Meet my Parents: An Immigration Story - Veronica Montemayor
My family migrated from the Philippines to the United States when I was only five months old. After interviewing my parents and hearing what they had to say about their migration process, I gained a completely new perspective. The main reason why we moved to the United States was that my father got a job offer here in the United States. I learned that a lot of people in the Philippines strived to come here because of the plethora of opportunities America has to offer. The United States is a melting pot, and it is a great country to be raised in. I was reminded of the "American Dream" ideology that was reiterated throughout the movie Nuovomondo (Golden Door) directed by Emanuele Crialese. Although my parents did not visualize America to have giant vegetables and rivers of milk, they made it clear that America is filled with richness and possibilities.
Overall, I had a lot of fun interviewing my parents because I always wondered what it was like for them to move to an entirely different country. If you could not tell, my parents are exact opposites. My father is very mellow, while my mother is super enthusiastic. I was very curious to what my father had to say specifically because he was the sole reason why we moved here. I have vague memories of them studying for their naturalization test and preparing for their interviews to gain citizenship. I even remember that I cried because I thought we were no longer Filipinos because of this whole immigration process!
I am very thankful for both of my parents because they made many sacrifices for my siblings and me to have a great life. Both of them have done so much for me, and I can not thank them enough for taking the time out of their busy schedules to be interviewed by me. My father was the one who constantly worked outside to home to provide for our family, and my mother was the one who graciously took care of my siblings inside our home.
I hope you enjoy watching this video about their immigration process!
Works Cited:
Montemayor, Rafael. Personal video interview. 21 November 2018.
Montemayor, Perlita. Person video interview. 21 November 2018.
Crialese, Emanuele, et al. Golden Door. Optimum Releasing, 2006.