EPISODE FIVE: CHANCE FOR CHANGE
By Dairell Alvarico
Hosted by Hailey Boehme

Official Transcript:

[THEME SONG – KOLBY THOMPSON.]

Hailey Boehme:

Good to see you again, everyone. From Mustang Post News, this is Sheyenne Perspectives. I’m Hailey Boehme.  

In our last episode of Sheyenne Perspectives, Carter Phillips delved into creativity’s drive on the theatrical stage. 

This week Dairell Alvarico focuses on a chance for change through the personal experiences of new student immigrants, their personal struggles, and their joys.  

Here’s Dairell. 

Dairell Alvarico: In my last podcast, I discussed the concept of change in the lunchroom and how students adapt into various environments that come their way. To add a little insight, the majority did not want to change at all, they would rather stay consistent.  

Now that we have gathered more understanding towards the topic, I figured I’d branch out more on the subject. Change does not limit in the lunchroom, it also affects people’s lives aside from school; giving them the opportunity to pave a path they made for themselves, and grasping the new obstacles that would either be used to improve their personal development or bring up walls of regret that would take time to break down.  

One circumstance that checks off this list is the process of adapting into a whole new country. This type of change exceeds most struggles relating to the lunchroom; trying to find a vacant spot near the restroom does not compare to the anxiety of not knowing what the next step is when you are in an unfamiliar area.  

A lot of students here in Sheyenne Highschool moved in America from all distinct parts of the world, learning their ways, and experiencing new heights of appreciation or depreciation towards change.  

The American Dream. People who moved here are bound to hear that term at some point, maybe a lot. Great jobs, great pay, more opportunities, and benefits: Land of the Free. But how does this romanticized expectation change their lives in the long run?  

This episode, I have gathered stories of fellow immigrants. All of them have something to share, something to reflect on, to reveal that the life of an immigrant is not easy at first, there is always going to be something that holds them back.  

Now we get to hear what they’ve been through, what they learned, and how they developed their skills and abilities to adapt to the U.S and finally call this place their home.  

There’s always a beginning to all this. Something that convinced them to make the decision to move here. Coincidentally, they are not that different from each other. 

Jacob: Apparently my, like my parents found out this like job that was here in the U.S, through Facebook which is probably the most oddest thing you’ll ever see, in Facebooks. And then like we had like go to like the Bureaucratic nightmare of the Philippines. And we like go up and down to these bureaucratic offices, and we uh had to really like ask them, if they’re willing to do it. They had to like beg them.”   
 

Dairell Alvarico: Another student, whom we will call Sam, had a similar scenario, one that involved her dad and his drive to finish his education. Here is an excerpt from her story: 

Sam: My father decided to come to America to get his master’s degree when I was in second grade. I was so astonished when I found out we were heading to America because I didn’t want to leave my friends and move out of Saudi Arabia to a place we had never visited before. We had argued with my dad about not wanting to go to America because first we didn’t speak the language, English, and we have no idea about America and how things over there work out.  

Dairell Alvarico: Sam and Jacob’s experiences are not that far from each other. In their cases, it was their parents who set the motion to move to America.

This is a very common reason, especially on immigrant children. They may have never even thought of the U.S until their parents mentioned it, and when they do, they are also doing it to give their kids a better life. Like John, who was hesitant at first, but later saw this opportunity as a blessing in disguise, which he makes clear when he wrote his story.  

John: Reasons why I moved here? To have a better tomorrow. Every immigrant would have the same answer as me, but the future my parents wanted me to have was an American Education. I wish I had a choice; I wish I could stay in the place I am used to, but I am here and I can’t do anything anymore. So, I have to do this.   

Dairell Alvarico: John was supposed to move here when he already graduated high-school, but the plan changed and he arrived one year early. This took a toll on him; he wanted to graduate with his friends. He felt at home and didn’t want to spend his last high-school years in a whole new country, but his parents insisted.  

This is one of the most difficult things to do to when moving. Leaving your friends and dreading making new ones, since it can be a bit overwhelming, thinking that you’re different than everybody else. It affects them so much, depleting their confidence and anticipation to learn new things. 

John: Leaving my friends, the high-school graduation I always wanted, was so hard for me because I’m graduating here instead of home. 

Dairell Alvarico: But John wasn’t alone on this one. Sam struggled among her peers as well. 

Sam: I wasn’t fluent in English, only knew just a few basic phrases when I arrived in America. So, my first day of school wasn’t really great. When you travel from one country to another, everything is different: the language, friends, lifestyles, and so on. My teacher was giving me a school tour as I walked; to be honest, I didn’t even understand a single word and was just nodding my head the entire time, wanting to be over with it. My father came to get me out after 3^rd period to see how I was doing. With tears in my eyes, I told my father that I wanted to go back.

Dairell Alvarico: English is a very widespread language, but not everybody knows it. And when it comes to moving to America, knowing English is what gets you through basic everyday life.

So, Sam was already a mess. She could not understand anything around her. Overcome with anxiety, her first few days were so bad, it was enough for her to want to go back home. 

Jacob on the other hand, did not have these types of struggles. If anything, he actually anticipated moving to America. He was eager to experience things he couldn’t do in the Philippines, and won’t hesitate to share his opinions on it. 

Jacob: A lot of stuff actually. I could just get like the stuff I want, that was like being imported before I get it. I had to get stuff like that, because they were imported and they’re expensive too, and I could just get it for a dollar and a half.  

Dairell Alvarico: If you care to share, what’s like one negative thing that you experienced.  

Jacob: I started working in fast food, ooh man they kinda, kinda entitled not gonna lie, like I don’t know like they’ve been requesting stuff that should not be, you know it’s not even part of their order.  

Dairell Alvarico: While Sam and John were mostly worried about the people around them and how to cope with their new life, Jacob was more concerned about the transit system. 

Jacob: I mean, I expected them to have like a good like, transportation system when I came here, you know you don’t need to ride a personal car. But then, we still had to buy a car. 

Dairell Alvarico: To add more context, the transportation in the Philippines has multiple options. From calling a taxi to randomly riding on the back of a stranger’s motorcycle for less than two dollars.

There’s so many vehicles to pick from that not having your own personal vehicle isn’t a huge deal. So, in Jacob’s case, he wasn’t used to it at all. 

There’s always a way to get comfortable with change. There’s time, and patience to adjust themselves to feel comfortable and safe in America. 

Sam knew that her not knowing English held her back, so she did her very best to learn it. 

Sam: Taking English classes has greatly helped and improved my English compared to when I first arrived. Being bilingual is uncommon in my country; yet, knowing how to communicate in another language, particularly English, opens doors to greater and more chances.   

Sam: Looking back, I believe I would not be where I am today if I hadn’t gone through these obstacles. I felt like I wasn’t going to make it at the time, and that nothing I was doing, especially reading a book, would help me improve my English. However, I have discovered that no matter what you do, you will achieve a result. 

Dairell Alvarico: John was still bummed out about leaving the people he’s close with, so he grew into his curiosity of experiencing what it’s like to be in America, slowly getting used to it.   

John: Studying in Sheyenne is different to what I’m used to. But change is nice overall, I love understanding different cultures beyond what I’m used to. It’s nice on behalf of the weirdness and cultural shock. It’s nice to see what’s on the other side of the wall (metaphorically) 

John: The silver lining is I became a better person here, I lost mostly everything I ever was, but I became the person I thought I would be.

Dairell Alvarico: Everybody has a certain reaction moving to America. Fear, excitement, anxiety or all of them at once. But what really matters if how they push through and adapt into the people they are now. Change can be scary, mainly because it’s what would push people to a different path than they predicted. 

The people in these stories did see it through, because there’s always a way when it comes to change. They accepted it, found their peace and paved a new path for themselves. 

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change” Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker said that and I am confident to say that these people’s stories are proof that this quote is true. 

Change can be a good thing, it’s just pretty bad at the start. Immigration can be just like that. All you got to do is guide it to the right direction. 

[THEME SONG – KOLBY THOMPSON.]

Hailey Boehme: This podcast was recorded and edited by Dairell Alvarico and hosted by Hailey Boehme. 

Sheyenne Perspectives theme music was composed and performed by Kolby Thompson under the direction of Mark Berntson. Thank you, Dave and Jewelyn, for narrating the excerpts. We’d also like to thank Sam, John, and Jacob for sharing their wonderful stories. 

This wraps up Sheyenne Perspectives for this school year. We appreciate you, our listeners, and hope you’ve enjoyed Sheyenne Perspectives.  

So long everyone. We’ll see you next year. 

This has been a production of Mustang Post News.