TRANSCRIPT
Where were you before you immigrated?
I was in Nigeria, which is a country in Africa.
What forced you or caused you to have to leave?
There was plenty of opportunity in America. More than there was in Nigeria.
What was your feeling about having to leave? Were you sad, excited?
I was actually excited, but a bit sad because I had to leave some of my friends and family.
Is there any biggest memory that you had or any story that you mainly remember from your first day?
My first day: I landed in New York and my uncle came and drove us to my grandparents’ house. And I remember everything was so blurry. Because I was so tired. And I barely had any time to see anything before I went to sleep.
And then was there anything from your first couple of days that you remember?
My first couple of days were a blur. I just remember my grandparents introducing us to like a couple things. And where everything is, and spending time with my cousins that were already in America.
What do you think became your favorite thing to do in America?
I think my favorite thing to do in America is explore YouTube, because there are different things that people are doing on there. In Nigeria, we didn’t really have much of the internet. So we used to play outside just most of the time.
Is there anything you miss from Nigeria?
I miss my friends and family. I also kind of miss playing outside. Because every person there I could understand more, but in America it took me some time to be able to understand what people were saying or to get used to the things that were going on. And the education system.
What are some of the really big changes that happened from your transition to America?
I would say the things that were being taught to us were much easier than what we were being taught in Nigeria. And the teachers were less stricter. And everything here was I guess maybe more packed together.
Like more compact?
Yeah, more compact.
What did you do to get to America?
My grandparents helped us. They worked really hard. And my uncles and aunties put their money together to be able to fund us to come to America.
Did you travel by plane or boat?
We traveled by plane and I think we stopped in another country in Africa before coming to America.
I think that’s all my questions! Thank you. Have a nice day.
You’re welcome. You too.
* The contributor of this story has asked that their name be withheld.
