardships during it at all?
Alganesh Weigel: No, [00:02:00] I didn’t. It was smooth.
Very
Tyler Pfitzner: smooth?
Alganesh Weigel: Yeah.
Tyler Pfitzner: So, because Papa was stationed over there and he was in the military, with that being said, you did say that you had a smooth process. did that make it a lot easier to become a citizen and to be able to migrate to the United States?
Alganesh Weigel: No, it doesn’t make it easier. You have to wait. If you married American citizen…
At that time, you were, you wait for three years and then you become a citizen. So, my husband he got order to go to Germany in 1970, 72, then I become citizen 1974.
Tyler Pfitzner: After migrating to the United States, what was the integration process like? Per se, was it a hard adjustment in the switch of culture and lifestyle?
Alganesh Weigel: Really, at that time in 1970, it was [00:03:00] not hard for me. It was smooth, because I was, I married military, an army. So, everything, he’s the one who was doing it for me.
Tyler Pfitzner: Okay. But as in, as in the culture switch, so like coming from Eritrea to America, obviously we have different lifestyles, and eat different foods, and have different jobs, um, was that difficult, like, in the switch, if that makes sense?
Alganesh Weigel: Yes, it was difficult, you know, you miss home, I never get away, I’m all the time home, I miss my family, but I cannot say it was bad, it was okay.
Tyler Pfitzner: What was your experience with the initial reception in becoming a new citizen? Did you feel welcome, or was it a tough switch coming from a different country? No.
Alganesh Weigel: I feel I was welcome. I take my citizen in Kansas City, Jackson, [00:04:00] Kansas City.
Tyler Pfitzner: And you said that was in the 1970s?
Alganesh Weigel: The citizen? Yeah. I took it 1974.
1974.
Tyler Pfitzner: Oh, yeah. Okay. Speaking in terms of relations, such as friends and family, did you have these relations initially, like, when you first came to the United States? Or did they come over time? So, per se, um, TJ? What, did she come with you in the immigration process?
Alganesh Weigel: No, no, no, nobody don’t come with me.
Tyler Pfitzner: So it was only you?
Alganesh Weigel: Only me, yeah. Your grandfather, he brought me. It was only me. We married. But then, I made friend. And the base is a lot different. Base, in the military base, you’re all family. So, I never have problem. Never have problem. You never come visiting. And never have problem. Yeah.
Tyler Pfitzner: So can you tell me a little bit about living on a military base as an [00:05:00] immigrant?
Were there many other immigrants that lived there as well?
Alganesh Weigel: Yes, from all over the country. No, they were from all over. From Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Germany, Italy. Every, uh, different people. Yeah. Different people.
Tyler Pfitzner: So, it was kind of like a cool, diverse, community.
Alganesh Weigel: Yes, it’s nice. I really enjoyed living on a military base and I Enjoy the military life.
Yeah.
Tyler Pfitzner: With obtaining education as well as a job, if you were able to get one or had one, was it hard to obtain these as an immigrant in the United States?
Alganesh Weigel: No, it, first of all, I didn’t work. Okay. Yeah, for many years I did not work. But then… When my kids grown up, I start working right here in Fort Belvoir.
I start working in 1989. Before that, I never work. [00:06:00] Yeah, your grandpa, he was take care of me.
Tyler Pfitzner: So, track backing a little bit. Um, are you religious? If so, what is your faith? And did you practice it back in Eritrea? If so, what was the church setting like in the community? Did it have a big benefit on it?
Yeah. Or did it kind of separate the crowds? No,
Alganesh Weigel: Yes, my religion is Catholic. I grew up in a Catholic boarding school. Before I met my husbands. And, uh, I’m a Catholic. You know, Romanian Catholic.
Tyler Pfitzner: So, how was that like on the community? So, was it, was everybody just, everybody was Catholic, or was it like a bunch of different religions?
Alganesh Weigel: no, no, no, no. Different. Different. From, you know, I was Catholic. Couple friends was Catholics. But, uh, we have, we have all kind. We have Protestants, Orthodox, [00:07:00] Muslims, everywhere. But me, I was, I’m Catholic, still I’m Catholic.
Tyler Pfitzner: Did you ever feel as if you were discriminated against, or experience any prejudice as a new citizen?
Alganesh Weigel: Nope. Never. Okay.
Tyler Pfitzner: Let’s see. After the immigration process was completed, did you feel American, or foreign, or with time, did the way you felt change? So, as in, when you first got here, I’m sure it felt kind of weird. But over time, did that kind of change and you’re like, oh, this is like, I belong here. I’m American.
Alganesh Weigel: Well, yes. You know, I feel good when I become citizen, so I can join my husband and my kids, be become American citizen. It’s always good.
Tyler Pfitzner: Do you make frequent trips back to your home country, as in like contact with [00:08:00] back home such as friends and family?
Alganesh Weigel: Yes, I just went. I’ve been in this, in this American country. I’ve been, uh, almost 45 years. I’ve been back in Eritrea twice. 1996 I went back, then again 2006.
Tyler Pfitzner: 2006?
Alganesh Weigel: Yeah.
Tyler Pfitzner: Now to kind of track back a little bit, um, and talking about Papa and how he met you over there in Asmara, is that right?
Alganesh Weigel: Asmara, Eritrea, yeah.
Tyler Pfitzner: you did say you were a boarding student, is that correct?
Alganesh Weigel: Yeah, I was in, I grew up in boarding school. Okay. Yeah, in Catholic boarding school.
Tyler Pfitzner: Catholic boarding school. With that being said, did you travel anywhere for it, or go to school in a different country?
Alganesh Weigel: No, same country. Same country? Then I left the boarding school in 1967. I was working in the base. That’s how I meet your [00:09:00] grandpa. And a military base, which is, they call it Kainou Station.
Tyler Pfitzner: Okay.
Let’s see how I can pause this.
Tyler Pfitzner: Alright. So, in terms of challenges and adaptation within the immigration process, and newly coming to America, um, can you describe a specific situation where you felt particularly challenged in how you overcame it?
Alganesh Weigel: I didn’t understand.
Tyler Pfitzner: So, like, when you came to the country, did you experience any hardships originally, or? No. No, I didn’t. And was that because of Papa? Because you were with Papa most of the time?
Alganesh Weigel: Yeah, most of the time. I married your Papa 51 years. So, you know, like I say before, marrying the military is the best.
So, I didn’t have no [00:10:00] problem. I didn’t, you know, I don’t have no complaints. Okay.
Tyler Pfitzner: Can you tell me a little bit about Papa? What his rank was, what he did in the Army?
Alganesh Weigel: Papa, uh, when I met him first, he was, they call it PFC. PFC, it means, uh, PFC, yeah. They call it PFC that time. And, when he, before, uh, after that, he be, he was Sergeant Major.
For almost… 26 years, he was sergeant major. But when I met him, he was PFC. But we still, all this rank when he make, I was, we still together, you know what I mean?
Tyler Pfitzner: Yeah. So how was Papa as a person? How could you, if you could describe him, um, how would you describe Papa?
Alganesh Weigel: Papa is the best thing that happened to me.
Best thing. I’m not [00:11:00] lying. He was a good man, good father, and then good grandfather. He was, yeah, he’s the best thing. It happened to me, and not just to me, even my family, my sister, he brought them here, you know. Well, I don’t have no complaint. I wish still he was alive, you know.
Tyler Pfitzner: Yeah. Um, you did say that you brought some of your friends and family.
Pause.
No, it won’t pause. I’ll just cut it out. You’re kidding. Do you want to take a couple minutes, or do you want to? I’m good. You sure? It’s okay. Okay. Um, but you
Tyler Pfitzner: Did you say that Papa brought over friends and family. Um, how did that work, and who did he bring, um, back
Alganesh Weigel: to the [00:12:00] country? Papa, he brought my sister.
Her name is Balainesh. And he brought my goddaughter. Her name is Ruth. And my mom, she was here to visit, not to live, but to visit. She was with us almost two years. But my sister and my godma and my goddaughter, they still live in here. No, my sister lives in here in Washington, D. C., and my goddaughter, she got married, she live in Canada.
Tyler Pfitzner: Um, let’s see. Uh, was there like a language barrier when you first originally came here? Did you speak English already in Eritrea? Or was it, was it tough, like the switch, when you got to America?
Alganesh Weigel: Oh, yeah, because like I say, before I was in boarding school, which is, they call it, it was American boarding school, they call it Faith [00:13:00] Mission.
Uh, so I was speaking English that I can understand, you know, but it was a little bit hard for me. It was not my language. Then when I came in in America, I went to school in Kansas City for almost, uh, four years. Then I got, uh, my report card, like, they call it here GED. Uh, but, uh, yeah, it is hard, but you learn, you know.
Tyler Pfitzner: Um, with that being said, with that language barrier, did you find any particular strategies or resources helpful to help you better your English?
Alganesh Weigel: Yeah, to help him. I was going in here and, uh, like I say, I was going to school in Kansas City. It, uh, the military, the military, they give us the classes.
All the military’s wife, that we are not from here. They are immigrants. If we want to go to school, [00:14:00] we go to school there. So, the military helped me, yeah. Okay.
Tyler Pfitzner: With that being said, the school that they offered, was that a free school because you lived on base? Mm hmm. Okay. Um, can you tell me a little bit about your family back in Eritrea? How many siblings did you have, your home life, um, the area you grew up in, and your community as a whole?
Alganesh Weigel: Yeah, my… I grew up, like I said before, in Asmara, Eritrea. I have one sister. My mother, she used to own… Like, uh, dry clean, and the laundromat, and we grow up very well, but like I say before, I was in boarding school. Me, my, I was in boarding school. The boarding school was away from Asmara, like, I don’t know, 30 kilometer. So I was there most time I grow up in [00:15:00] the boarding school. Yeah. But I was doing good with my mom and, uh, And my sister. That’s good. And, uh, I have, uh, eight brother and sister by my father’s side.
Tyler Pfitzner: While your time as an immigrant here in the United States, did you encounter any stereotypes or misconceptions about your background? And how did you handle them?
Alganesh Weigel: Your grandma? I don’t take no crap.
Tyler Pfitzner: Can you gimme an example of one time where you, uh. Encountered a certain stereotype or if someone had a bad misconception about you?
Alganesh Weigel: Like what?
Tyler Pfitzner: I guess, it kind of branches off of the other question I asked earlier. The discrimination or prejudice, and like, how did you handle that type of situation?
Alganesh Weigel: Your grandma, I’m very tough. I handled it good. [00:16:00] If I understand what they’re saying, I talk to them back. If I didn’t, uh, you know, so I’m, I was good.
Good.
Tyler Pfitzner: Are there aspects of your home culture that you try to maintain in, um, your daily life here as in like your old ways of living back in Eritrea? Did you kind of carry them over to the United States and you use them in your daily life? Just like things you would do, like, in the Eritrean culture.
Alganesh Weigel: Oh Yeah, I still use it. Yeah. Same, same. I still use it.
Tyler Pfitzner: Um, what are those things? And if you don’t mind me asking, like, how do they apply to your everyday life?
Alganesh Weigel: What do you mean? I still use my Eritrean heritage. I cook Eritrean food. Uh, you know, I do everything.
I celebrate the Eritrean holidays, you know. [00:17:00] Okay.
Tyler Pfitzner: Let me see. Uh, do you have a dual citizenship or more than two? If so, what countries do you have citizenships in and how did you acquire them?
Alganesh Weigel: I don’t have. I only have one American citizen. Only American? Only American. I don’t have.
Tyler Pfitzner: Let’s see. And this is branching off of a question I asked previously. Are there specific traditions or customs from your home country? Um, that you make an effort to preserve. Like, holidays that they do there that we may not do here.
Alganesh Weigel: Yeah, I still do it. I still celebrate. What they celebrate over there, I still celebrate it. I still speak my language. I still do what Eritrean, I mean, Eritrea do.
Tyler Pfitzner: Okay. Um, what holidays, like, [00:18:00] during those holidays, what are they called and what do they do during those holidays?
Alganesh Weigel: Same, same like you, we have a, we celebrate Easter, uh, Christmas, uh, we don’t do no Thanksgiving. Uh, what else we celebrate, yeah, yeah. And we have some different than American, so, uh, they call them, Different, different holidays. Different holidays? Yeah, different holidays. We got few. But we celebrate everything like Americans celebrate.
We celebrate Easter, you know. Yeah.
Tyler Pfitzner: If you don’t mind, could you give me an example of one of those holidays that you guys celebrate in Eritrea that we don’t celebrate here?
Alganesh Weigel: Um, which is we [00:19:00] celebrate like Arcima, Arcima, they call it Arcima. American they celebrate it. Arcima means we go to church, we stay there overnight, you know, the next day we eat, we drink, and something like that. So, it’s only Arcima, they call it Arcima.
Tyler Pfitzner: And I know you said that you still obviously speak your language.
I’ve heard you speak it before, um, but would you mind kind of talking in it? And I guess for the interview, um, to let other people see how it sounds. Because a lot of people don’t hear the language Tigrinya, correct? Yeah. Um, you can say anything, anything you would like. Uh, I,
Alganesh Weigel: um, anything? Anything. My name is Alganesh Weigel Yibbal. I come from Eritrea, Azmara. [00:20:00] (Wouldn’t translate).
Tyler Pfitzner: What does that mean?
Alganesh Weigel: It means my name is Alganesh Weigel. I come from Eritrea, Azmara.
Tyler Pfitzner: Well, now to conclude, I want to, I want to thank you again for taking the time to meet with me and discuss your immigration process and experience. I thought your story was absolutely stunning as well as heartfelt. This has helped me learn a lot, not only about the processes of immigration, but also about you, my grandmother. So, thank you again.
Alganesh Weigel: You’re very welcome, my sweetie.
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