Running head: Life of an Immigrant 1

Life of an Immigrant

Oscar Garcia

Professor Christensen

EDU 280
Life of an Immigrant 2

Abstract

The person I interviewed is Alea Stewart. She is from Samoa, which are islands in the Pacific

Ocean. Her primary language is Samoan, but she has also been taught English. Her primary

language is what makes up her cultural identity. She had a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii in which she

met her future husband and the reason why she wanted to become a citizen. The immigration

process was lengthy up to three years for a visa. One of her favorite things about the U.S. is the

diversity of things, such as people, food, and culture.

Keywords: Samoa, Immigration, Citizenship

Life of an Immigrant 3

Life of an Immigrant

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended

from immigrants and revolutionists was a quote said by Franklin D. Roosevelt. This is a quote

that people forget about and should be reminded that the United States is a melting pot made up

of different nationalities. Some people overlook that and assume that immigrants are taking

American jobs and take all benefits, such as government aid and social welfare. However, that

is not true since immigrants come into the United States for several reasons, such as escaping

their country as a refugee, want a better life for their family, or want one or more of the seven

things the U.S. can offer. This can be the freedom of religion or the American dream. I

interviewed my high school teachers wife because I remember that he mentioned his wife was

an immigrant.

My teachers wife is named Alea Stewart. She is from Samoa, which is a U.S. territory

made up of islands in the Pacific Ocean. She grew up in the capital called Pago Pago. This

classifies her as a Samoan American instead of a Pacific Islander. In her native country, she

mentioned that the primary language is Samoan, which is taught in elementary school, and

English is taught in secondary school. Even though many adolescents still live in homes where

their native language is their primary language, Mrs. Stewart married a white man, so their

primary language is English at home (Manning and Baruth, 2009, p.130). However, Mrs. Stewart

described that the Samoan language is what makes up her cultural identity. Culture can be

defined in many ways. These are peoples values, language, religion, ideals, artistic expressions,

patterns of social and interpersonal relationships, and ways of perceiving, behaving, and thinking

(Manning and Baruth, 2009, p. 24-25). Samoans cherish their language because it is what truly
Life of an Immigrant 4

represents them. However, even though Mrs. Stewart lived in a U.S. territory, it did not

automatically make her a U.S. citizen.

Although she was not a citizen of the United States, she would have stayed in her country

if she did not meet her husband. She states that in Samoa women have an equal opportunity that

men have, but a gender role tradition still exists. It is also family orientated where the younger

people must give great respect to their elders and ancestors. According to Manning and Baruth

(2009, p. 129), some Pacific Islanders are similar to Asians in the practicing of respect to elders

and ancestors.

When she saved enough money for a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, that is where she met my

teacher Mr. Stewart. My teacher is a Mormon, so he was there for a mission during Summer.

Luckily, he met the woman of his dreams but sadly it was complicated since she was an

immigrant. Mrs. Stewart had to leave back to her country after her vacation was over, but she

was in the process in becoming a citizen. Her motive in becoming a citizen in the U.S. was

simply to be with the guy she married.

The process in becoming a citizen started by applying for a visa or green card in which

are not always accepted. It took about 3 years for her application or petition to be accepted, and it

took about four months to get a visa. In total, the whole immigration process with the green card

costed her about $800. After that, she got married with Mr. Stewart and did not gain residency

until five years later. She explained that it was not the cost of visa or the process that made her

anxious, it was the long duration and documentation that had her worried whether she was going

to be eligible to immigrate into the U.S. She felt lucky to have kept in contact with Mr. Stewart

and felt guilty to have kept him waiting, but he understood that she should not blame herself.

Instead, he hates how ridiculous and long the immigration process was to get a visa.
Life of an Immigrant 5

Mrs. Stewarts expectations of the U.S. were that she was expecting a similar government

structure and less of an interactive community. Both of her expectations were true but at the

same time not true. Samoa does have a similar government as the U.S., but Mrs. Stewart was not

expecting the state government and its own legislative. She was also correct about the

community she lived in with her husband to be less interactive as her home country. In her native

country, she described there being food exchange between the neighbors. However, she found

that joining her husband in church is where she became interactive with her community. One of

her favorite things about living in the U.S. is the diversity. She loves the different kinds of people

and the different restaurants there are here in the U.S. She mentioned that in Samoa there is not

that much of a diverse background other than some being a mix of Chinese and other types of

Pacific Island people. Even more, the other thing that she likes about the U.S. is having an army

because there is no army in her country, and it makes her feel more secure living here with her

family.

Today, Mrs. Stewart is the traditional housewife and fills her female role of bearing up to

six children and doing the chores around the house as well as helping her children in homework

or activities (Manning and Baruth, 2009, p. 129). Even though she has the opportunity to do what

she likes in the U.S., she mentions that she is used to the traditional way she was taught by her

parents. However, she plans to make sure her daughter will pursue a career. The immigration

process was a long journey for Mrs. Stewart, but she is glad to finally be a citizen and have a

family of her own.

Life of an Immigrant 6

References

Manning, M. L., & Baruth, L. G. (2009). Multicultural education of children and adolescents.

Boston: Pearson.