First generation American surlies

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I dig this community and am always impressed and fascinated by our Texas knowledge and experience.  We have posters that were born and raised all over the state, from tiny towns to major cities.  This is the first place I research places to eat in far flung parts of Texas when I am heading out on a road trip.  Anyways, I am curious how many of us are first generation Americans.  Can be either one or both parents that were immigrants.  Would be interesting to know which country your parent(s) came from.  I do not mean this as a political post, I am hoping it can stay that way.

Shall we play a game?

[Handcruser 2805]

Raises hand.

Pops was born in England during the war. Was on the first boat with the war brides.

Back in 85 I guess, there was some documentary on TV about the first war brides coming over (40th anniversary I guess) and there was my grandmother holding my dad on the boat.

[Yarbr 123]

 My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard, really. At the age of twelve, I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I suggest you try it.

[texasdago 7594]

I'm the zero generation although my dad is American but I was born on Italian soil so i guess it skipped me and restarted with my kids.  Or something like that.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

9 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I'm the zero generation although my dad is American but I was born on Italian soil so i guess it skipped me and restarted with my kids.  Or something like that.

That's a weird one, but I think Hefe has the same recipe, just swap Italy for Brazil.  But yeah, not sure what you call that haha.

[texasdago 7594]

I guess my brother and I are the last ones born in Italy because working backwards from my mom and her siblings, my uncle has records going back several hundred years.  

[Rimbo 26465]

What if only one parent is an immigrant? I mean, this doesn't apply to me, but it applies to my kidses.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

What if only one parent is an immigrant? I mean, this doesn't apply to me, but it applies to my kidses.

It counts. Well, I say I consider myself a first gen American in my father’s side. He only became a citizen more than a decade after I was born. However, it’s not the same as being first gen of an immigrant couple. At least from what I perceive.

[Rimbo 26465]

17 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

It counts. Well, I say I consider myself a first gen American in my father’s side. He only became a citizen more than a decade after I was born. However, it’s not the same as being first gen of an immigrant couple. At least from what I perceive.

I'd totally agree with that.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4980]

My wife is first generation, but my most recent immigrant ancestors that I've found got here about 200 years ago. Going from one family Holliday get together to the other has to be like culture shock for the kids, but I guess it is normal to them.

[CooterBrown 18099]

My wife is a first generation American on her dad’s side. Her dad is from Iran. Her mom is from New York so that could be considered pretty foreign too. He was married to her mom for exactly one day past the legal requirement for permanent residency. She hasn’t seen him since she was legally required to do so at age 18.

[bernorange 8377]

I am first generation American.  My folks emigrated from Argentina.  Father came over first and worked at an engineering firm for many months before he could bring my mother and older brother over.  I was born in Houston on one of the coldest days on record (for Houston).  My mother says it was like Hell freezing over. 

[Parliament 14402]

What kinda preconceptions did you guys's parents have about the US that proved untrue? Do they have any regrets?  Is America as awesome as we say?

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

What kinda preconceptions did you guys's parents have about the US that proved untrue? Do they have any regrets?  Is America as awesome as we say?

I’m not sure I ever asked my dad about preconceptions. I don’t think he has any regrets. He did encounter racism here and there, but not enough to deter him.

I talk about preconceptions with my wife (naturalized citizen) because most of her notions came from watching American movies. She also thinks it’s bizarre that American homes are built with a wood frame. Haha.

[52-80 19283]

We come from the land down over.  Naturalized - myself and tons of extended family.  America allowed us a to build a lifestyle previously impossible - it kicks ass.  Personally ill likely spend the rest of my life elsewhere but my kid is dual passport holder so living there is his choice should he ever wish.

[Samson's Wig 3199]

Wife is naturalized, so the kids are first gen on her side.  Her folks moved to Canada from Ireland and England.  My people have been here so long that the dirt smells like us.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

So we have various Latin American countries representing. Looks like a couple of Brits/commonwealth folks. What else?

[UncleSonny 6653]

4 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

My wife is a first generation American on her dad’s side. Her dad is from Iran. Her mom is from New York so that could be considered pretty foreign too. He was married to her mom for exactly one day past the legal requirement for permanent residency. She hasn’t seen him since she was legally required to do so at age 18.

My wife and her family immigrated to Texas from Iran when she was like 6. She has in interesting perspective, went to school entirely in the states but still remembers Iran. Her family life obviously remained pretty steeped in Persian cultures while she was mostly able to “pass” for being Western. She jokes everyone in her high school always just assumed she was Mexican until 9/11, then all of a sudden people became much more curious where she was from. 

Raising our kids to understand and appreciate two cultures as been fun. So far our oldest (6yrs) seems proud to talk about being Persian and embraces Iranian New Year and the food and music she’s been exposed to. Hopefully she never feels too othered by it. 

I’m curious about what you immigrant families have done with your kids names if you come from countries with different languages and the common names may look different in the states. For our oldest daughter we used a name that’s common in both cultures, but for our youngest we went with a more Persian name. We got some push back from my family who think it’s “weird” and hard to say, which fuck that. She’s your granddaughter, you can learn to pronounce her name (and it’s not hard to say). I hope one day she really loves her name, but I also realistically know there may be times in school where it’s tough for her. 

[deadshank 24653]

My sister married a Turk.  He jumped from that country as soon as he could.  Left his entire family in Adana.  He has a few relatives living in Los Angeles. 
 

Put himself through college and grad school.  He speaks 5 languages and has a great job.  
 

Both of his and my sister’s boys speak Turk.  
 

He loves it here. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 22038]

My DIL moved here with her parents from China when she was 12.  I'm still not convinced they're not sleeper agents, so I keep a pretty good eye on them.  My grandson is cute as shit though.

[Helobious 9511]

I’m 2nd generation American. Didn’t realize so much unwashed filth posted on here. Gross.

[FartingMonk 3608]

Parents were born during the beginning of the Vietnam war.  Escaped on a boat when they were 16 spent a year in a refugee camp after being rescued by the US Navy.  Set foot in America in 1980 after getting sponsored by some Methodist missionaries 

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

Babymama of two is English. She's proud of her heritage but has zero desire to return to her shithole hometown. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Regarding names of kids…that was pretty easy for us. Names work in the three main languages of our families (Portuguese, English and Spanish), although pronunciation varies a bit.

Nearly everyone not Latino has fucked up my last name all my life. Two many vowels and a X in there to boot. My wife noticed that when I am on the phone and someone asks my name I automatically start spelling it whether they ask or not. It’s just second nature.

She also still gets annoyed when people speak Spanish to her or assume we are speaking Spanish. She needs to chill, we are in Texas after all.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Z. Not X. Either the keyboards on phones are getting too small or my fingers are getting bigger.

[texasdago 7594]

2 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

So we have various Latin American countries representing. Looks like a couple of Brits/commonwealth folks. What else?

Italy (duh)

When we came here, my mom really complalined about the lack of good pasta, olive oil, etc.  We would either visit Italy or have relatives visit us from Italy with big old jugs of olive oil.  My mom felt like it was a wasteland from a cooking perspective.  Not to mention some people would hear us talk and just assume we were Mexican.

[tx 3 putt 77974]

Both sides of my families have lived under all the flags, so it’s fun riding your stories 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I’m not sure I ever asked my dad about preconceptions. I don’t think he has any regrets. He did encounter racism here and there, but not enough to deter him.

I talk about preconceptions with my wife (naturalized citizen) because most of her notions came from watching American movies. She also thinks it’s bizarre that American homes are built with a wood frame. Haha.

Patricio Swayze’s dad’s credo:

[Guest]

2 hours ago, UncleSonny said:

My wife and her family immigrated to Texas from Iran when she was like 6. She has in interesting perspective, went to school entirely in the states but still remembers Iran. Her family life obviously remained pretty steeped in Persian cultures while she was mostly able to “pass” for being Western. She jokes everyone in her high school always just assumed she was Mexican until 9/11, then all of a sudden people became much more curious where she was from. 

Raising our kids to understand and appreciate two cultures as been fun. So far our oldest (6yrs) seems proud to talk about being Persian and embraces Iranian New Year and the food and music she’s been exposed to. Hopefully she never feels too othered by it. 

I’m curious about what you immigrant families have done with your kids names if you come from countries with different languages and the common names may look different in the states. For our oldest daughter we used a name that’s common in both cultures, but for our youngest we went with a more Persian name. We got some push back from my family who think it’s “weird” and hard to say, which fuck that. She’s your granddaughter, you can learn to pronounce her name (and it’s not hard to say). I hope one day she really loves her name, but I also realistically know there may be times in school where it’s tough for her. 

A) What are their names?

B) Any family member that seriously complains about YOUR child’s name is to be ignored. Mom/Dad, it ain’t your choice, so keep your goddamned mouths shut. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Both sides of my families have lived under all the flags, so it’s fun riding your stories 

I can only claim that through my mom.

[UncleSonny 6653]

22 minutes ago, Porterhouse said:

A) What are their names?

B) Any family member that seriously complains about YOUR child’s name is to be ignored. Mom/Dad, it ain’t your choice, so keep your goddamned mouths shut. 

Lily and Niloofar (Nee-loo-fahr). We call her Niloo about half the time. If any Farsi speakers are reading, the similar meanings actually wasn’t intentional. 

There was a non-zero chance we were going to go with Bijan if number two was a boy. 

[FartingMonk 3608]

All of mine have English names.  By the time they get to second generation they don't even know how to speak the language anymore.  And it's not for lack of trying 

[texasdago 7594]

2 hours ago, Porterhouse said:

A) What are their names?

B) Any family member that seriously complains about YOUR child’s name is to be ignored. Mom/Dad, it ain’t your choice, so keep your goddamned mouths shut. 

Mine have Italian names so its never been an issue with my parents.

Luigi and Mario, of course.

[RDCanecutter 26563]

Mrs. Canecutter's mom was from Denmark. She married her GI husband very young and came over barely speaking English, so her older children got to learn Danish. By the time my change-of-life-baby wife grew up, Mom was settled in and didn't speak it much with her. My wife studied Swedish in school (they didn't offer Danish) so she could go visit her grandmother in Copenhagen and talk to her. It's pretty close, Danish is just the same thing with a numb dentist-visit tongue, mumbling.

Her dad was 1st gen ethnic Hungarian, parents had come over after WW1 from Budapest and Transylvania. She learned a few phrases from him and his mother, it really does sound like Dracula. Dad tried forty ways to avoid serving in WW2, then went in as band which were the first to become infantry replacements. Ended up saving a dude's life under fire though.

In school she was not considered fully American by the local Italians and Germans who themselves had barely gotten there. Everybody's gotta pick on somebody.

I benefit greatly from her European-style cooking skills. She has also moved into Mexican cuisine and makes her own tortillas from making masa out of hominy corn and cal. Basic ingredients, no shortcuts. When she goes through the checkout line at El Pueblo supermarket, the bilingual clerks look at her cart and switch to Spanish with her. And she just rolls with it. Easier than Hungarian.

[SimonBolivar 10962]

I'm 35thish generation WASP so no interesting background here, but the wife has a lot to be proud of and truly has experienced the American dream.

 

Her grandma was born in 35 in Zacatecas and her great grandmother thought that she was needed at home doing chores so she never allowed her daughter to attend school to learn to read and write Spanish or really do anything but cook, clean, and run the ranchito (even at 88 now she can still kill/clean a chicken really fast, but now she usually just buys em pre kilt. Age ruins everything) 

 

Grandma had wife's mom in 65 and then in 80 paid what little money she had to have her cross into the USA to attend high school and live with family in Los Angeles. Mom gets to LA as a 15 year old and is told she needs to drop out and get a job to support her LA family so she does.

 

Wife is born in 95 to a 60 year old deadbeat dad and her 30 year old mom and then mom eventually leaves and takes all 4 kids with her. They eventually reach Texas where mom works in a poultry factory until she has to quit due to the pain of being a factory worker for 30 years.

 

My wife saw all of this and knew she didn't want to live that way so she did great in high school, got herself her BA in Spanish, her masters in Education, and now teaches a 2nd grade class that is half in English and half in Spanish which she thinks is the best job on the planet helping kids like she was keep their culture. She's been through shit I can only imagine compared to my Andy Bernard Baylor legacy life, but she "made it".

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by SimonBolivar

[Gatorubet 30431]

Dad’s family got here in 1637.  My grandmother (mom’s mom) came over in the 1890s from Sweden.    My Mom’s father’s family did not want an MIT grad (class of aught five) marrying “some peasant girl off the boat”.

But even then, undefeated.