Immigrant Interview Essay

Race and ethnicity support various systems and cultural, economic and social mechanisms of domination through which the equitable access of large groups of people to the enjoyment of symbolic and consumer goods are impeded. One of the major causes of relationships between different races is immigration. This paper represents an interview conducted with an African immigrant currently living in the United States. It gives the reader some personal reasons for immigration. The paper highlights the immigrants' personal experiences as they tried to adapt to the new cultures and beliefs of the country that hosts them.

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The person being interviewed is a middle-aged man who was born in African, specifically in the South Africa Republic. He is currently working as a hotel attendant, something he has done for a couple of years. He has a degree in hospitality and management from a major university in South Africa. The interviewee discloses the hardships he experienced while still at South Africa, one major one occurring during political transitions. He also stated that he had many friends in his former country by the time he was moving out. Besides working at a hotel, the participant is a part-time student in a local college, where he is pursuing a course in accounts.

According to the participant, the cost of living in South Africa is a bit high, compared to the United States making life hard. As kids, their parents' net earnings could only cater for basic needs only. Poverty level was on the rise and unemployment levels were deteriorating. Crime rates started increasing as a result of the dominating poverty in the country. The state of the nation reached extreme levels that pushed people to find means of exiting the country.

Due to the extreme conditions in South African, many people were busy trying to look for greener pastures. The participant was also in pursuit of higher education. From the support from well-wishers and his little savings, he was able to fly to the United States. He wanted to carry the wife with him but it was not easy due to bureaucracies. He didn't get a job immediately he got to the United States, and this forced him to find accommodation from relatives who lived in one of the states. After contacting various job agencies, he was able to secure a job in a local hotel. At his job place, he says he doing alright with the working conditions except for some minor issues like people making fun of his type of hair. He saves a fraction of his salary to support his family back home, saying it works as the family stabilized.

His experience with the people around was not deep as he only interacted with only the colleagues at work and the regular customers. He once had a rough experience when he was late to make his monthly rent payments. The salaries came in late than usual that specific month, making late payments to his bills. The interviewee feels the landlord used offensive language when solving the issue on rent. He, therefore, believes people around are disrespectful to people with African origin. He said he was able to interact with only a few people over the years. Nevertheless, the immigrant was able to come into terms with American cultures that were highly stigmatized in Africa. Although he says that he cannot forget his African culture, he is now in a situation where he respects every person's thought and opinions.

While still in South Africa, the immigrant thought that there were full social liberties and freedoms in the United States as it was portrayed out there. To his surprise, the police were more brutal to immigrants than to the indigenous Americans. Being from a different race is viewed as a social threat to the people around. The police make it appear like it is not right for immigrants to call out for help. This makes the immigrants live in sufferings as it is hard to get help from the authorities. He said that no money was acquired easily, it required hard work and sacrifice just like in any other part of the world. The culture of women working to earn money for their upkeep delighted the immigrant interviewee. Unlike in Africa, the bills in a family were split between the husband and wife. This is as opposed to a region with beliefs that the man is the sole provider in the family.

The United States requires skilled personnel in the quest for enhanced production. They prefer the immigrants as there is a belief that new ideas could be incorporated in the production process, for improved efficiency. Like the interviewee puts, he was able to acquire a job within a few years, which helped him cater to his family. He also acquired his full citizenship in a short time, which enabled him to look for simple casual jobs to pay his bills. To confirm his citizenship, he was able to acquire a driving license and a social security number. These two factors gave him privileges just like the local US citizens. He says this is something that many countries miss in their normal running procedures. This fact helps us understand the aspect of incorporation. This approach will give people who are migrating in search of peace hope and refuge.

The immigrant hopes that the world changes into a better place for future generations. Illegal immigration that is a great threat to the United States government should be dealt with to ensure the genuine immigrants are treated with respect.