Interview with Waldemar Jankowski
Introduction
Throughout the course of time, immigration has always been an integral part in shaping the history, culture, and identity of the United States. From the earlier waves of European settlers to the diverse influx of the modern day people from every section of the globe, the story of immigration is one of hope, resilience, determination, and pursuit of achieving the American dream. In order to understand the profound impact of what it is like to gain entry to the United States, my father, Waldemar Jankowski, graciously gave me the opportunity to explore this narrative through his eyes. During the course of the interview, I was able to gain valuable insight into the challenges and unique experiences that Waldemar faced when embarking on his seemingly endless journey to the land of opportunity.
Summary and Analysis
Waldemar was born in Wroclaw, Poland during 1978. Wroclaw is a city located in the southwestern part of Poland and is a bank vault for the history of the country. Complementing that, Wroclaw gave light to a place for Waldemar’s parents to have met and attended University together. Yet, when he reached the age of three, his family moved to a northern location inside the country named Tczew. During this time period, Poland was not in a great place. Due to a variety of political, economic, and social factors, many individuals felt a need to escape from the country and seek sanctuary elsewhere. During the early 1980s, the nation was still under communist rule. That said, the Iron Curtain was a main hindrance in emigration as it separated the Eastern Bloc from the Western Bloc. That in mind, communist authorities attempted to tighten the ability for citizens to leave the country and live elsewhere. Ultimately, this impacted immigration from the trend of if the government would not allow for an individual to live temporarily, the thought of losing skilled workers and intellectuals permanently would be unbearable. Parallel to that, during 1981, Poland declared martial law as the government sought to suppress political opposition. This period intensely restricted civil liberties and brought forth strict restrictions on travel which limited many individuals’ ability to leave the country. Unfortunately, Poland was faced with many economic hardships and shortages which made it extraordinarily difficult for the Polish people to obtain the necessary resources they may need. 
During this time period, Poland also was plagued with many Visa restrictions and lengthy exit permits. That said, any individual hoping to obtain these documents was forced into a long time-consuming bureaucratic process. On the flipside of the coin, due to how tense relations were internally within the country, those expressing a desire to immigrate often risked intense retaliation from the government which could include harassment, surveillance, or a loss of employment.
With that in mind, migrating to a new location was not made easy by the Polish government. Waldemar and his family knew deep down that Poland was not a safe place for them to continue to obtain wealth and grow their family. That said, as stated early on in the interview, “my father always had a dream to move to a part of the world that was westernized and in his mind, freer”. This served as a catalyst for the family to pack their bags and escape to Germany.
When Waldemar was eleven years old, his immediate family consisted of himself, his mother, father, sister, and older brother. At this same time, his parents had made up their mind that an escape from Poland was imminent and that it was time to uproot their lives and find a new location to seek sanctuary in. After weighing the pros and cons, Germany was selected to be the destination with the goal to stay in the country having been able to prove that the family had German roots as Waldemar’s grandmother was born in Germany and met his grandfather that was born in Poland. That in mind, Waldemar and his entire family except his older brother, Rob, packed their bags, abandoned their careers and gathered into one car with nothing but one suitcase each. At the time, Waldemar’s father was an agricultural engineer for a University which was state run at the time and considered a government operation. That said, his father studied the land and soil to figure out the best locations for the government to grow crops and set up farms that would be able to yield the best results for the country regardless of climate changes. On the other hand, his mother was a math professor at the same University. Unfortunately, his father lost his hearing and was no longer able to perform his duties. It was at this time when his father took over his grandfather’s business of making custom hats for individuals. Due to this loss of hearing, Waldemar’s mother wanted to be closer to him in an effort to be able to better assist him and took a job working in a local elementary school. 
Taking a further look into the journey of the family, all of them except his older brother gathered into one car and claimed to the government that they were going on vacation to visit family in Germany and would return. While the government was initially skeptical, Rob having been left behind along with the hat shop gave enough evidence that the Jankowski family would return. In terms of Rob, he continued to run the store and finish university while living in the families house. Once in Germany, the family entered right before the Berlin wall fell and Germany got unified into one country. Waldemar and his family were able to stay in the country for roughly three years; however, were unable to prove German lineage and due to the current German laws at the time complemented by the way the borders were redrawn, were forced to leave. That in mind, the family was faced with the decision of whether to go back to Poland or find a new location to immigrate to. When speaking on Waldemar’s friends that also came from Poland to Germany, Waldemar stated that “some of them ended up immigrating to Spain, others went to Italy, some went to England, some went to the United States”. Waldemar claims that his father always wanted to “be in an English speaking country ultimately if he couldn’t stay in Germany”. That in mind, the Jankowski’s applied for immigration to Australia, the United States, and Canada. Not having wanted to take any chances, Canada was the first country to respond and allow acceptance which prompted the move to Edmonton, Alberta.
In Canada, immigration is based on demographics. That said, when the family moved, they were placed in Edmonton, Alberta in the Western part of Canada due to the location’s promising economy based off of the oil industry. Once settled, Waldemar attended middle, high school, and University in Edmonton. During the interview, he claims that he picked up the language the fastest due to being surrounded constantly by English speakers when in school and acted as a translator for his parents to help them with the transition. Along with that, he attempted to help them learn the language by speaking in English at home, however, due to his father having lost his hearing, the advancement of learning was often hindered. As Waldemar grew older, he decided that he had a desire for more than what Canada had to offer and in 2002, applied and gained access to immigrate to the United States.
Migration
When looking at the United States, many view it as the land of opportunity. In the case of Waldemar, he viewed it as just that. Upon achieving his Computer Science degree from the University of Alberta, he began to weigh his options on whether or not to stay in Canada or move to the United states. Through teachings in class, by definition a push factor is looked at as factors that make individuals want to leave a certain place or escape from a certain situation. On the other hand, pull factors are considered reasons why an individual is attracted to a given location or situation. Looking at his pull factors, Waldemar claimed that the United States was the “place in the world where the most innovation was happening at the time in the technology field”. That being said, it pushed him from Canada as the career he desired to be the top in his field did not provide for as many opportunities in his current location. In parallel to that, a question that was brought to light was if the United States was always the plan? Waldemar gave me a very insightful answer with his response of “I think at some level, whether conscious or subconscious, there was always the dream of coming to the United States”. He followed this by talking about how leaving his parents was a big issue for him. With his mother having picked up English a fair bit and knowing that his sister would stay in Canada, he felt much more comfortable leaving and knowing that they are in good hands. Ultimately the biggest factor for him was wanting to “get to the apex of the industry” at the time which led him to his decision to immigrate. When this conclusion was brought forward, Waldemar’s parents slowly entered a better financial situation. Having first arrived in Canada with little to nothing, both parents got a cleaning job in a large corporate building for a bank in Canada where they were able to gain some source of income. As more time was spent there, his mother found a job working for a daycare and his father ended up working for a company that made upholstery for vehicles and furniture. When it came time for Waldemar, his parents gave him a small “gift” of money to help him get started on his feet, however, Waldemar was primarily responsible for creating his own way of life when eventually making it into the States. With little resources backing him except for a clean legal sheet, his degree, and knowledge from life experiences, Waldemar was able to board a plane to the United States after having gained a Visa in 2002. This Visa was contingent on the fact that he had obtained a job prior to his arrival. Once having made it into the country, his true solo journey began.
Integration
The United States offers a whole new world of opportunity, yet can be very intimidating to foreigners. That being said, every immigrant is faced with their own personal experiences when attempting to gain entry and adapting to the new customs and culture of the nation. With Waldemar’s Visa having been dependent on his accomplishment of obtaining a job, the question of what it was like to receive an offer is brought into play. When asked this, Waldemar’s opening statement was “it was challenging”. As the interview continued, he began by communicating that searching from Canada to try and find an entry level job was very challenging as not many employers wanted to go through the hassle of bringing in a foreigner. During the time period, an employer seeking interest in Waldemar would have a large load of paperwork and would have to go through an administrative process that would cause time, money, and resources. He did follow this up with “it’s a little bit easier for Canadians and I think some other parts of the world because Canada has an agreement with the United States under the trade NAFTA”. This agreement allows for certain highly skilled workers to be able to work in either country using a temporary visa based on having work being set in stone beforehand. At the time of his application, he had been already approved for Canadian citizenship which allowed for a much smoother transition then had he only had a Polish statement. During the interview, Waldemar explicitly states that it would have been “almost impossible to try to find a job because the United States does not have that type of arrangement with Poland as they do with Canada”. After having his work locked in, he was approved for a TN1 which is a Canadian U.S. work visa which must be renewed every year in order to stay in the country. While the TN1 was great to get started, Waldemar spoke about how he was unable to vote and was forced to go back to Canada for several days to renew his Visa before he could return. It wasn’t till he got married where he was able to obtain a green card that grants access to all the laws and rights of an American Citizen. Unfortunately, while this green card did consider him as a permanent resident, Waldemar still lacked the ability to vote.
Once being allowed access into the country, we talked about the hospitality of America. Specifically, what the experience with reception consisted of and what it was like to learn the normalities of the United States culture. Waldemar began the answer to this question by stating that having learned English prior helped him integrate into American society tremendously. Due to Canada and the United States having such a tight relationship, “I was already familiar with many of the customs through the U. S. television shows and other cultural spillovers into Canada”. That in mind he claimed that it was much harder for him to move from Germany to Canada due to the language barrier compared to the United States. On the flip side of the coin, Waldemar explained that he did not feel like the country itself was more welcoming, but Canada primed him to create and build relationships along with breaking past the initial preconceptions that many have when an individual has nothing in common with them. When inside the workplace, Waldemar claimed that people never seemed to purposely treat him differently. He claimed that there was regular workplace competition, but never malicious intentions. The one drawback Waldemar did face was restrictions on being able to take on certain projects with the defense sector due to legal reasons.
Membership
Feeling included in the United States is one of the most essential aspects of the land of liberty. When conducting this interview, the first topic I covered when looking into the feelings of membership was the desire to become a United States citizen. After this question was asked, it was immediately answered with a resounding yes. However, when asked why he had not done it yet, Waldemar stated “I actually thought about doing it a couple of years ago, but, there was a government shutdown that was happening, and I didn’t want to risk not having my green card renewed, so I just renewed the green card because it’s a much simpler process”. This demonstrates that the United States does not make it easy for immigrants to become citizens and will discourage many from applying. When faced with citizenship, many individuals like Waldemar do not want to risk deportation and will oftentimes look for a faster, yet worse alternative that can hinder rights in the long run. Ultimately, in Waldemar taking this route, he was never given the opportunity to naturalize to the United States. Continuing down this path, an important prompt to ask any immigrant after being in the United States for a long duration of time is their emotions towards feeling American. Faced with this prompt, Waldemar responded with “I still feel foreign, but I view America’s my home”. This is a deep and powerful sentence as it captures an emotional snapshot of how one can create a life in a new location, yet never truly feel accepted.
For Polish people, family is everything. Waldemar claims that he stays in very close contact with his family in Canada and makes a trip at least once a year to visit his immediate family. Unfortunately, Waldemar has not returned back to Poland since he left, however, he still is able to keep in contact with family that still resides there due to his Mother. When asked to go in depth about his relationships with relatives in Poland, Waldemar claims that he was close with two cousins, however, has seemed to lose contact over the years due to inability to communicate with them in Polish as strongly as he was once able too. Waldemar states that he has lost his ability to fluently communicate in Polish, yet is able to still understand confidently.
Currently, Waldemar is a citizen of Poland and Canada. When asked how he would manage becoming a United States citizen, he was able to shine insight into the difficulties that are faced between laws. He is unsure if the United States recognizes his Polish citizenship and would need to conduct further research before fully going through the application process.
Conclusion
Interviewing Waldemar was a truly enlightening experience. It provided an opportunity to walk a mile in another individual’s shoes. Throughout this interview, I was able to learn and gather information about the hardships and hindrances that Waldemar had to face in an effort to reach the “American Dream”. When ending the interview, he was asked if he had any closing thoughts he wanted to portray to the people reading this. In response, he stated “I would just like to say that even though at times it was challenging to move from one country to the next, I think it was also a very rewarding experience that helped me grow and learn about the world and different cultures while being more accepting to people’s backgrounds and being able to empathize with people that move from one place to the next to make a better life for themselves”. With a journey that started in Poland, followed into Germany, through Canada, and finally into the United States, it is imperative to recognize that anything is possible.
[00:00:23] Waldemar Jankowski: Colin.
[00:00:24] Colin Jankowski: Hello. All right, so we will be beginning to conduct the interview now. Um, before we get started, if I could ask you for your full name and your place of birth.
[00:00:40] Waldemar Jankowski: Sure, my full name is Waldemar Jankowski, and my place of birth is Wroclaw, Poland.
[00:00:50] Colin Jankowski: Awesome. So throughout the course of this interview, I’m just going to kind of ask you a series of questions to kind of help show us and the rest of the public, the journey that you had to take to become a US citizen. So, If you don’t mind me asking, what was your actual process of migration? Where did you start from and what locations did you get to to finally end up in the United States?
[00:01:16] Waldemar Jankowski: Sure, yeah, so like I mentioned, I was born in Wroclaw, Poland in 1978. That’s where my parents both went to the university and met.
[00:01:28] But I don’t really remember much of that city. It’s a, it’s a city located in the southwestern part of Poland. It’s a beautiful city with a ton of history. Um, and I hope to go back and visit soon, but when I was about, uh, three years old, my family moved to the northern part of Poland in a city called Tczew, and that’s where my, uh, father was from, and that’s where his parents lived.
[00:01:57] Um, so That’s probably where most of my memories, uh, kind of begin as far as being a child in Poland. Um, this was in the 80s. Uh, at the time Poland was still a communist country. Um, my father’s always had a dream to move. Uh, to a part of the world that was, uh, westernized and in his mind, uh, freer. So, uh, when I was, uh, about 11 years old, we left Poland and moved to Germany. And the goal of that move Was to, uh, stay in Germany by being able to prove, uh, German roots. Um, my grandmother on my father’s side. So his mother was actually born in Germany and she met my grandfather who was Polish. Um, before the 2nd World War, so that was the hope that we could stay in Germany and West Germany at the time. Um, right before the German wall, the Berlin wall fell and Germany got unified into 1 country. So, we stayed in Germany for. Uh, several years, it was about three years, and, um, we were unable to successfully prove German lineage, um, due to the laws in the country at the time and how they, um, validated whether you were a German or not. Um, turned out, uh, because of the way that the borders were drawn and redrawn in that part of the world so many times, we weren’t able to stay in Germany. And then we were faced with a choice to go back to Poland or to find another place to go. And we had some Polish friends of our family that were living in Germany at the time that were facing similar challenges.
[00:04:20] And some of them ended up immigrating to Spain. That other one. Others went to Italy, some went to England, some went to the United States. Um, for whatever reason, my father always felt that he wanted to be in an English speaking country ultimately if he couldn’t stay in Germany. So, uh, we applied for immigration to Australia, United States, and Canada, and Canada was the first country to respond to us and not taking any chances.
[00:04:51] Uh, we accepted and went through the interview process. Uh, to immigrate to Canada. So in [00:05:00] Canada, the way immigration works there is based on demographics. They select the city that you can live in and, um, they chose Edmonton, Alberta for us. Um, it’s in the Western part of Canada. The economy is strong there due to the oil industry.
[00:05:21] And, um, there wasn’t as much immigration there at the time, and this was in the early 90s. So, yeah, so we went moved to Canada, and I ended up in Edmonton, Alberta, and that’s where I went to high school. End of middle school, high school, and university.
[00:05:41] Colin Jankowski: Awesome, so what factors would you say led to your migration from Canada to the United States?
[00:05:48] Like, to go more into depth in that, were there hindrances, or of like social ties, resources, like legal categories, [00:06:00] that Cause you don’t want to move or like what what’s your kind of thought process there were there any pull factors that brought you to the United States that made that your destination.
[00:06:13] Waldemar Jankowski: um, after graduating from university with a computer science degree. The United States was. I would say the place in the world where there was most innovation happening at the time in the technology field. Um, so I ended up finding a job, um, in the United States with, um, within the tech sector for a consulting company.
[00:06:42] And that was the primary reason why I ended up, um, moving to the United States from Canada, uh, when I was in my twenties.
[00:06:52] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. So looking more towards on your integration category, when you’re talking about getting a job, what was it [00:07:00] like getting a job here when you first came to the United States?
[00:07:05] Waldemar Jankowski: It was challenging.
[00:07:05] Initially, um, I tried to do most of my search, uh, from Canada, uh, and looking at various opportunities to try to, uh, find a job here in different channels. Um, It’s a little bit easier for Canadians and I think some other parts of the world because Canada has an agreement with the United States under the trade NAFTA.
[00:07:31] Agreement and that allows, um, certain high skilled workers to be able to work, um, in either country. So Americans can work in Canada and Canadians can work in the United States. Um, and it’s a, it’s using a temporary visa. So the challenge is you need to find a job 1st. Before you get granted the visa, and I’d say that was probably the most difficult part of finding a job [00:08:00] in the United States.
[00:08:01] would you say it was
[00:08:02] Colin Jankowski: because you were Polish that the United States treated you a little bit differently, or did it make your application for a visa much easier?
[00:08:11] Waldemar Jankowski: Uh, no. I think a lot of it is the employers. Uh, it requires a certain amount of paperwork and administrative overhead to try to bring somebody that’s not, uh, an American citizen and or doesn’t have a greeting card already in the United States.
[00:08:28] So I’d say the, the main thing was. It’s an additional step that a lot of employers don’t want to deal with because it costs them money and resources.
[00:08:39] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. So that in mind, would you, were you a Canadian citizen at the time when you were moving to the United States? Yes, I was. And would you say that that helped make your process easier?
[00:08:54] Waldemar Jankowski: it made it a lot easier. I think if I did not have Canadian citizenship and I just had [00:09:00] Polish citizenship, it would have been almost. I mean, almost impossible to try to find a job because the, um, United States does not have that type of arrangement with Poland as they do with Canada. Uh, so it would have been very hard to find a job.
[00:09:18] Colin Jankowski: At the time when you were in Poland, did you think about possibly going directly to the United States or was that more of a, in the moment after you went to Canada, I mean, after you went to Germany and then to Canada,
[00:09:31] Waldemar Jankowski: I think. At some level, whether conscious or subconscious, there was always the dream of coming to the United States.
[00:09:39] Uh, but at the time it just seemed like not really a possibility and it would require several steps in between. And Poland was Uh, the closest Western country or Germany, excuse me, was the closest Western country [00:10:00] to Poland at the time. Um, so that was an obvious choice of moving kind of into the West and what’s commonly referred to as on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
[00:10:12] Um, so that was the first step, but, you know, who knows what would have happened if we were allowed to stay in Germany, but since we weren’t, we had to look at other options and we did apply. For immigration to the United States, but Canada was the 1st country to respond, which brought us another step closer across the ocean into the North American continent.
[00:10:34] But then eventually, my parents still live in Canada, but eventually, for me, I kind of wanted to get to the apex of the industry at the time, which was in the United States.
[00:10:47] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. So when you, when you’re speaking about coming to the United States, what was it like with learning the U. S. norms? How is it different from how you grew up through Poland and Germany and [00:11:00] Canada?
[00:11:00] Was it very welcoming? Was it hostile? Was it ambivalent?
[00:11:09] I think
[00:11:11] Waldemar Jankowski: by the time I moved to the United States and with Uh, being able to speak English at that time, having learned it in Canada, I think that helped a lot to be able to integrate into American society. I was already familiar with many of the customs through, uh, U. S. television shows and, uh, other cultural spillover into Canada.
[00:11:41] I’d say it was a much harder move for me to go from Germany to Canada. I was at a younger age, and I did not speak English at the time.
[00:11:51] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. So you would say that the United States was a little bit more welcoming than Canada when you first came over.
[00:11:58] Waldemar Jankowski: I don’t know if I’d say [00:12:00] that the country was more welcoming.
[00:12:02] I’d say my experience made it seem that way because of all the other factors I mentioned being like being able to speak the language already and being an adult with with an education and ready to start my career.
[00:12:21] Colin Jankowski: So Canada kind of primed you for the United States. That’s right. Gotcha. Perfect. So how was your relations with others?
[00:12:29] When you first came to the United States, did people kind of view you as like a foreigner or were people very welcoming and opening when they heard who you were and what your purpose was in the country?
[00:12:41] Waldemar Jankowski: Yeah, I think, um, I’ve definitely always felt. Like a foreigner, I think the fact that my name is different.
[00:12:51] Um, my background is different than most has had an effect on not just me, but on the people [00:13:00] on how people interact with me. Um, I think
[00:13:06] over time that has lessened because I have. Become more and more integrated. And, you know, I’ve been in the United States now for 20 years, which, uh, you know, this is my home now, but I think initially, um, that was definitely something that made a little bit more challenging. Just being different. I think anytime you’re not like everybody around you, it, um, can be challenging at times.
[00:13:37] Colin Jankowski: Did you face hindrances in the workplace because of that? Would you say people treated you differently in the workplace? Maybe they thought they could get a one up on you or something like that due to you being a foreigner?
[00:13:49] Waldemar Jankowski: Um, I wouldn’t say on purpose people would do that. I don’t think I experienced, um, really any.[00:14:00]
[00:14:00] overt acts of, um, people being, um, aggressive or, uh, trying to one up me. As you say, I think there were some challenges just coming from a different country. Uh, for example, I wasn’t allowed to, or able to take on certain projects that my company had that had to do with, um, the defense sector. And that’s mainly due to legal reasons, uh, you know, coming into the country from a different country, um, that held me back, but I don’t think people were maliciously.
[00:14:46] Or on purpose, trying to hold me back as individuals.
[00:14:50] Colin Jankowski: Well, that’s good. I’m glad to hear that you had a somewhat of a decent experience coming into the country. So when looking at this now, you’ve been employed in the [00:15:00] United States for quite some time. What year did you come into the United States?
[00:15:08] Waldemar Jankowski: So I’ve, I made United States my home in, uh, 2002.
[00:15:24] Colin Jankowski: that is the year that you gained entry into the United States or the year that you feel like you’ve truly settled down.
[00:15:30] Waldemar Jankowski: Yeah, no, that was the, I came a little bit a couple times throughout the year, but it was in that year that I would say I gained entry and then several months later settled down.
[00:15:43] Perfect.
[00:15:43] Colin Jankowski: So kind of looking back towards when you started in Poland and you went from Poland to Germany to Canada, how was your financial situation looking like when you entered the United States? Did you come in having already built up some sort of enough to get onto your feet in the United [00:16:00] States? Or did you come in absolutely having nothing?
[00:16:04] Waldemar Jankowski: So the situation in Poland, relatively speaking, financially for my parents was. Uh, relatively comfortable, which allowed us to, uh, have the means to leave and travel to another country. Uh, we used all that money in, in Germany and then in the early years in Canada. So then I would say, me as a child, I, once I, once we were out of Poland and in Germany and Canada, I did, we did not have a lot of money as a family, so I didn’t have.
[00:16:41] A lot of money. Uh, when I came to the United States, I did not have a lot of money either. But one thing I had at that point was an education and that allowed me to get a job and start earning, um, in the workforce.
[00:16:57] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. And what did your parents [00:17:00] do in Poland and in Germany and into Canada to at least give you all enough to stay on your feet?
[00:17:07] Waldemar Jankowski: Sure. So my father, uh, is, uh, was an agricultural engineer. In Poland. Um, he worked in the universities, um, which were state run at the time. So it was a government operation. And what he did is
[00:17:37] study the land and the soil and figure out where are the best places for the government to grow crops. And different, uh, set up different farms based on the type of soil, the weather, the climate, which would yield the best results for the country. And, uh, my mother [00:18:00] was a, uh, math professor at the university.
[00:18:06] And then my father lost his hearing. So he couldn’t perform his job anymore. Uh, so he took over my grandfather’s business, which was a store that made hats, custom hats for people. And so at that point, my mother took a different job that was closer to where. My father’s business was so she could help him after work, but she then taught mathematics at a local, uh, school, like an elementary school.
[00:18:39] And then when she was done with work, she would come and work in the, in the shop. So that’s what they did in Poland. And then when we went to Germany, my father picked up odd jobs, like being a, uh, like a handyman. And my mother cleaned houses when she could and then [00:19:00] when we came to Canada, uh, they, neither of them spoke English.
[00:19:04] So my mother and father, uh, got a job cleaning like a large corporate building for a bank in Canada and then once they were able to. Make a little bit of money. Um, they got a place and we’re able to find a better job. So my, my father ended up working for a company that made upholstery for different things like vehicles or, uh, furniture.
[00:19:37] And, uh, you know, wherever, I guess that type of need exists. And then my mother ended up finding a job and working in a daycare.
[00:19:48] Colin Jankowski: Perfect. So would you say you were kind of a translator a little bit? Did you learn English much faster than your parents?
[00:19:57] Waldemar Jankowski: Yes, I definitely was a translator. [00:20:00] Uh, I had to go with my parents to, um, all the different places.
[00:20:08] Um, you know, whether it’s health care related, financial related, government facilities, help them through any conversations. Um, you know, I learned English in school and I was surrounded by a lot of English speakers when I was in school. So I would come home and try to speak English at home to them, which they asked me to do so they can learn it faster.
[00:20:29] Another thing that made it more challenging for my father is because he lost his hearing, not completely, but it was very weak. He couldn’t hear, so I had to translate from English to Polish, but then I also had to spend additional time with him to make sure he can hear what, um, what was being said.
[00:20:54] Gotcha.
[00:20:55] Colin Jankowski: So, when you went and moved to the United States, [00:21:00] Would you say you left your parents in a good situation to be able to be on their own and speak the language?
[00:21:07] Waldemar Jankowski: Yes, they, um, they learned the language. My dad can read and understand everything. He still struggles sometimes with speech due to his hearing disability.
[00:21:19] My mother, I would say, picked up the language, at least the spoken part, much quicker. She’s a little bit more outgoing as well. Um, and then also my sister and brother. stayed in Canada. So I felt like they were in good hands and I didn’t have to, um, be there to make sure that they have everything they need day to day.
[00:21:43] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. And speaking of that with your sister and brother, when you initially immigrated from Poland, did your entire family go with you or how was that kind of outlook?
[00:21:54] Waldemar Jankowski: Yeah. So my brother left, uh, was, uh, stayed behind. [00:22:00] He had to, uh, he was still in school. It’s kind of the equivalent of what, uh, It’s essentially a university that he was attending.
[00:22:09] So, um, he stayed behind and plus he had to look after the family business. So my sister, my, and my parents went to Germany by ourselves. And then he would come and visit us. Um, I mean, I was young, but I think only maybe once or twice he was able to in a three year period. Then we went to Canada and he was still in Poland at the time.
[00:22:37] And we lived in Canada for five years before he was able to come and stay with us. And that’s due to the Canadian laws, um, because we were new immigrants. We had to get our Canadian citizenship first before. My parents could sponsor my brother to come and become a Canadian citizen as well. [00:23:00] Gotcha.
[00:23:01] Colin Jankowski: So now kind of looking more towards you coming into the United States, what was your experiences like with political incorporation?
[00:23:09] Were you able to vote? Were you able to still have all the amenities that a US citizen would have? Or, and actually building off of that, were you a United States citizen once you were able to get in?
[00:23:23] Waldemar Jankowski: Um, no. So I initially came over on a work visa, uh, TN1, which is a Canadian U. S. work visa that has to be renewed every year.
[00:23:35] Uh, I was unable to vote and I was, uh, what’s considered a I guess a legal worker, but not a citizen or a permanent resident at the time. So that means I was unable to vote and, um, I believe also [00:24:00] meant that, um, every year I had to leave the country, go back to Canada for several days and then come back in to get my visa renewed because it’s only good for one year.
[00:24:13] And then afterwards, once I got married, Um, I was able to get a green card and, um, the green card gives you all the, all the laws or all the rights of an American citizen. Uh, I’m considered a permanent resident, but I’m still unable to vote. Did you have
[00:24:36] Colin Jankowski: any fears that you would not be re admitted into the country?
[00:24:40] Waldemar Jankowski: Yeah, there’s always, there was always fear of that, uh, before I got my green card. On the visa. That was definitely something that would go through my mind. But once I had the green card, uh, I wasn’t worried.
[00:24:53] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. So now kind of looking forward into now, [00:25:00] how would you feel about becoming a United States citizen?
[00:25:02] Do you think that’s something that you feel that you would want to do? Yes,
[00:25:07] Waldemar Jankowski: that is something I want to do. Um, I actually thought about doing it a couple of years ago, but. Uh, there was some, uh, there was a government shutdown that was happening, and I didn’t want to risk not having my green card renewed, so I just renewed the green card because it’s a much simpler process, uh, but I, but I think in the next, um, couple years I definitely want to pursue a citizenship.
[00:25:36] Colin Jankowski: Would you say now that you feel American or do you still feel foreign? That’s a good
[00:25:42] Waldemar Jankowski: question.
[00:25:47] I think I still feel foreign, but I view America’s my home.
[00:25:55] Colin Jankowski: Gotcha. That’s a very deep sentence right there. So now kind of [00:26:00] looking back towards your ties to your home country. What would you say your frequency of trips back are to contact with home, do you still stay in touch with people from Poland, or has that kind of chapter ended in your life.
[00:26:14] Waldemar Jankowski: Um, I would say for me. I stay in touch with my family in Canada more than my family in Poland. Um, I try to visit Canada once a year to see my brother, sister, and parents. Um, Poland, I hear more through My family in Canada, and, um, there are one or two cousins that maybe there’s a little bit more direct contact, and it was a lot more a few years ago, but I’d say, you know, over the last several years, I haven’t done a great job staying in touch, and it’s [00:27:00] just, um, hard because sometimes the language barrier is also an issue.
[00:27:05] I’ve lost, uh, A lot of my ability to confidently and fluently communicate in Polish, I can still understand almost everything. But because I don’t speak a day to day, um, that has atrophy. So I think that’s a little bit of a challenge for me. But I definitely keep in touch with people in Canada. Gotcha.
[00:27:35] Colin Jankowski: And so you mentioned that you’re Um, a Canadian citizen.
[00:27:40] So right now, are you still a Polish citizen? Are you a dual citizen to Poland, Canada, and Germany, which I guess would make you a triple citizen?
[00:27:48] Waldemar Jankowski: Yes. I was never a citizen of Germany. I’m a citizen of Poland by birth, and I have Canadian citizenship, so I have two, uh, citizenships, and then I have a green card in the United [00:28:00] States.
[00:28:00] In Germany, um, we, I don’t have any legal status.
[00:28:05] Colin Jankowski: So, would you, if you became a United States citizen, also keep your citizenship in Canada, in Poland? Um,
[00:28:15] Waldemar Jankowski: that question is a little bit difficult to answer, because a lot of it depends on what the laws. Require different countries have different. Relationships as far as recognizing the citizenship in the other country.
[00:28:32] I’m pretty sure with between Canada and the United States, you can have dual citizenship from a Canadian standpoint. Um, I’m not sure if the United States recognizes. And I’m also not sure about whether the United States recognizes Polish citizenship. So I’d have to do a little bit more research to be able to answer that properly.
[00:28:54] Gotcha.
[00:28:55] Colin Jankowski: Well, I would like to take this moment now to thank you for your time and for [00:29:00] answering all of these questions in this interview. I would love to leave the floor open to you, though. Do you have any clothing, closing things or thoughts that you want to portray? Um,
[00:29:12] Waldemar Jankowski: I would just say that even though at times it was challenging to move from one country to the next, I think it was also a very rewarding experience that helped me grow and learn about the world and different cultures and be more accepting to people’s backgrounds, um, and being able to empathize with people’s people that move from one place to the next, um, to make a better life for themselves.
[00:29:53] And I appreciate that for my parents and I hope to do the same. Uh, And yeah, I’d say that’s [00:30:00] probably the biggest takeaway. And I, you know, thank you for kind of making me go down memory lane, which I don’t usually do. Uh, so it was an interesting conversation.
[00:30:13] Colin Jankowski: Yeah, of course. Well, thank you so much again for your time.
[00:30:18] And I will close it out now.
[00:30:21] Waldemar Jankowski: All right. Thank you.
[00:30:26]
Recent Comments