This is a story about coming to America...
20 years ago today, a group of 18 new immigrants from Ukraine (at that point still part of USSR) arrived via PanAm into the JFK airport here in NYC. These were all member of one family - MY family. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and their kids... We came to USA, leaving behind our lives, homes, schools, jobs, cultures, giving up our citizenship in the hopes of building a better life... A life free of religious and ethnic persecution, a life where parents would not have to worry if their children will be able to go to college simply because they belong to a different religion. We were all scared - what does new life has in store for us? What will happen? Will we make it?
These 20 years have been filled with hard work, patience, persistence and always hope. My parents were just a year older then my husband and I today, they barely spoke 2 words of English they had no idea if the college education they received would ever be useful in their new lives. BUT they never gave up... Working hard, studying, having night jobs as a janitor and night nurse and cleaning lady - they worked and worked while learning a new language and adopting to the new life. In the meantime, I went to high school (Sinai Academy of Brooklyn) where I was finally able to learn about Jewish history and my religion, my brother went to grade school and being so young probably does not remember much of what sticks in my memory so much more. We had to spend our 1st night in NYC in a tiny motel, somewhere in Manhattan. The room had a tiny dead mouse right there on the floor when we first walked in. My mom cried and took out the clean sheets from the luggage so that we can sleep on something familiar. My 5 year old brother cried and asked where are the promised bananas. So, my dad did what any father would do - took me by the hand (so that I can help him speak English (2 heads are better then one) and we went outside onto the humid busy streets of Manhattan, so that he can fulfill his promise to his son. An hour later, paying $5 out of the $400 that we had in total with use my dad brought his baby by the promised bananas... What a night that was!!! I remember the first time our parents took us to McDonalds was such a treat to both of AND for a few years after that my borther wanted to celebrate all his birthdays there :) At that point we did not realize that fast food was not the healthiest and saw it as something totally gourmet...
In these 20 years our family of then 18 has grown... Us, then kids and now adults have all gone to colleges and grad schools, most of us are married and have children of our own. I am proud of what we all have achieved, I am proud of my dad who even though he still has a heavy accent has followed his dream and never gave up. My mom who runs her own business and still finds the time to be a mom and grandma. I am proud of my grandparents, who live on their own, especially my 86 year old grandpa - who plays chess with his opponent the computer, who checks e-mails and researches natural health remedies on various websites :)
We all live busy lives in this now OUR country... We have witnessed first hand the horror of 9/11, we have been through loosing jobs and being worried about tomorrow all over again and just like everyone else we are now unsure of the financial future of our country - we have HOPE above all else. Hope that one day this too shall pass and our children will be able to continue enjoying the freedom and security our country offers its citizens. We will teach our kids to work hard, to never give up, to be proud of their heritage, to pursue their dreams and always be thankful!!!
I think many of you reading through today's post were able to relate very closely to my story... I am more then sure that many of you have very similar stories of your own to share...
And as always, I end my posts with a picture - this is a photo of my parents, my brother and I about 4 years before we came to America.
