To serve and reject, 2/27

In the article I chose, it talks about the movie "Soy Nero". This movie is about a young Mexican man who served in the war for U.S Army. However, when he tries to come back to the states, he is denied access because he is a so called "illegal immigrant".

Due to the increasing popularity of Donald Trump, people have been more concerned with the issue of immigration in America. The process of immigration is a long process, so to skip the madness, people resort to joining the U.S military. However, after their service is over, some people aren't allowed into the country and aren't even considered to be citizens. I could only imagine how frustrating it may be for these people - serving for the country they hope to call home, but end up being rejected.

https://www.facebook.com/HuffPostLatinoVoices/videos/vb.256004367748633/1263382527010807/?type=2&theater
http://www.latintimes.com/indie-film-soy-nero-exposes-reality-green-card-soldiers-370936

Immigration data, 2/24

In this article, it explains how troublesome it may be to measure economic progress among United States immigrants. Asian Americans earn college degrees and go on to be more successful than other ethnic groups. However, this may mean that the culture is more likely to get lost in the generations to come. This is because the sons and daughters of immigrants are more likely to assimilate to American culture.


http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/02/immigrant-data-economic-progress/470619/#article-comments

Save Language, 2/16

When immigrating to a mostly English speaking country, people's first reaction is to assimilate and learn how to speak the language in order to survive. However, America is known for its many spoken languages due to its large number of immigrants. Language is usually passed down from generation to generation, but when moving to America, sometimes that language gets lost.

In this article, it explains how America has recognized Hawaiian Pidgin English as a language. Hawaiian Pidgin English came to be when Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino and Japanese immigrants worked in the plantations. I've read and heard the controversy with pidgin language since I was young. A lot of people felt that Hawaiians who spoke pidgin sounded illiterate and should either choose one language or the other. Hawaiians, in turn, was very taken back by the reaction of some people. For those who aren't familiar with Hawaiian Pidgin English, this is an example:

In the United States, there can be a mix of first generation students that either know their language, or don't. For example, I was never really taught tagalog because my parents never spoke it to me. They felt that since we're living in America, it would be good for me to make English my first language. Looking back now, I wish I had another language under my belt. Not only would I have to worry about my language dying out, I would be able to go back to the Philippines and converse with ease. 

The recognizing of Hawaiian Pidgin English is definitely a big step for America. This is another example of how America is so rich in culture and language. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/11/hawaiian-pidgin-recognized/416883/

First-Gen Expectations, 2/9/16

In the article that I chose, USC (University of Southern California) held a summit which invited all of the "first generation" students on campus. This summit was held in order for these students to get the right kind of assistance they need in order to succeed. It made students aware that they were not alone and that there are many students around that went through the same thing. The summit helped cause awareness of diversity and culture as well.

In class, we definitely take a lot of time to talk about our parent's immigration stories and how it has impacted them in a major way. Today in my blog post, however, I'd like to shed light on the "first generation" - students in particular. I, along with many of my friends are first generation students. My parents and their siblings, and also all of my friend's parents and siblings are all immigrants who came to America to establish better lives for their families. Being a first generation student definitely has its major drawbacks. For example, my parents don't know about the college system very well, so I have to do a lot of the financing for college and setting up loans on my own. On top of having that financial stress, we also have the pressure to do super well at school. Since my parents are putting me through school, there is absolutely no room for failure, or else it basically seems like they came to America and made sacrifices for nothing. Living up to these expectations is a day to day challenge to all first generation students.

I think that it's great that universities have programs like first generation summit because it gives students the chance to relate to one another. I remember first coming into NDNU, there was a program for first generation students that was really helpful at the time. I hope that all universities take the initiative to realize how important a program like this could be for their students.



http://dailytrojan.com/2016/02/07/inaugural-usc-first-generation-summit-held/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-first-generation-college-students-struggle-20160121-story.html

Diversity on the Big Screen, 2/3/16

Do you remember the last time American television showcased traditions of a certain culture? Nowadays, media fails to capture the every day lifestyles of the people who make America the diverse country that it is.

In this article, it talks about the show "Fresh Off the Boat". With Chinese New Year coming right around the corner, they are coming out with an episode that focuses mainly on that. The show, which airs on ABC, follows the life of Eddie Huang, a first generation son to China-born immigrants. The family in the show moves from a highly Chinese populated Washington D.C to Orlando, Florida in the mid 90's.

This show is incredibly important to Asian-American culture, because these days, we lack things like these. Out of all of the shows that are airing on television right now, Fresh Off the Boat is the only show to celebrate the holiday. Most shows usually have specials that document Thanksgiving and Christmas (which are important to American culture). At the end of the article, it expresses the importance to have shows like these on television, especially for Asian Americans, because it gives the Asian community something to relate to. I'm personally a really big fan of the show, and although I'm Filipino, I can relate so much to a lot of the mannerisms and traditions that are shown.

It just goes to show how diversity and culture have come so far in America, for it to be showcased on American television.


http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-fresh-off-the-boat-celebrates-chinese-new-year-20160202-story.html