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The
Pain
Of
Being
An
Immigrant |
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|
The
Pain
Of
Being
An
Immigrant |
|
In
January 1946,
(almost 59 years ago), when I first crossed the Atlantic Ocean to come from Lisbon, Portugal
, to
Two
months after my arrival in U. S. A., I
was called to be examined by the American Armed Forces, because I was an
American citizen since the moment I
was born in Portugal, due to the fact that my father was
an American citizen before I was born.
The
results of my physical exam by the medical army
doctors were OK, but I flanked the
written exam and because of this I
was classified as M D
meaning Mental Deficient, because
I did not know the English language!!! But
11 years later I changed the meaning of MD,
meaning mental deficient, to
M. D., meaning Medical Doctor!!!
However
between that time frame, I had to go through the pain of being an immigrant in
U. S. A., learning the language, adjusting to a total different society.
My
first job in U. S. A. was using the
broom. This job consisted of cleaning a factory, floors and toilets,
on 23rd Street in New York
City! I attended night school,
in a public school, learning the words chair, wall, ceiling, etc.
and then at New York
University in the evening until I was able to take the College Entrance
Exam and passed it.
But on social dealings, I had an accent, my name was obvious different from the majority of people, and immediately I was singled out as a foreign. Somehow I got the feeling that I did not belong in America! I was not welcomed. This situation was painful, besides being called greenhorn! Any immigrant is also bothered by a psychological state of mind of an inferiority complex!...
Slowly
I begun to overcome and finally I succeeded by my medical profession and also by
my other accomplishments. But as I look back, it was not easy.
Sometimes was really painful! I had to have lots of
guts of determination and perseverance to become victorious!
Unfortunately
many immigrants, not only Portuguese, but of other nationalities, are not able
to become victorious on this
metamorphosis of overcoming
the lengthy period of surviving
the acclimatization of finally feeling comfortably safe in U. S. A., financially
and socially.
Double
proud of being a Portuguese American
This
pain of being an immigrant is,
without realizing it, passed on to
our children and even grandchildren.
Now as the Portuguese immigration from
And
if the Portuguese group – sons, daughters and mainly the grandchildren
want to continue to improve
their Portuguese image
in this country they have to start to
read, and understand their Portuguese
roots. If they understand their Portuguese roots they will find out that
Portugal is a country that has been independent for almost nine centuries, and
has a tremendous human experience in all different aspects
of human achievements: music, art, architecture, culinary,
literature, poetry, and of course on the history of the world
discoveries. They will become proud of their Portuguese roots and this
will even make them better American citizens!!!
So, children and grandchildren go to it. Learn about your Portuguese
roots, and you will get a tremendous
fulfillment!
All those of you that have a Portuguese name take a tip from me. To eliminate any percentage of weakness that your name might give you, learn the Portuguese History and Culture and then, like me, you will be double proud of being a Portuguese-American! You will realized that you are descendent of Portugal – the world champion of discoveries 500 hundred years ago – and today you are a descendent of the world champion of the conquest of outer space – The United states of America!