America has long been known as a country of immigrants. In 1958, Senator John F. Kennedy (who became President in 1961) wrote a book about the USA titled, “A Nation of Immigrants”. Kennedy writes that immigration is important to America and points out “that every American who ever lived, with the exception of one group [Native Americans], was either an immigrant himself or a descendant of immigrants.” 

The immigrants of today

Who are the people who immigrate to America today? Where do they come from and what are their stories? This column will portray individual immigrants who offer readers a view into their lives in their new country. Their names have been changed to protect their privacy. We will examine how their lives are today and how their experiences have helped define their status. Who are they now? Where are they going?

Peter, from Haiti

Peter is a 35-year old Haitian. He went to college in Haiti and has a B.A. in Economics. He loves his country and the Haitian people, and it wasn’t easy for him to leave. But life in Haiti has become very difficult, he says. Every day there are kidnappings. Men, women and children are kidnapped. This is what made him decide to leave. First he went to Brazil. He had some jobs there, but nothing related to economics. Peter met his wife, Virginia, in Brazil. Virginia’s parents are Haitian, but they lived in the Dominican Republic, so Spanish is her native language. When Peter met Virginia, she could only speak a little Creole. Peter doesn’t speak Spanish, but he taught Virginia Creole and now she speaks it well. Peter and Virginia have a son who will soon be one year old. At home, Virginia speaks Spanish to their son and Peter speaks French and Creole with him. They expect him to learn English in school. Thus, when he’s older, he’ll be able to speak four languages!

Life in America

One year ago, Peter and Virginia came to the US as refugees. Their son was born shortly thereafter. Life has not been easy here for the young family. Finding a place to live and getting work was very difficult. Fortunately, three months ago Peter and Virginia were granted immigration status. They were so happy when they got the news! They can work and are able to get a better apartment. “Things are much better now”, he says. They still have to work very hard, though, especially with a baby. Because they don’t have a babysitter, they have to organize their jobs so that one of them can always be with their son.

Peter works 9-10 hours a day as a lift operator in the night shift. Work begins at 4 pm, but it’s a long drive, so he has to leave at 2:20 pm. usually, he arrives home at around 3:30 am. Virginia takes care of their son when Peter’s working and when he returns, he takes over the baby. Virginia then leaves for work at 6am and comes home at 5pm. She gets a ride with someone, so Peter has the car to do errands, like shopping, or, if the baby is sick, Peter tries to take him to the doctor. Luckily, their son is healthy and has only had diarrhea or a fever, nothing too serious. On the weekend, the family drives to Walmart to do their big shopping.

Peter learned English in high school and he can get by with that, but he wants to improve his English in order to get a better job. The weekend is the only time he has free time and he’s hoping to find someone to teach him English then, but he doesn’t know where to look for a teacher. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know of any organizations that can help him or his family with their questions about learning the language, getting permanent residency, and other issues. As he doesn’t have close Haitian friends in the area, there’s no one he can ask.

What he’d really like to do is to go back to school and study nursing, like his wife. Virginia began studying nursing in the Dominican Republic, but left the country before she could finish her degree. From their talks and his interaction with others, Peter has realized that he likes to take care of people and he thinks he could be a good nurse. 

What does Peter miss most?

Peter left Haiti 9 years ago and can’t go back to visit because he’s not eligible for a travel permit. Sometimes he’s homesick for Haiti, but most of the time he misses his mother and his other son. The boy lives in Haiti with the boy’s mother. “They’re the most important things in my life”. He talks to each of them every day, usually on a video call. Over the years, Peter says his son has grown to look like him – but even better!  

Another thing Peter misses is the sea. He used to swim a lot, but there’s no water near him in Indiana. He loved to look at the water, swim, and eat fish fresh out of the ocean. He’s occasionally eaten fish here, but it’s not the same and he doesn’t like it as much. He thinks this is because the fish in Indiana isn’t as fresh as in Haiti. There’s a lot of fish in Haiti, and his favorite is poisson rose (red snapper), a popular Haitian dish. His mother made it for him often, but he doesn’t know how to cook it.

Peter never cooked in Haiti, but he had to begin after he left the country. Now he cooks Haitian food, and his cooking is “not so bad”. Virginia’s a better cook and makes both Haitian and American dishes, with rice, plantain, vegetables, etc. They eat plantain from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but Peter insists that Haitian plantain is better.

The future

When asked, Peter says his biggest dreams for his life in America are to buy a house for his family and to bring his mother and son here to live with them. 

Their home will then have three generations combining three cultures – Haitian, Dominican, and American – and speaking four languages: English, French, Creole, and Spanish. As Kennedy wrote, the interaction of cultures gave America a special character – then and now.