"I pledge allegiance to the flag of United States and to the republic
for which stands, one nation, under god, with liberty and justice for all…."
This is a pledge I recite with my students every single day
for the last 12 years or so, yet this altogether had a different meaning when I
was reciting it with the Judge at the oath ceremony today. Along with 865 other
men and women from around the globe, we became United States Citizens. As the
Judge noted in the key note speech, along with the privileges we get by
naturalization, comes the civic responsibility to vote, to participate in the democratic
process, to raise our voice and above all to maintain the republic that we
became part of today. It was a very humbling experience for me.
In preparation to be a citizen, I was reading stories of
immigrants who came to this country in the first half of the century, who were eager
to assimilate and to be part of this melting pot. They wanted their kids learn English
as soon as possible so they decided to not teach them their language. They kept
themselves from their past and were forward looking. However, recent immigrants
have a different take. Their kids are bilingual and they try to keep their culture
and tradition while also assimilating to the new way of life and participate in
the community. They not only assimilate, they acculturate too.
So, the first generation immigrants like me are torn between
two worlds. Pulled in two directions, we struggle to strike a balance. What we
left behind is something very valuable and irreplaceable. We have our parents
and siblings back there to who we are in constant touch, thanks to the
technological advancement of the recent years. But we have also raised a
generation who doesn’t connect to our past like we do. For them, this is the only
place they know. Their experiences are typical for the children growing up
here. But we have tried our best to tie them back to our past by introducing
food and language as part of our culture. It is more of our necessity than theirs
that they keep that connection.
Each generations have their contribution to the next. Like my maternal grandfather, who went to work in Ceylone in the middle
of 19th century and raised the family there. Although he decided to
come back to his village and settle down, he made sure his only daughter could
go to college. She was the first women from her village to go for higher education.
To many who didn’t realize the significance of sending the only daughter to a faraway
place to study, he replied that he is providing her with the most important
wealth he can possibly give her. He changed the course of the family by
providing that opportunity to my mother. My father, who always told us, that life
can be anything that you make of and never made my sister and I feel different because
we are girls taught us to stand in our own feet. This upbringing has helped my sister and I to be our own advocates.
Few generations from now, my husband will be that grandfather
who steered the course for generations to come in an entirely different
direction. It is his determination and drive to make use of the opportunities
that are available that has brought us here. I am grateful that I get to play
my part in this journey of life. When I look at the big picture, I realize that
coming to this unknown country and making it a home is never about one individual.
It is about the future more than it is about the present.
