B2: Reflection

In reading Children of Immigrants, I found it to be pretty eye-opening in terms of what children of immigrants go through in their lives.  I focused on Suarez-Orozsco's first chapter on the varieties of immigrant experience.  To be perfectly honest, I had no idea that there were so many different categories of immigrants.  Surprisingly, these different categories of immigrants come to the United States for various reasons.

When reading this first chapter, I did expect to hear the common information about immigrants such as some are documented and and some undocumented who come to the United States illegally.  I think most people would know some of this basic information because it is an issue almost discussed everyday in politics and, believe it or not, even in my own classroom.  I have students, mostly white American boys who are enrolled in our school's American Government class, that discuss immigration issues and how there are so many problems that need to be solved.  Let's be honest, immigration is not the only problem.

In this chapter of discussing immigrant experience, I could not help but read into the emotional perspective.  When i was reading the chapter, I focused more on the hardships that many immigrants go through rather than the political perspective that so many Americans seem to focus on.  I tried to put myself in the immigrants shoes.  I talk to and see my mother almost every single day.  I could not imagine being away from her and the rest of my family for weeks, months or even years.  It amazes me the sacrifices that these immigrants make for their various reasons.  Some of these immigrants see migrating to another country as a method of survival and others view it as a way to thrive in life.  I can agree that both are justifiable reasons why to immigrate.