Personal Narrative: My Experience Of Migration To The US

Immigrants have incredible stories about their arriving to the United States. Most come to try and start a new life. I interviewed Cesar Gonzalez, my step-father. He is 30 years of age and was born on June 14th, 1987 in San Miguel, Bolivar Province, Ecuador. Cesar migrated to the United states on July 4th, 1999. I interviewed him because he is the person I know that immigrated from a South American country. The United States has had a huge impact on hm since he arrived.
Cesar comes from a small town of Ecuador, known as San Miguel. During the years he was raised there, he lived in a small two bedroom, one bathroom house, which had brick walls, cement walls and clay shingles for a roof. The food there was not that different from our today.

Meaning the food there was simple like chicken and rice. Almost like the food, the clothing there was simple and was not name brand like clothing here in the United States. Cesar’s clothes were mainly jeans that tailors would hand make in his country. Life there is not rushed as it is here. People there have patience and an example is that people there have 5 course meals. He misses the nature there. Cesar misses the mountains and waking up on a bright sunny day and smelling the fresh air of the rainforest. He and his family left Ecuador for better education and a better life. Being able to get ahead without knowing anyone on the inside was a big pull factor for him and his family. As a part of his journey to the United States, Cesar had to cross Mexico. He found Mexican music hilarious and thought of it as clown music on his way to the United States. The main obstacles he faced was learning the English language and understanding the pop culture.
Cesar thought of the United States as a place to make money. What really surprised him his how hard he had to work to get that money, and this made his life different from what he expected. Other than learning the language, socializing and understanding the new teaching methods was a big challenge for Cesar. Not only did he have to adapt to the learning environment, but he also had adapt to eating “on-the-go.” He was used to the formal way of dining. His dressing habits also had to change. He had to adapt to the “American” way of dressing. Cesar was an outdoor person and having to adapt to electronic entertainment was truly a trouble for him. In middle school, Cesar was still having trouble speaking English and was picked on by other kids that called him a “beaner.” Understanding English was hard for him during his first year here in the United States. Now, Spanish is a second language to him but he still speaks it frequently. To be American in Cesar’s eyes is to respect the country that has given you such a great opportunity to become a better person and to give back to that same community. He considers himself to be mostly American because he has been here for so long now. He says a person can be American and still have their native culture. “First and foremost, you have a duty to this country to improve society and help those around you. But you can still keep your Ecuadorian values at heart.” He believes immigration in some cases is good, but there shouldn't be open borders because dangerous people could possibly come through. The advice he would give someone who wants to come the U.S. Is that, “If you are planning to move to the United States, be ready to work harder then you ever have before in your life.”
Cesar and his family voluntarily moved to the United States. His parents decided to move here for a better life and education for their son. His move to the United States did not follow Raven stein’s laws of migration. He did not move a short distance. Migration from his country specifically was not discussed in class, but the continent in total, yes. In the end, Cesar now lives a happy life.