A FORUM FOR COMMUNITY ISSUES : Youth : OPINION : ‘Could My Friend Really Be an Immigrant?’

Throughout elementary school, I thought that “immigrants” were people from the past. I was sure that I would never meet one. The only pictures that the word brought to mind were old black-and-white photos and documentaries of Ellis Island--scratchy, fading films, in which people clad in drab clothing moved jerkily about as they juggled large bundles and wide-eyed babies in their arms: European people. But in seventh grade, the word immigrant took on new meaning as I became aware of the flow of people from all countries who are making the United States their home.

The first person to open my eyes was Grace, a good friend. I knew that she was Asian, but I never dreamed that Grace might be from another country until one day I heard her speaking Chinese. Chinese? Wow. This was interesting. Had Grace learned it at home? Or was she a bona-fide modern-day immigrant? I had thought that an immigrant could only be someone’s grandparent, not another kid.

But it turned out that Grace was indeed an immigrant. She had emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in third grade. Soon two more immigrants from Taiwan joined our lunch group, recent arrivals who spoke little English. This was OK with me, though; I liked listening to them speak Chinese, and even tried to learn the language; I would have Grace write down a word for me every day at lunch, and then I would studiously memorize the precious syllables in the few minutes before my next class began. I wasn’t very successful, but it was fun. And in time, I found that my friends included many Asian immigrants, although I could say little more than Ne how ma (how are you) in their language.

I realize now how hard it is for students from other countries to adjust to the American system. I’ve gained a lot of respect for them. For example, one student translated her whole science textbook into Chinese, word by word, so that she could understand it better.

Like the people in the old black-and-white photos, my new friends had immigrated to this country for greater freedom and opportunity. But there were differences.

For one thing, many of my Taiwanese friends had not come to escape physical oppression as some of the earlier immigrants had, but rather to escape a stressful, rigid society, and what I term “academic oppression.” My friends told me about a required comprehensive test that, although it was only taken in the seventh grade, determined your future. I heard that their school system produced a high suicide rate among students, and that some worked so hard that they hardly got any sleep. I heard tales of students who propped their eyes open with toothpicks to avoid sleep, or who tied their hair to the ceiling so that they would be painfully jerked awake should they nod off. It was a harsh academic environment, and my friends wanted out. But at the same time, most do not repudiate their home countries.

Another significant difference between my friends and the immigrants of old is that today’s technology enables parents to keep their jobs through correspondence and travel. This allows the children to get an American education while their parents maintain their careers in Asia. But it often means long, and sometimes painful, family separation.

I will never forget celebrating Chinese New Year at the home of one of my friends. The house was filled with relatives dressed in brightly colored clothing. My friend’s grandfather and other selected adults ruled the kitchen, surrounded by huge Chinese steamers and pans that emitted tantalizing smells. The dining room was crowded, and holiday excitement ran high. We sat at a long table, each holding our own rice bowl, with the food laid out in large platters down the middle. All of the food was delicious. Everyone spoke Chinese as we ate as if they had forgotten I was there. But it didn’t matter; laughter and smiles are part of the universal language.

I’m glad I’m growing up in Claremont, where I can meet so many different kinds of people--from Sri Lanka, Singapore, Japan, Kenya and other countries--and experience the cultures of the world in one small college town.