The Story of a True Asian Immigrant(Andy Herman) (Note that the author was 16 years old when he wrote this story.)


Many people don’t understand the hardships of immigration. Most people think that immigration is trouble-free. The truth is that immigration from another country outside of the United States is very difficult. Some of the factors that make immigration difficult are that some immigrants to America don’t speak English. When an immigrant does not speak or understand the language spoken, the lack of communication creates frustration in the immigrant. A prime example of a person who has endured the hardships and difficulties of immigration is my dad. My dad made his journey to America on November 24, 1974. When I asked him what it was like, I was amazed and amused by his story.

When my dad was prepared to go on the plane, he did not know anything about the trip to America. While he was on the plane, he did not know much about the flight. When he saw clouds outside his window, he thought they were “gigantic cotton candy.” The first leg of the flight was to Hawaii where he was supposed to change planes. When he got to the airport in Hawaii, he did not know how to speak any English. With flailing arms and gestures, my father was able to ask a police officer how to get to his next flight. Wandering around in front of his gate, my dad grew very hungry. He asked a stewardess who happened to be walking by where he could get food. My dad said that he would always remember what his first American food was and how much it cost. He ate a hotdog for three dollars. Another very funny thing that my dad recalled from his first step on foreign soil was that when he saw Americans, he thought that the people with blue eyes and blond hair was very bizarre. It was his first encounter, besides he step-dad, of an American person. He could not describe the feeling he had when he first saw an American.

On his flight to Seattle from Hawaii, the funniest part of his journey occurred. The flight usually takes about two to three hours, not knowing how long it would take, my dad innocently went to the bathroom and stayed in there for about an hour. He remembers people knocking on the door asking if he was all right. Back then, because he didn’t understand what they were saying he thought that they were being weird. When he walked out, there was a HUGE line waiting for the bathroom. In a small passenger plane with two bathrooms, and my dad used one of them for about half the trip. Embarrassed, my dad made his way back to his seat. He remembers people saying stuff to him that he could not understand, but we all know that the people in line were not congratulating him.

My dad arrived at the Seattle airport and needed to call his mom who lived in Toppenish, Washington. Using his infamous arm flailing and funny gestures, he was able to get help to call his mom. My dad’s arrival was a complete surprise to both my grandma and grandpa. Toppenish is not very close to Seattle. It takes about five to six hours by car to get to Seattle. My grandpa told my dad that he was going to be there so he told him to wait by the gate. In America, gate usually refers to the area before you ride the plane or where you get off. In Korea, gate usually refers to the main entrance to a place. My dad, who did not understand a lot of English got on a taxi to listen to his step-dad’s advice and told the taxi driver to take him to the “gate.” The taxi driver, fully aware that my father was not accustomed to America, drove him around in a circle and ended up at the same place and charged him five dollars. By that time, my grandpa arrived at the airport and was starting to look for my dad. My dad, who was completely lost, walked around searching for his step-dad. Luckily, they ran into each other and he was able to go home.

My dad’s journey to America was full of amusement and fascinating events. I have read many books written by Asian immigrants, and I have to say that the writers of the books only recount the hardships of the journey. Sure, there are more hardships then fun parts about immigration, but if people only read about the hardships, the people cannot grasp the full picture of immigration and feel more pity toward the immigrant rather that respect for that person’s achievement. Respect for a person is not created by the emotional portion of the trip, but every aspect of trip. There are more than just the hardships of immigration. The hardships may outweigh the funny events of the trip, but the listeners and readers of the story will respect immigrants more for their ability to see their immigration not only as a bad, vigorous trip, but also as a fresh start to their hard life and to make the best of it. Many funny events occur during a trip to a new country. A very common funny event might be the misunderstanding of a word and how that misunderstanding can create havoc. These little proceedings provide not only a comic relief, but also a true picture of everything an immigrant goes through.

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