Immigrant Status Report: Czech, Russia, Thesis

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.

These contrasting experiences illustrate how historical and economic urgency, such as the poverty and oppression of Eastern Europe and Russia, can act as strong propelling forces that encourage immigration. More discontent and regret and what has been lost is more likely to surface and if there is less of a stark contrast between positive and negative memories of the old and new country. Language barriers can also create initial friction for the individual. Finally, social support structures can be both helpful and harmful to assimilation -- they may provide a source of emotional and even economic support for the immigrant but they can also become a crutch and act as a barrier to assimilation within the larger community.