Most people see 9/11 as a tragic day in history but for Samad it was his entry into a world of endless opportunities. Nine-Eleven of 2004 was when Samad followed his father’s path by moving to America. Samad’s father left Pakistan in 1984 to become a computer scientist, where he was later reunited with his wife, Samad and two other children. Their family resided in Eagan, Minnesota where they had to learn to incorporate the new American lifestyle into their faith based Muslim-Pakistani lifestyle. Urdu being his mother tongue, he was able to utilize the resources available, which allowed him to achieve his goal of higher education. Currently Samad is a fluent English speaker at the University of Minnesota aspiring to become a future doctor.
(6,833.96 Miles) (1)
Two Homes In my Heart
Many people in the United States and Pakistan have asked me whether I like the United States more than Pakistan or if I like Pakistan more than the United States. Every time my answer is the same, which is I like both countries equally. Pakistan is a place where my cultural identity originated from. That country gave birth to my cultural identity and made me who I am. At the same time, the United States has resources that helped me grow and develop as an individual. I think I define myself as an American now. I’m still Pakistani, that’s in my blood but I am an American-Pakistani. Meaning that I live here now and I am adjusted to it. Well, I would say this is my home now, Pakistan is my home too but this is my home now. The United States is the place where I want to study and grow as a human being. The United States is a place where I have less worries. An example would be, having 24 hours of electricity and not worrying about gas and water. My family and I were pretty well off in Pakistan but there was that worry in our minds. I have always valued my education and the United States has those resources to support that. At the same time, Pakistan is the place where my culture was born and renewed. I visited Pakistan this summer and stayed there for two months. I realized that visiting the place again, renews my cultural aspects. It is a reminder of who I am and where my roots came from. It is where I get my sense of cultural identity. It makes it more powerful because it reminds me who I am. America has gave me opportunities that other countries lack.
Home Of Opportunities
I was glad to take in the whole American lifestyle that I learned to lead here and the comforts of life. Basically the opportunities that are here. I would not give that up for anything, because I like having a vision and a goal in my head. I like knowing that there are resources out there that can help me achieve that goal. The education system definitely helped me. The knowledge that we gained is very broad; its a lot of different areas and it’s something that we learned as we go through. Like all of the generals that we’re taking in college as of right now, is an opportunity that very few in Pakistan get. In terms of other opportunities, I have been able to participate in more activities here then I could have in Pakistan. So those opportunities are those small things that matter, and what are important and those are opportunities that you don’t get in other places.
American Dream
The American dream is more like what goals you set for yourself, who you are as a person, how you want to grow, and where you see yourself in the future. It’s just like that light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what you want to achieve. That’s where all the opportunities are. Eventually that is where you want be. People often try to build something better for themselves, rather than relying on their parents or on social status. Its the American mind set nowadays, like that’s the American dream, You want to achieve something. Basically that mostly depends on you and the socioeconomic status that plays into that but there are opportunities here that other countries do not give or the resources are not available. My dad was mainly here for the job aspect of it, so he came to the United States to make a home for himself as well as a better future for his family and that is what he wanted. We all have made our own American dream by moving to America. I want to pursue my field of being a doctor and that was not until I came to the United States that I discovered that. So I am taking a different route to fulfil my dreams and I would say I am very lucky to be here and its mainly because of my dad and the hard work that he put into it. The resources that are here are beneficial for not only myself but for my family as a whole and I always want what is best my family. So in the future if I have a family, and I can provide that here in the Unites States then I definitely will.
Don’t Lose Yourself
Ever since I was a young boy, my parents instilled the Muslim religious beliefs in me. I participate in all my religious practices here like I did back in Pakistan. My religious beliefs have always been solid in knowing the way I want to bring myself up as a person. I have assimilated into the American culture as much as I feel comfortable; there are certain things I do not want to assimilate into and there are certain parts that I have no desire to adopt. I do not have the desire to participate in the American holidays such as Christmas and Halloween. I am not going to leave behind a part of who I am to try to adopt something new. When I can make the two cultures coexist I will but I am not going to lose myself just because I am in a new place. One thing I have changed since moving here is how I interact with people. The difference between here and Pakistan in terms of interaction is very different. People are way more open here about their life then they are in Pakistan. When I went back to visit Pakistan I never felt like an outcast. I learned how to assimilate back into that lifestyle quickly. They could tell I had changed because of the way I interacted with people. Even though I am in America, I do not want to lose myself or my culture.
(The Qur’an- Book of Islam) (2)
My advice to individuals that move into a new culture is to stay true to who they are. Assimilate what you want and pick and choose because you do not want to do it based on social pressure or because other people pressure you to assimilate. Second, do not be hesitant to completely cut off the American Culture completely either. I am saying you should just be careful to not lose sight of yourself in this race to become assimilated into this new culture.
IMAGE CREDITS:
(1) http://www.distancefromto.net/distance-from/United+States/to/Pakistan
(2) http://www.kalamullah.com/al-quran.html
STORY FACILITATORS:
Kinzie Scearcy, Riham Kindy, Tenzin Tsondu
I think that it is important that the audience understand that the process of adjusting to American culture can be difficult and that an immigrant can have two homes, two countries that they love and it doesn't make them less of an American.
ReplyDeleteThis post does a good job of showing how an immigrant doesn't have to completely assimilate into American culture, that they have a choice of choosing what parts they want to adopt and what part of their culture they want to keep and I think the challenges how some Americans might not see that aspect.
It is interesting to see Sammad's view on what is important when assimilating to a new culture. I really respect his efforts to maintain his own identity when surrounded by something new. An interesting addition would be to explore deeper how his religion affects his life. As a whole this post does a great job at showing the balance between taking advantage of the American Dream while keeping in mind true identity.
ReplyDeleteI think he has been able to find a balance between two cultural identities he carries in himself, Pakistani and American identity. The interesting part of the story was when he mentioned about where his roots were and where he was originally from. From his story, it appears as if he still maintains his traditional Pakistani identity while also being surrounded by completely new people and culture.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that he's staying true to himself and is preserving his culture in America instead of forgetting it. Some immigrants tend to lose their culture in America within a few generations and this saddens me. I think that preserving one's culture is important because as your culture stays alive, so does the story of you and your people.
ReplyDeleteThere are many people who participate in holidays and don't necessarily understand the true meaning of the holiday. Although there are still people who do because it's part of their faith/cultural traditions, a lot of people now celebrate Halloween and Christmas just simply to celebrate; however, there are some who don't celebrate those holidays. A person who celebrates them to simply celebrate may ask "why not" and say "you get free candy and gifts," but some of those people who don't participate CHOOSE not to. This is a story that is a good example of that.
ReplyDeleteI think the word "American" speaks for itself. You can't solidly define it. You can say an American is someone who lives or was born in America, but you can't say an American practices this religion and follows these beliefs, etc.
I like to see that Samad is preserving his culture from Pakistan to the United States! That also incorporates into his identity of involving from what he took from the Middle East into America's society. Also great seeing that he taking full action towards the available resources here with the freedom of education and careers. Live the dream Samad!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see that Samad is so secure in his ambivalent identity. He found a way to feel like he has two homes and he's okay with that. He found a way to define himself by remembering his religion and cultural traditions while creating a future for himself here in America.
ReplyDelete