Crystal Huang
5 hours ago
A student wanted to interview me as a "first generation immigrant" for her assignment. I appreciated that she thought of me for this task.
It also made me thinking of a Pop-Quiz for Today:
What are the differences between a "first generation immigrant" vs. let say... "a third generation immigrant" ???
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郭墉, Angie Lue Lane, 吳吟吟, 黃麗月, 黄經洲, Anahqwittak Lea Brooke and 7 others like this.
Crystal Huang D Eby, Sorry, I missed you ! a sandwiched generation? The differences??? Mainly, it can include many different generations. The 3rd was a just "random" pickup.
4 hours ago · Edited · Like · 1
郭墉, Angie Lue Lane, 吳吟吟 and 10 others like this.
Crystal Huang D Eby, Sorry, I missed you ! a sandwiched generation? The differences??? Mainly, it can include many different generations. The 3rd was just a "random" pickup.
4 hours ago · Edited · Like · 1
Marcie Bakker I'm second generation. It was a struggle as my mother didn't let go of her Nazi brainwashing. Tough childhood. Good life now though!
9 hours ago · Unlike · 2
Crystal Huang
Migration! What a touchy hot-button issue, no matter from the aspects of historical evolution, economic trends, socio-cultural reshaping, national-psyche, demographic changes, the future transformation, or the forever targeted negative-perceptions of all sorts, it tends to arouse more emotional charges than the rational assessments of the reality during each wave of migrations recurring in the history.
The push-pull forces behind each migratory tide tend to be like the mischievous cloak and dagger (to both host countries and migration countries). The visible and/or imaginary fear of drains/deficits intimidating or irritating the settled old timers intertwine with the invisible State-Corporate demand and necessities harvested from the waves brought forth by the new comers make issues touchy and murky.
The brain-brawn gain vs. loss from both sides of the countries entices multiple-disciplinary to tap the tip of the iceberg, which is beyond my capacity to comprehend.
In the perceptible reality, the microscopic worrisome, if not abhorrent emotions of the general population interplay with the macro socio-econo-political operations reinforce the controversies. Functions, dysfuctions, as well as latent functions take time to manifest and the entangled social-conflict seems inevitable. Whereas, each wave of migration movement happening in the history, seems working quite well with "TIME" - a problem solver??
But now back to the real life situation, regarding the above pop-quiz, it is kind of interesting to push a little bit further (I am always curious about my students' perspectives, and too, my colleagues'), in addition to the incurable/incorrigible ACCENT ! ) :
What about the differences between a "first generation im/migrant instructor" vs. let say...again, a "2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation im/migrant instructor", in particular, teaching/facilitating Social Sciences, instead of math, computer science, engineering...etc. Natural Sciences, regardless other insignificant issues, such as, "race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability...etc.". ...? !
Are there some literature reviews available for a reference? I have been quite interested in this topic, but never sitting down to pull up data together to make a case ! Thank to this student who reminds me of an interesting subject matter to engage with when time is available.7 minutes ago · Edited · Like
D Eby MSpitz Marcie -
8 hours ago · Unlike · 1
Alex Delgado Ancamil Third generations tend to think they are the "real" Americans because they've been here longer and some see the first generations as competition and unwanted immigrants.
Crystal Huang More Common-Sense Pop-quiz in sequels: Why and how did your great-great-great+/great-great/great grand-parents/parents or YOU Migrate to America (not just North)? What are the benefits and cost (and how to weigh the gain vs. loss, bitter vs. sweet, pain vs. pleasure, safety vs. risk...etc.) to pay for an episode of Migration, from the individual, societal, and global perspectives?
Why are some people EXEMPT (or "Deprived" if you want to differentiate the differences b/w privileges vs. disadvantages) from the notion and action of Migration, while others- are NOT?
How many sentient beings (surely, including human beings) are doing long-term or short-term domestic/international Migrations either constantly or often- in the nut shell, again, why and how they-do-that vs. no-need-to do that?
4 minutes ago · Edited · Like
William Jennings Must say quite a springboard to some very interesting and deep pools of thought concerning human endeavor.
Crystal Huang It is also interesting to see the differences between the HIGH-END (the rich and powerful equipped with "Knowledge is power for the upward international mobility !) Migration vs. the LOW-END Migration (life is filled with endless challenges/struggles and Vitality, and surely, lots of Involuntary 7/24-hard work-for-NoPay-"immigrants", in the past, perhaps, the present... ). Personally, I have a heart for the latter (who comprise the majority of the original We, The People, from the first wave of migrants till today)- my own biases ! The host countries tend to Want or Need both. But seemingly the former are the Sweeties !
Finally, thanks to all of the past, current, and future Native Americans - Let's sing a song together from one of Woody Guthrie"s :This is your land, this is ______ lands ....thriving through capitalism - oh can you see...
Hopefully, these scratches might add something to students' interview assignments regarding the topic of "Migration".
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I do see some tiny differences between Then and Now, in particular, the writing, currently seemingly improving a little bit than that of the rough time before :)!. Here is the article:
Cross cultural transitions- a special experience of ......
By Crystal Li-chin Huang
Goethe once wrote “He who does not know a foreign language does not know his own.” For some people who are politically correct not favor of bilingual or multicultural issues, this statement does not gain much credit. On the other hand, Kipling’s ” East is east and west is west, and never the twain shall meet,” presented another perspective which is very different from those who have thousand reasons to cross the cultural boundary.
Either voluntarily or not, millions of people, from centuries ago-have migrated to or lived for a time in the United States- a nation applauded for her diversity, democracy, equality, and modernity; a nation inspiring people of the brave and for the free.
That also means millions of people had gone or is going through the bitter’n sweet process of cross-cultural transitions, or “transformations”, either by their own will or not.
No matter for avoiding political persecution, oppression, or other socio-economic combination, such as better living and meaning searching , it demands tremendous courage and risk-taking to move geographically and culturally. And the issue of adjustment is a heavy task that has to be made. There are tremendous gains and losses, bitter-sweetness, pains and pleasures, risk and security... all sorts of ups and downs, and twists and turns.
And this phenomenon is not a merely a historical footnote. As human beings achieve a close global interdependence, more and more people will make geographical mobility and cultural transitions.
Cross-culture experience entails both advantages and costs. But how to weigh them takes long storied to tell.
It enhances cross cultural sojourners to develop a global perspective and a critical minds. It stimulates one to acquire the facility to move back and forth between cultures. And it provides one with the experience to enjoy and appreciate peoples from other background, customs, and tradition.
But, to readjust oneself to a new culture, in some way is similar to restarting a life again. There are losses which are immeasurable in this process. Many cultural transitions experience tremendous hardship far beyond that Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother can tell.
I know some friends in order to breathe the air of freedom, to embrace the democracy, to have better opportunities, despite at the cost of giving up their prestigious status, intellectual prowess and achievement in their countries.
One couple, seeking political asylum, were medical doctors in their county, but worked as janitor and dishwasher in America. Under the bare living condition, they gradually overcame the linguistic and cultural barriers, and went back to their track. Another family, emigrating to the U.S. as refugees due to Nazi domination during World War II have gone through homelessness, isolation, eventually solved the dilemma of acculturation and identity confusion.
In our own community our Hmong friends, whose help U.S. forces received during the Vietnam war, became the basis of the ruthless persecution of their own in the post war period. They came to U.S. with a humble mind to restart their lives and to face all unimaginable challenges: the cultural gap, the language barrier, the different social structure, the difficulty of parenting under two value systems, just to name a few.
As to myself- was an international student who is fascinated by the concept of the “global Village.” Seeking a place of fresh air and water without political, and technological pollution, spending endless time in learning English, observing and being aware of the different social systems, doing as Roman do, and treasuring my own cultural heritage in the mean time appreciating the new one... all these challenges take forever time to learn and to overcome. And time is the most precious element in such a learning process.
There are gains and losses, courage and frustration, appreciation and disappointment- all kind of human drama going on in the everyday presentation of the cross-cultural sojourner. It takes a great magnitude of empathy to understand such happenings in this country experienced by many generational migrants.
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Crystal Huang
5 hours ago · Edited
Is this a triple celebration and happiness? Happy White Valentine's Day (Far-Eastern Asia) + Happy Albert Einstein's Birthday (3.14.1879) + Happy Pi Day!
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Lu LU, 黃麗月, 黄經洲 and 3 others like this.
Crystal Huang A pre-celebration of the next year's EPIC Pi Day - on 3.1415 at 9:26:53.
A definition of Pi (you might not agree?) = life, with the endless twists and turns, irrationality, and unpredictability, but fortunately, we recognize it - keep on exploring it till the end of the multiverse, if one wants???? !
4 hours ago · Edited · Like · 2
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Crystal Huang
5 hours ago · Edited
Is this a triple celebration and happiness? Happy White Valentine's Day (Far-Eastern Asia) + Happy Albert Einstein's Birthday (3.14.1879) + Happy Pi Day!
Like · · Promote · Share
Lu LU, 黃麗月, 黄經洲 and 3 others like this.
Crystal Huang A pre-celebration of the next year's EPIC Pi Day - on 3.1415 at 9:26:53.
A definition of Pi (you might not agree?) = life, with the endless twists and turns, irrationality, and unpredictability, but fortunately, we recognize it - keep on exploring it till the end of the multiverse, if one wants???? !
4 hours ago · Edited · Like · 2
