Overview of Immigration for Ecuador to The United States
On March 19, 2022, I sat down with my father Albert Dejewski and discussed his parents immigration from Ecuador to the United States in 1962. My grandma Elsa passed away approximately 8 years ago and my grandpa, Jurgen passed approximately 4 years ago but we have spoken of them ever since. My grandparents both spoke fluent Spanish and ‘broken’ English and my father speaks both. Ever since I was a child, my father had told me stories of the way he was raised. Chores were very big in their household. My father could not go out with his friends on the weekends until he scrubbed all of the toilets. My grandma was also very specific and neat, almost like a perfectionist. She had vinyl slips covering all of the couches so they never got messy, all the surfaces were clean and everything was always dusted. My grandparents came to the United States when they were 25 and 26 years old with $89 in their pockets and no occupations waiting for them. My grandpa took it upon himself to use those $89 to buy a tool set and earn his first job as a mechanic. After gathering some additional research, it is clear that immigration was difficult, but starting over and making a new life for yourself is the even more challenging part and Elsa and Jurgen and the perfect example of this.
The Dejewski side of the family was very big on food. My fathers cooking reflects his culture and past family traditions with delicious dishes such as empanadas, torrijas, and yellow rice. They were also very big on family, as Sunday dinners led by saying grace were mandatory and holidays were a day of eating, drinking, and celebrating all together. These traditions shine through in my daily life as I grew up practicing the same things and hopefully will continue to later in my life as well. Hearing about my family’s past and seeing how it affects us today has opened my eyes and I am extremely grateful to live the life I am. Because of my grandparents hardships and bravery and how they chose to raise my father, it shaped the life I have today. My grandparents are greatly missed but they lived an extraordinary life.
Interview with Albert Dejewski, History 150 Spring 2022, Conducted by Elise Dejewski, March 19, 2022.
This intervierw with Albert Dejewski discusses his parents’ immigation from Ecuador to the United States in 1962 and how it affected and shaped his life growing up such as cultures, traditions, and practices.
I chose to focus on the topic of immigration because of how it affected my fathers life growing up and how some culture and tradition still shines through in our family today. For the research portion of this interview I looked into life in Ecuador in the 1960’s and how immigrants made a life for themselves in the United States also during this time period. The articles I used are listed in the works cited at the end of the transcription.
Elise Dejewski 0.00
Hello, my name is Elise Dejewski and I’m here with Albert Dejewski, my father. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Albert.
Albert Dejewski 0:07
Hi, Elise dejewski I’m your dad. I am 54 years old, born in 1967 first born citizen to immigrant parents, Yurgen and Elsa.
Elise Dejewski 0:16
And what do you do as an occupation today?
Al Dejewski 0:18
I’m a marketing executive in food and beverage.
Elise Dejewski 0:21
Okay. Now today I’m going to be asking you a couple questions about your parents, my grandparents, immigration, and about their journey and how it affected you as a child growing up. Okay, so first off, I want to know, your parents, Jurgen and Elsa, how old were they when they came to the United States?
Albert Dejewski 0:39
Well, they were both born in different parts of the world and born in 1936. And they came to the United States in January of 1962. So they were about 25-26 years old.
Elise Dejewski 0:50
And were they accompanied by anybody other than each other?
Albert Dejewski 0:54
They brought their two first two children, my older brother, George, who was three years old at the time, and my sister, Liz, who was three months old at the time.
Elise Dejewski 1:07
Okay, next question. Were there any specific struggles that they had to overcome that you know of?
Albert Dejewski 1:12
Many, as you can imagine, first from leaving their family behind in Ecuador, to coming to this country with $89 in their pocket, and very little idea of where to go or what to do.
Elise Dejewski 1:24
Okay, and what were their occupations once they came to us?
Albert Dejewski 1:29
Well, my father, affectionately known as Yogi, was a mechanic. So he came to this country with a skill and quickly got a job within a couple of days of settling in. In New Jersey. My mother was a bookkeeper accountant in Ecuador, but spoke very little English when she arrived here in New Jersey.
Elise Dejewski 1:52
Okay, are there any specific traditions that you practice as a family that reflect your culture?
Albert Dejewski 1:57
No, your mother wrecked me of all my Ecuadorian traditions. But other than my cooking, there is very little Latino tradition in our family. Or German for that matter.
Elise Dejewski 2:05
Okay, Did Elsa and Jurgen face any stereotypes because they were immigrants that you know of?
Albert Dejewski 2:14
Yeah, so arriving in the United States in New Jersey in 1962, they moved first into Newark, and as you know, Newark was a melting pot of different immigrants from different parts of the world, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and as she spoke very little English. People always talk about the 1967 riots of Newark, and the, you know, the uprising of African Americans and the challenges faced as a Latino in the 60s and 70s. We were often tormented and called names like spics and wet backs.
Elise Dejewski 2:52
What would you say is the most important thing you learned from your parents?
Albert Dejewski 2:55
The value of hard work and not living outside of your means.
Elise Dejewski 3:01
Very nice. Do you know exactly what made them want to come to the United States?
Albert Dejewski 3:10
Opportunity, of course. Right in the 60s, and even today, countries like Ecuador and across the world, you know, the United States is the land of opportunity. You know, I think the greatest example, today is something like Uber where no matter what your education or your ethnicity or language, you have a car and a will to work, you have an opportunity to make money and a job.
Elise Dejewski 3:35
And did they tell you any specific stories from their immigration, anything that stuck to you know?
Albert Dejewski 3:40
Oh many. So first and foremost, you know, the story that my mother told me to her dying breath is that I came to this country with only $89 in my pocket. And the next day, I went to look for it, and it was gone. Your father stole it. But it wasn’t stolen. You know, Yogi had to go by his tool set so he could get a job. And within 24 hours, he had a tool set and a job making money. And within a week, he was bringing home more money in a week than the $89. So still to her dying breath, you would always complain about that.
Elise Dejewski 4:15
Very nice. And finally, you told me that Elsa always kept her house super tidy, and even covered the couches with vinyl slipcovers. So no one got them dirty, because she did not want anyone to think any less of her. Are there any more examples like this?
Albert Dejewski 4:28
Yeah. So part of it’s not having people think less of her, part of it’s her transitioning to an American lifestyle and demonstrating her ability to succeed at that. But also the biggest point of the slipcovers was not to devalue the investment that they made and worked hard to buy the furniture, whether it was furniture or even clothes. When we get new clothes, you couldn’t wear it because you wanted it to stay new just in case you needed it as opposed to you know today’s generation of Gen Z’s who buy the clothes that day and ruin them that night.
Elise Dejewski 5:03
Good comparison. Okay, anything else you want to add or anything? Any memories you have?
Albert Dejewski 5:09
Yeah, I mean, like most immigrant families, you know, and even today’s immigrant families while my parents showed up with two kids at first, you know, they first had their first shelter for a month living with Uncle Raul in an apartment. And then after they got settled and had both kids and Catholic schools, I popped up six years later as an accident and unplanned child, and then brought my grandfather over who spoke no English, but reasoning.
Elise Dejewski 5:38
And lived in your room right?
Albert Dejewski 5:39
We shared rooms until I was 18 years old. An 18 year old and an 80 year old grandfather sharing a room, but yeah, those are my fondest memories of my grandfather walking me to school, not my mom, because she was working a full time job in a factory at that time for Norelco in Newark, New Jersey. And so the point being is that, you know, immigrants will many times live multi generational in one house. So grandparents, parents and child living together, helping each other to survive and succeed in America is very common among, you know, immigrants.
Elise Dejewski 6:17
Would you say that’s how you’re so fluent in Spanish? Because sharing the room with your grandfather who didn’t speak English?
Albert Dejewski 6:22
Yeah, my from my grandfather who spoke no English from my mother whose first language was Spanish. She ultimately learned English and as you may remember, it wasn’t very good. It was understandable but it was broken. And you know, that’s, you know, how I learned to speak fluently. Yes.
Elise Dejewski 6:39
And I remember stories that you had a lot of chores you had to clean around the house scrub the toilets?
Albert Dejewski 6:45
Yeah, unlike this generation, you know, my parents forced us to contribute to the to the cleanliness of the house, you know, pop pop or Yogi as a mechanic worked for Mercedes Benz dealership Monday through Friday, but on the weekends, he did odd jobs for other people who drove you know, Mercedes or Volkswagens are other cars, so he was always in the garage Saturday and Sunday for at least four to six hours making extra money. You know, Elsa would be cooking and doing laundry and doing that for the family. You know, she always, forced us is a strong word, but you know, made us do our chores, which included vacuuming, cleaning, dusting, bathrooms, kitchens, the whole thing.
Elise Dejewski 7:31
Anything else you want to add?
Albert Dejewski 7:33
No, you know it. I have no, you know, hard feelings about the way I was brought up at all. I am thankful for the discipline that you know, she instilled in us about being clean, neat, financially responsible, and not overspending. But, you know, and I miss them dearly. So it was all good.
Elise Dejewski 7:55
Well, thank you for giving your time to me today and sitting down with me to discuss this.
Albert Dejewski 8:00
My pleasure, Elise.
Elise Dejewski 8:02
This has been Elise dejewski and Albert dejewski. Thank you for listening.
END OF INTERVIEW
This interview was conducted in person from our home in Wayne, New Jersey, United States on March 19, 2022.
Reflection of Interview
After conducting my interview I took some time to sit back and reflect on it. My father has always been a hard working man who lives by the idea that everything is earned in life, never given. He’s often hard on my siblings and I but it is only because he wants what is best for us. After hearing more about his background, his parents, and the way he was raised I understand more in depth why he views life the way he does. My grandparents did not know luxury and worked for everything they ever had in their life. They overcame odds and obstacles and because of this they raised such strong and independent children. I see similar behaviors to my father in his siblings (my aunt and uncle) as well. I live an amazing life and this is all due to my grandparents’ hard work. At the end of the interview my father god choked up. He very often jokes about his parents when something reminds him of them or says jokes such as “Oh Elsa is rolling in her grave right now”, but he has not talked long with them in awhile and I am very glad he got the opportunity to because it gave him the chance to reflect as well.
Works Cited
“Immigration in the 1960s.” Boundless, 9 Feb. 2022, https://www.boundless.com/blog/60s-immigration/.
“Remember, Search, and Share Your Voice Conversations.” Otter Voice Meeting Notes, https://otter.ai/u/ySb8LteukL3NwQTVX2JjmR_twe8.
Woods, Jason. “Take a Look at Ecuador in the 50s and 60s in These Historical Photos.” Heifer International, Heifer International, 29 May 2019, https://www.heifer.org/blog/historical-snapshots-of-ecuador-in-the-50s-and-60s.html.