Wednesday 28 December 2016

People


My great grandparents, or maybe great-great grandparents came to the US. I am happy that they came here. My family is a mixture of Polish, German, Scottish, English and more. One of the best things of America is the diversity and mixing of cultures, heritages, ideas. People here talk about being some nationality and they take pride in their history. However, this history has been Americanized, adapted. 

I met some people from the Netherlands last summer. Interestingly, they felt like they had more in common with the Amish people in Pennsylvania than the Dutch people in Michigan. They had to speak to the Dutch people that they met in English and could communicate easier with the Pennsylvania people. I would not have thought of that. 

I think about my own life and how I have changed and grown by moving to different areas. Each area has new people to meet, new places to visit and new traditions to discover, making life richer. Every person that I met has a different perspective on life and I find it fascinating. 

My family moved to the states for opportunity for themselves and future generations. I don't understand the opinions of keeping people out of this country. Most of our families were not here. How can I then turn around and say that others can not be here? If my family had not been able to come, they would not have met the spouses that they did, they would not have built the lives that they did, worked, had children, etc. and I would not exist. Each time people come to the US, they bring their culture, history and ideas. There are a lot of cultures and customs that I do not know. We can all learn from each other. 

No comments: