Immigrant Status Report: Czech, Russia,

Immigrant Status Report: Czech, Russia, And Greek Immigrants to the United States

Upon interviewing three immigrants, one from the Czech Republic (then known as Czechoslovakia) in 1958, one from Russia (then part of the U.S.S.R.) in 1985, and one from Greece in 1993, the importance of age and its effects upon the immigrant experience immediately emerges as a major factor affecting the rate and the comfort level of the individual in assimilating or not assimilating to the United States. In assessing the effects of 'age,' it is critical that a researcher consider both the age at the time of the individual's immigration and also the historical age under which the migration took place.

In the case of 'Martina,' Martina joined her aunt and uncle as a young woman in her 20s, after experiencing the difficult process of leaving a communist Eastern European country. Her aunt and uncle had come to the U.S. several years before. Martina's mother had recently died and her father hoped that by sending his daughter to the United States, she would have a chance at a better life. Martina recalls being initially uncomfortable in the U.S., because although she had studied English in school, the level of instruction had not been designed to really prepare a student to function socially, in casual conversation. There were no people her from the Czech Republic living in the area, which forced her to adapt quickly. Other than her aunt and uncle, she did not recall taking advantage of any social support services. She learned English from being immersed in it and applying what she had learned in school. At first, she worked in her aunt's dance studio, as she had studied dance as a young girl. Then, she got married and raised her children as a housewife. She did not marry a Czech-speaking man, so her children grew up speaking English, not Czech. Martina said she was grateful for the opportunities living in the United States had brought her, particularly because it was so difficult to emigrate at the time from beyond the Iron Curtain, although she still held fast to her Czech identity by keeping in contact with her family in the Czech Republic, talking to them on the phone on rare occasions and sending them necessities when it was allowed before the end of communism. Now, it was easier and cheaper to communicate with them, of course, and she tried to travel once a year to Prague. She vividly recalled being impressed by the sheer bounty in stores and supermarkets in the United States upon her arrival, despite having lived many years in the country. Regarding religion, Martina did not recall having any religious instruction as a young girl (it was forbidden) but adopted her American husband's Protestant, Methodist faith. She did make traditionally- decorated eggs for Easter, however, and made some Czech cookies for Christmas, from memory.

In contrast, 'Irina' could not remember what Russia was like. Her parents were Jewish, and also had a great deal of difficulty immigrating to America. Irina was so young at the time she could hardly remember the experience of living in the Soviet Union. Her parents raised her in a Russian-speaking household at first, but after entering public school, she soon acquired English and it became her primary language. She spoke without any accent, unlike Martina, although she said her Russian-Jewish heritage was an important part of her life. Because her parents lived in an area with many other Russian immigrants, she had been exposed to the culture for most of her existence, and because she could not remember some of 'the bad times,' she had mostly positive feelings about being Russian, although she could not imagine living in Russia, she said. Her parents had experienced persecution as Jews, but were largely agnostic in their beliefs. Although Irina identified herself as a secular Jew, she said that religion was not a major focus of her life. She did say having the social support of a Russian-Jewish community had been very helpful to her parents upon assimilating to the U.S. And getting jobs even though it did not have an impact upon her own immigrant experience.

Olympia' came to the U.S. As an adult in her late 30s, after marrying an American man she met when he was traveling to Athens on business. Unlike the other two immigrants, her native church, which formed the nexus of the Greek community where she lived, was very important to her social life. Olympia said she did not feel very comfortable, still, in English, because most of her friends were Greek, although she had studied English in school as a young woman. Also, she had more positive memories of Greece than America and said she missed her family. Although she loved her husband, she expressed some regret that she no longer lived in Greece, even though she was now a citizen of the United States.