BEING LOST & FOUND

I have heard many stories of how difficult the transition of leaving one's country and moving into a new one is, especially stories that come from my grandparents. They often described their state of confusion, with humor and a little of embarrassment. Immigrants are challenged with balancing their homeland's culture with that of their new home's. This is not an easy task, and many, like Amir and my own dad, found it easier to pick and choose which culture they preferred, and for both, they chose America. They chose a life of renewal and of modernization. Amir had seen America as an escape from his past, of a world of tragedy, of a painful memory. He let go of his roots because it was unbearable for him, and he embarked on his future filled opportunities.

However, things were different especially for the elderly, the ones who were uprooted and made the choice of leaving their home. So here, I am speaking of the generation that had to muster all the courage they could to say goodbye to their old lives. I am speaking of my grandparents and Baba. Yes, America, to this day, is seen as the land of opportunities, especially when one's realizes that their country is being destroyed to pieces. America is change, America stands for change. And with that, old traditional values are sometimes forgotten. Americanization is a challenge the generations that are here and coming must face. I think that is the fear of many of the older generations. We risk being forgotten. We risk forgetting. Baba had a special connection to Afghanistan. All his treasures and accomplishments lay in its soil. And by moving to America, becoming American, those accomplishments amounted to very little. He chose a new life. And within the text, I felt his pain, his yearning for his home. There was a bit of stubbornness in him. His pride refused him to take classes so as to improve his English. He found comfort in going to the flea market, filled with familiar faces. He did not accept food stamps as he believed them to be charity money. He denied a Russian doctor to examine him though he was undergoing great physical pain. And he worked long shifts at the bottom of the social chain to improve his and Amir's lives. It made me really think about the sacrifices my ancestors had taken, and which I take for granted. Definitely, this is an immigrant's struggle.