THE STORM
Andrea Castillo was fascinated by the pouring rain hitting her step-father’s big truck as they raced home in the middle of a tornado warning. Andrea had just landed at the Minneapolis airport and felt freedom and excitement for her first day in America.
My mom was like "what are we going to do, wait here?" And he’s (Andrea's stepfather) like "No, let’s go!" It was raining outside and raining hard. I was like "what is this, a jungle?" It was weird cause it was raining so much in the air, coming hard.
AN OPPORTUNITY
Andrea Castillo is a nineteen-year-old University of Minnesota student pursuing a major in business and marketing education through the College of Education and Human Development. Andrea was born in Lima, Peru in June 1994. She made the journey to the United States in September 2007.
Growing up in Peru, Andrea lived with her father, mother, grandmother, uncles, and two cousins. They lived outside a large city together in a cozy home. Andrea started school in a kindergarten that was inside the hospital her grandma worked at. After completing kindergarten, Andrea attended first grade at her neighbor’s home, but struggled because of poor teaching and curriculum. Her parents then moved her to repeat first grade at a more disciplined and well-rounded private school, taught by Spanish nuns. Andrea attended this school from first to sixth grade. By the age of twelve, she was already enrolled in her first year of high school.
From 1990 to 2000 terrorism erupted in Peru. Alberto Fujimori was the current president and a central cause of the terrorism.
So things weren’t good, and I remember that. Like I listened to the news and remember people protesting. My mom was part of the protest too. And it was kind of dangerous because if you were going to protest, they can take you as being a terrorist, just because you were doing something against the government. So it was very shady in a way.
Andrea’s family was frightened by the corrupt government and violence so close to their home. Her mother worked in sales for a German company in Peru and received an opportunity to come to America to improve her English and protect her from the chaos in Peru. This opportunity would eventually promote her in her career. Andrea's mother took the opportunity in the United States and left Andrea with her father and extended family. Three years passed and Andrea’s mother spoke to her about coming to visit. Andrea wanted to meet her mother's friends and go to Disney World. Her father supported the decision and filled out the paperwork to allow Andrea the trip. Andrea crossed her fingers for a positive response. Denied. Andrea’s heart sunk and she immediately lost all interest in ever coming back to the country that rejected her.
A SECOND CHANCE
Again, three years passed and Peru’s government did not improve. Andrea’s mother missed her, so began to fill out paperwork, in hopes for Andrea to make the United States her permanent home. Andrea missed her mother as well and decided to try again, this time for American residency. Her father was reluctant to the idea, he didn't want to lose is daughter and wife.
He said if it’s going to be for something better, like if I could go to college here and I could have a better education, I should take that opportunity.
When the paperwork process was complete, Andrea had to attend interviews to prove her motives of moving to the United States.
And they ask me like "What are your goals?," "What are you going to do in United States?," "Why should we give you the opportunity to come?," So I was like answering these big questions that I didn’t know how to answer.
Andrea was ecstatic to find out she was accepted into the United States. Unfortunately, this meant saying goodbye to her loved ones.
The most difficult struggle that I had when I came here was the sadness that I knew I would not be with them. I had to learn how to handle having family, friends, and loved ones out there. I was kind of scared. You don’t know what’s going to happen. It made me feel like I really wanted to see them, just because I don’t want to make my life and then forget about them. I think I’m lucky because there are other immigrants that don’t see their families for five or ten years just because it’s expensive or because they’re here illegally.
THE FIRST DAY
Andrea felt a rush of nervousness as she waved goodbye to her family and entered the airport security doors. She glanced back to see many families crying and hugging loved ones goodbye. Despite the sadness looming over the Lima airport, Andrea felt a tugging sense of freedom and hope. Everything felt so surreal. She was finally going to America to be with her mother. Her family paid a guide to help her arrive in the new country safely. As they walked to the correct gate, Andrea clutched a small piece of paper tightly. The note stated her mother’s address and phone number in case something went wrong. Andrea boarded the plane and coincidently was seated next to a Peruvian woman. The flight was long, so Andrea was left with her thoughts.
I was feeling like "what am I doing?" I was wondering to myself if I was doing the right thing. But I had to just go because I have so much more things to come after.
Andrea exited the plane and took her first step onto American soil. Immediately, she was comforted with the familiar language of Spanish. The airport was large and overwhelming compared to the small one in Lima. Because of its size, Andrea missed her second flight to Chicago. Her guide quickly scheduled her a new flight which gave Andrea hours to explore. She admired a police officer’s blue suit and pristine hat. Before she knew it, Andrea was on her flight to Chicago and then finally Minneapolis. The comfort of the Spanish language was lost in the Midwest. Andrea felt the same jolt of nervousness as she scanned the airport for her mother. She recognized her mother and stepfather's faces and ran to them in excitement. After pictures, hugs, and tears, the family made their way outside. It was pouring and sirens loudly announced a tornado warning. Andrea and her mother became hesitant of leaving, but her adventurous step father said "Let's go!" The recently united family piled in his big truck and raced home through the dangerous weather.
I think my experience overall was something I could not forget. A lot was happening and it was new to me, like this house is going to be my house and this bed is going to be my bed. It was a way of settling.
BEING ANDREA
The first four days in the America were full of organizing and settling. Before Andrea knew it, she was starting school on Monday.
When I went to school, my mom walked me up and I met my ESL teacher, my English Second Language. He was really, really nice. The room had people from all over the world too, so I felt pretty comfortable. They gave me my schedule to go to class. My school was close to home. I think it was a hard beginning, I had three hours of ESL. I kind of just started from the bottom and worked my way up. It was hard because I couldn’t communicate as much with others. Others tried to communicate with me, but I couldn’t, so it was difficult. But I think I had to work hard to understand things, like how to get to my science class or how to address the homework I would get. I would sit in front, close to the teacher. I would study what she would do, then ask someone that speaks my language what to do. You have to survive in a way of what to do when you don’t know the language, especially, when you want to get good grades. I was a good student before and I always liked to do my homework.
As the school year continued Andrea met many friends and became very involved. She began to have a sense of belonging. She surrounded herself with family and friends for support in her transition.
I had to adapt to this new world and I thought it was much easier to have someone helping you.
She felt a warmness from people that she never experienced before. In Peru, people didn’t just smile at anyone, they tended to mind their own business. Andrea liked the friendliness and positivity that she found in Minnesota. She craved the feeling of community, so she worked to be more involved. Andrea joined the ski team and felt her language barrier began to crumble.
I wanted to learn something different, so I tried skiing and I felt like going to practice was fun because it was like a community. People supported me and it was not about speaking, it was about doing things well, how you perform. That’s what I liked.
But with this new found community and sense of belonging, Andrea struggled to preserve both cultures. Her identity was changing and she didn’t want to lose her Peruvian self. Andrea was learning to make her identity ambivalent.(1)
I think identity is much more, it changes all the time because the more you learn, the more your identity changes. It changes because of that adaption. I consider myself American and also Peruvian. I think it’s half and half. Just because of my persona, my identity, all the things that I keep with me. I think it’s very, very important to know where you come from.
Andrea felt her identity changing as she thought about what home meant to her. Because of her absence in Peru, she’s felt her Peruvian culture dissolve and American culture take its place. But Andrea always holds Peru close to her because she will never forget where she comes from. She keeps these close ties by communicating with her family in Peru frequently. She has visited, video chatted, and called her family to share with them her American experience. Andrea feels lucky that this communication is available to her because for some, it is impossible. She dreams of someday uniting her family here in America with her father and grandmother. Her father has never been here, so Andrea hopes to someday show him her American life.
THE JEWELRY MAKER
Andrea has hopes to pursue a career in jewelry making and business. She hopes to sell her jewelry online. This idea is something she has dreamed of since she was a little girl in Peru.
When I was young, my dad had a shop for electronics. He rented a small space in a store to a woman that made and sold jewelry. I was young and always with her. I would go help my dad in the store and got close to her. I helped her out with cleaning and seeing what she did every day and I really liked it. So she told me where to take classes in downtown Lima. I would go with my mom and I was very inspired. I think it’s more my personality because I like to learn new things and I wanted to learn how to make a piece of jewelry. I fell in love. I wanted to do more. Later, I started making jewelry and selling it to family, friends, and things like that. That was three or four years before I came here so I was very skilled. I came to a jewelry school too, they taught me how to crochet and things like that. So when I came here, I said "I want to make my store." So I brought all the pieces with me.
WHO IS AN AMERICAN?
Andrea has learned a lot from her journey in America and is happy to see so many immigrants pushing for higher education and having bigger dreams.
We’re kind of breaking walls that weren’t there before.
The Latino community has made strides to feel a sense of belonging in America. With this, Andrea sees the true meaning of being American.
Because we are so multicultural how do you know you’re American? Ya know? How do you ever know? To me, being American is being comfortable with everyone around the world. Cause it is a country of everyone pretty much. Because in Peru, everyone is Peruvian. But here, everyone has so many different perspectives and we all have so many values, but somehow we make it together. And that’s a country of everyone. And when I first came here, what I took the most out of being here, what I appreciate the most, is learning from others. Because I do not have the privilege in Peru to meet an Asian or meet someone from Africa. Because I would have to travel there to learn from them. But here you live right next to one, you be with one, ya know?
I found her Jewelry making business to be very interesting. I believe this story reveals that some people come here with a hope to make a life for themselves. And I believe that Andrea has done it.
ReplyDeleteThis story really shows how it is like for a teenager to come to america and grow up in the school systems here. Also so the struggle of leaving her loved ones behind to come to America and live with her mom.
ReplyDeleteOne question this raises is how can the American school systems make it for teenagers as they go through the ESL program?
This interview really contributes to public conversation because it shows how a younger person can come to america and pursue a better life for themselves. Overall it really doesn't raise any questions, but like Kinzie mentioned above, it does raise a potential question about the ESL program.
ReplyDeleteI found it very important to the interview how she said, "How do you ever know you're American". Then she said being American is being comfortable with everyone around the world. I believe this is very true.
ReplyDeleteI loved Andrea's story. Andrea is one of the few who gets to come to the US. There are times where immigrants paperwork and stuff gets denied because they do not qualify coming to the US, so them coming to the US gets pushed back to later months or years. The process takes a long time. Most of the younger immigrants push themselves in gain of a better education or they have parents that push them to. With education, what would happen if an immigrant was already fluent with English? Would they still have to take ESL?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting to hear a story from someone who has experienced the journey of immigrating recently and at an age where she can fully recollect what it all entailed. I loved her definition of what being an American is and feel that more people should share this outlook. America essentially is a nation made up of people from other nations and more people should realize this is true.
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ReplyDeleteThe most interesting thing I found is the comfort of the Spanish language. I found it interesting because I never really thought of Hmong as comforting to the ear, I mean it is, but I just didn't think of it that way. Another thing that is interesting is going to school, in ESL and not knowing the language and needed help with homework. I remembered when I first came to the US and have to go through this process myself.
Andrea's story represent the hardships that one goes through in coming to America, in learning in America, keeping cultures, self identities, and dreams. These are some of the things that immigrants go through. Andrea's story reveals that coming to America was not easy, it's hard at first, but it eventually wears off.