triton
07-17-2007, 05:57 AM
I couldn't sleep because I was DREAMing (ha, okay lame but true) so I thought I'd introduce myself while I have all this time on my hands.
My family, already fluent in English, moved here from the Philippines when I was four. I think I came here on a tourist visa which at some point expired. My parents never discussed immigration with me or my brother at all because they wanted me to grow up as normal as possible. For the most part, I did grow up to be a "normal" American. The sole breadwinner in my household works, pays taxes, and made sure we had everything we needed. We even own a house in the Bay Area which is notorious for the high cost of living. When I was younger, I used to wonder why my parents chose this area of all places to move since the homes are overpriced. At this age, I realize I'm very blessed because I've never had to confront serious bigotry in my 18 years. People here are generally very accepting of others.
As I said, I wasn't really affected by being an illegal person -- not until I had to start applying to colleges. (I also couldn't register to vote when I turned 18, but our country has a low voter turnout rate anyway.) Luckily, California allows people like us to pay in-state tuition, but that still eliminated the possibility of attending private or out of state universities for me. Finally, I decided to attend my dream school located in southern California because I thought it would bring me closer to the forefront of our cause. The day CIR failed in the Senate, my parents dropped the bomb on me saying that they could not afford to send me to a UC and pay the bills. As you can probably imagine, I was crushed that I couldn't attend the school that I loved, not because I couldn't earn my way into it, but because this status of being an illegal immigrant prevented my family from earning a higher income. I'd love to be a citizen just so I could get a job and pay my way through college. I'm very thankful I found COSA and DAP though because knowing I'm not fighting by myself takes some of the degradation away.
Anyway, I'll be damned if I let some ALIPAC racist deprive me of my DREAM. Frankly, if I'm going to be insulted by a nativist for being an immigrant, it better be delivered eloquently in proper, standard English. I spent my whole life striving to be a model citizen and I'm determined to earn my place here if I have to stay up all night and repeatedly call members of the Senate to do so.
Thanks for your time.
I hope we all maintain the fervor it takes to pass this bill.
My family, already fluent in English, moved here from the Philippines when I was four. I think I came here on a tourist visa which at some point expired. My parents never discussed immigration with me or my brother at all because they wanted me to grow up as normal as possible. For the most part, I did grow up to be a "normal" American. The sole breadwinner in my household works, pays taxes, and made sure we had everything we needed. We even own a house in the Bay Area which is notorious for the high cost of living. When I was younger, I used to wonder why my parents chose this area of all places to move since the homes are overpriced. At this age, I realize I'm very blessed because I've never had to confront serious bigotry in my 18 years. People here are generally very accepting of others.
As I said, I wasn't really affected by being an illegal person -- not until I had to start applying to colleges. (I also couldn't register to vote when I turned 18, but our country has a low voter turnout rate anyway.) Luckily, California allows people like us to pay in-state tuition, but that still eliminated the possibility of attending private or out of state universities for me. Finally, I decided to attend my dream school located in southern California because I thought it would bring me closer to the forefront of our cause. The day CIR failed in the Senate, my parents dropped the bomb on me saying that they could not afford to send me to a UC and pay the bills. As you can probably imagine, I was crushed that I couldn't attend the school that I loved, not because I couldn't earn my way into it, but because this status of being an illegal immigrant prevented my family from earning a higher income. I'd love to be a citizen just so I could get a job and pay my way through college. I'm very thankful I found COSA and DAP though because knowing I'm not fighting by myself takes some of the degradation away.
Anyway, I'll be damned if I let some ALIPAC racist deprive me of my DREAM. Frankly, if I'm going to be insulted by a nativist for being an immigrant, it better be delivered eloquently in proper, standard English. I spent my whole life striving to be a model citizen and I'm determined to earn my place here if I have to stay up all night and repeatedly call members of the Senate to do so.
Thanks for your time.
I hope we all maintain the fervor it takes to pass this bill.