Friday, April 4, 2008

First generation

When I was in middle school I loved talking about how I was a first-generation American. In history class, we learned all about immigration and Ellis Island and all that, and about the particular plight of first-generation Americans trying to walk the tightrope of the culture they grew up in and the culture of their ancestry.

Of course, I was a first-generation American in little more than name only; my father was born in England (making both of us British citizens), but his parents were only waiting for him to be born before they moved to the US, and he was only six weeks old when he arrived here. He grew up in a British family, yes, and apparently had a British accent until he left home at the age of 18. But by the time I knew him over ten years later, he was more American than British--only his habit of pronouncing "Tuesday" as "Chooseday" and his dry British humor gave him away.

My grandmother was more British, of course, having grown up there, and she retained her accent and her proper, upright sense of decorum. We were never terribly close, though. In fact, there are only two things that I really feel that I got from her--the ability to make scrambled eggs and a beautiful, ornate set of silver. Both meaningful in different ways. But not specifically British.

And I've only actually been to England once, thirteen years ago, a trip that I only vaguely remember. Still, I loved the idea of being British, being a first-generation American, and liked to talk about it with my peers, who thought it was equally cool. Now, still, I love having two passports and knowing that Torsten and I, as citizens of the EU, will always be able to pick up and move to any EU member country if we feel like it. But I've gotten over that pride of being different and special that I felt as a preteen because of my father's ethnic heritage.

But with our upcoming trip to England and Germany, and the books I've been reading about international adoption and raising bilingual children, I've been reminded of how much I loved that multicultural aspect of myself when I was younger. Our children, even if they aren't adopted from another country, will be multicultural by birth--half German, half American, or to break it down further, half German, a quarter British, an eighth Russian, and an eighth Polish. They will be dual citizens and they will speak two languages.

We want worldly kids, kids who have visited lots of places and met lots of different kinds of people, kids who are aware of more than just a local, insular world. Maybe we'll live in different countries with them when they're young, or maybe we'll stick to the US. But either way, they'll have to be international travelers just to see their grandparents--and I'm happy about that. I'm happy that my kids will get to proudly tell their peers that they are first-generation Americans, just like I used to when I was a kid.

And even now, now that I'm older and don't talk or think about my ethnicity in those terms anymore, I still love answering questions about my ethnicity and learning about other people's. I always love comparing ethnic makeup with people and finding commonalities.

So answer me this, defining and interpreting the term however you choose. What's your ethnicity?

56 comments:

  1. My father's side of the family is mostly English. My maiden name means "people who draw water from the river" because they lived on the riverside of the old country in England. I really need to research it more.

    My Mother's side is Irish.

    My husband is a mix of Native American and Danish.

    There is no telling what our children will look like.

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  2. Ha. My father is Israeli, as is his mother, but his father is Polish. My mother is American, but her family tree dates back to Poland and Russia. Essentially, I don't look remotely Israeli, but I'm that rare mixture of red hair and blue eyes from Poland and Russia. Go figure.

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  3. I'm half German and half American. Like you, I hold dual citizenship, but haven’t gotten my EU passport yet. As a kid, I hated being different. But now, I love it. It's great to have a perspective of life outside of the US since so many people are clueless about anywhere else. My fiancĂ© is a quarter Irish, Italian, German and Russian. Talk about interestingly mixed kids! :)

    BTW - Love the CYOB story. It was so much fun to read!

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  4. I would be what they call Heinz 57! Dad had a mixture of just about everything from Native American to Sweed. My mother was (and is) 100% Polish, so I guess that makes me like a hotdog, 1/2 polish sausage with heinz 57 sauce on top...

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  5. I like telling people I'm a mutt, or "Pure Melting-Pot-American". :)

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  6. I'm a quarter Swedish, an eighth German and the rest mixed British Isles (English, Irish and Welsh I believe). My last name is German but not pronounced in the German way (sorry, telemarketers!)

    But I think the ethnic group I really belong to is Midwesterner; I self-identify as that far more than with the countries my ancestors came from. Maybe it's because I live far from my Midwest roots, and my most recently arrived relatives (as far as we've discovered) are my Swedish great-grandparents whom I never met. But I still haven't assimilated out of being that.

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  7. I'm half Norwegian, a quarter Irish, and a quarter French-Canadian.

    I actually know that my great-great-great-grandmother (I think there may be one more great in there) was Native American and not Norwegian, but everyone else in that line was Norwegian, so it gets too complicated for me.

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  8. i guess i am third generation Irish and German.
    being my great grandparents were not born here (right? thats how it works right?)

    i have to be on a plane at least once every 3 months, i hate the stagnant.
    and i have to leave this country at least once every 2 years or i might start hating it.

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  9. I love that you're proud to be a 1st generation American. I always said I'm proud to be a 4th gen American! I'm half Polish, 1/4 Romanian and 1/4 Russian

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  10. I don't really identify much with my ethnicity, and when I was a teenager that bothered me. I'm mostly Norwegian (because my mom is 3/4 Norwegian), but my father is a certified hodgepodge of backgrounds and ethnicities. As an adult I have markers that make me unique and also give me a sense of community, but they have more to do with lifestyle choice and political views than the blood running through my veins.

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  12. Both my parents were born in Cuba. I consider myself a Cuban American.

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  13. I think the term I've decided on is Euro-mutt. There's definitely German (my maternal grandfather's parents came from Germany) and British (I'm like 10th cousins who knows how many times removed from the queen - not sure I actually BELIEVE this, but some genealogy nut in my family sent me the trace-back to King... Edward I believe, so if enough people die, I COULD BE QUEEN. You don't have to bow just yet. Also, that is the storyline of "King Ralph." My version is "Queen JMC.") And there's some Welsh in there. And probably a little Irish. Maybe even a little French. One of my great-grandparents was a foundling, so we know nothing there.

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  14. Canadian, all the way through. If pressed I say "somewhere pre-confederation I'm Irish and etc"

    You're so lucky to have an EU passport!

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  15. I just say I'm American. I'm such a mix of stuff that is pretty far back that I'm not sure how much it really counts to say I'm British/Italian/German, etc. So I say I'm American and leave it at that.

    I have serious British envy of you, though! I'm such a wanna be.

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  16. I know I'm mostly German and Irish. My Maiden name is decidedly German and my red hair is a dead giveaway for the Irish descent.

    But I've got a British, Scottish and a wee bit of Swiss thrown in for good measure. :)

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  17. As JG and I like to say, rather tongue-in-cheek, I am a pedigreed dog (Chinese) and he is a mutt. :)

    When I was in fourth grade, my class had to do a report on our ethnic backgrounds. I remember the snootiest girl listing off a dozen different ethnicities to make herself look all cool ("You only have one?"), but then the teacher told us that we'd have to research every country we listed. And then she started erasing. Ha.

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  18. Lebanese. 100%. But you already knew that. ;)

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  19. I have a number of friends who were born overseas, but have lived a majority of their lives here in the States. Those friends are the most open-minded people I know. Living internationally, whether you've done it yourself or through your parents really does open your world and your mind!

    Me, a 4th generation Ukrainian (on both sides!). I'm marrying a German-English-Scottish-something mutt whose U.S. ancestors date back to the Mayflower.

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  20. Both my parents are Nigerian, born and raised. My sister and I were born in Wisonconsin, when my dad left Nigeria to study there. Then we went back to Nigeria for three years and then came to Canada where my two younger brothers were born. So between the six of us we have 2 Canadian citizens, 2 American/Canadian citizens and 2 Nigerian/Canadian citizens.

    I love being a dual citizen though I haven't really taken advantage of it. I tend to say that I'm Nigerian (though I'm not by birth or citizenship as far as I know) but I think that's more because I think that's what people are asking when they ask where I'm from (since I'm an obvious visible minority). If it comes down to what I think I am, I'm Canadian wtih strong Nigerian influences.

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  21. uh, with and I meant Nigerian with strong Canadian influences :)

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  22. I'm actually not sure, I'm adopted. I never know what to say to this question.

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  23. A little bit of everything. I'm 50% Polish, 25% Norwegian, and then a mix of lots of other things, including a fraction of Cherokee Indian.

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  24. Even though I'm technically more German (50%) than anything else, I identify most with my Norweigan heritage...my last name means "furthest North" in Norweigan, and I always thought that fit well with where I grew up (the very top of MN). Plus, Northern MN is full of Scandinavians. Most of them even sound like they just came over. LOL.

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  25. Both my parents are Greek. But I was born in South Africa. I too loved telling my friends that "I'm first generation South African"

    :)

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  26. Ethnicity. Oh man. I get so much flak for my interpretation of this. I am Canadian, but to me, I'm first and foremost Mennonite. Not as far as religious background, but as far as cultural background...maybe a little like being Jewish but not practicing?
    So I'm Canadian, German, Russian, Dutch....Mr.J. is British (in some form) and Swedish. Our children will be Canadian and American. Canadian first, of course. :)

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  27. My father's family is all german, but we have no german culture. My mother is 100% polish, and my whole life has been based around polish culture.

    Hub is english, irish and german. Between the 2 of us, we'll just tell the kids they are american.

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  28. Well, seeing as how my last name (at least for the next 22 days, is Abercrombie)....

    I am full blooded Scottish.

    But ... third or fourth generation American

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  29. I am a first generation American, and 100% German. My parents immigrated to the US in 1954.

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  30. I'm Chinese (Cantonese, to be more exact), and grew up in Hawaii. So I'm a lovely blend of cultures.

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  31. It isn't something that I think about, because it isn't something that I connect with. I'm adopted, and my parents claim to not know anything about me. I stopped asking long ago, because they were clearly upset by my curiosity.

    Now that I think about it though, it must be so neat to know about the past of your family, and to know from where you came.

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  32. I'm half Italian, half Hungarian, for the most part, with someone, somewhere in my ancestry marrying a Czech (on the Hungarian side).

    My maiden name was an Ellis Island thing, so you'd never know I was Italian (it was super-German, very Third Reichish, which was great). My father is VERY Italian, in the terms he uses, the way he cooks and ... everything about him. My mother cooks Hungarian a lot, though neither of them speak the language at home anymore, which grates my cheese.

    If you were wondering what Hungarian food is, just please imagine whatever it is you thought of with about nine cups of full-fat sour cream.

    If I had to choose an ethnicity, I would be Jewish in the cultural sense. I have longed to be Jewish almost my whole life, for reasons I can't explain.

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  33. Hah, tipp is hilarious. I actually have no idea what my ethnicity is. Our family is sort of a hodge-podge, I think, because whenever I question my grandmother on this subject she gets a very blank look and says, "a little bit of everything".

    To the best of my knowledge, we're mutts.

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  34. Well this is fun! You're fun. I like you and your English heritage.

    I loved the "dry English humor" line that gave your Father away. I LOVE English humor. Mike spent two years there on an accidental Mormon mission and has so much of the English humor ingrained in him still. It's great. Plus, he says things like "dodgy" which is cute.

    I am Swedish, English etc.. and NATIVE AMERICAN! Which is the coolest thing EVER! It's where I get my olive skin color. But I'm seriously like 1/815 Native American.

    Mike calls himself Jewish/American when it comes to Ethnicity.

    Let's be world travelers together and our kids can speak in British accents like that video on youtube where the kid says "Charlie Bit Me!" in that yummy accent of his. You must watch it.

    Jamie

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  35. wow, i'm a dual citizen too! i also loved growing up with that identity, and i don't know why i don't flaunt it like i used to... thanks for the interesting post, really makes me think.

    also, i didn't know you had that upcoming trip - i lived in london for awhile, and it's my absolute favorite city. can't wait to hear about your adventures!

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  36. You know what's funny? I just realized after reading your post that I am also a first generation American. I had never even thought about that before! Both of my parents are Austrian (not AustraLian...lots of people get it mixed up), but my three siblings and I were all born and raised in Washington, DC. I love having dual citizenship and speaking two languages and have made good use of it so far, as I've been living in Austria for the past five years. And it is lots of fun to be able to vote in two countries :)

    I actually began reading your blog because I thought it was interesting that you lived in DC and are engaged to a German, both things I can relate to (well, I am not engaged to a German, I just meant the mix of Ameican-European culture and the languages...). I don't think I've ever commented before, so hi!

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  37. I am more than half Irish and then a big old mix of Norwegian, English, French and I even have some Native American Sioux thrown in! I have visited family in Ireland and absolutely fell in love with everything there. One relative I met is into deciphering the family tree and literally has a book of our relations dating centuries back. It is pretty cool stuff.

    I am jealous of your children, I always wished I had more of a bilingual/international upbringing!

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  38. I am 1/2 Spanish (Spaniard) and 1/2 Irish. My mom's family is Spanish, my grandma was born and raised in Spain.

    I have so many questions on the dual citizenship thing. My friend told me I could get a passport from Spain but I didn't believe it. But if you have one from England, it has to be true. I want to go stay some time in Spain to brush up on my language skills plus I have family there, and I think it would be a good experience for me. I think being around another culture has definitely made me more accepting. It is so wonderful that you will be able to raise your children in such an open environment. I want to do the same when the time comes for me. The best part is that you will be able to teach your kids two languages, the best gift you will ever give them!

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  39. Part of me is Scottish - my last name is a Scottish clan. When people ask I usually tell them Scottish and German, though there's much more mixed in there. I think it's cool you're a first generation American and have two passports. My family has been in the States since before the Civil War!

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  40. Fascinating post! I'm a dual citizen of Canada and England. I was born here in Canada but grew up in England. Usually I feel Canadian :-) But for a long time I felt English. I have always been fascinated by different accents and cultures.

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  41. Swedish. Ukrainian. Native American. A nice, mix of complete mix-ups that has served me well. And I like that you wrote about wanting worldly kids. I notice the kids in my class who have traveled, or who have parents who have- speak of the world in a different way. It sounds cheesy, but it's true. They see it smaller, easily understood but with an excitement that other children don't have. Perhaps because they don't know how great it is to travel.

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  42. Parents and grandparents - Australian. Great grand-parents, all English/Irish/Scots. I JUST missed out on a British Ancestry Visa. ;)

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  43. I am mainly German, but there is a little Welsh on my mother's side too, and (I am told) one of my distant relatives was a Cherokee woman who married a German immigrant.
    I really enjoyed this post, btw!

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  44. i actually loved being full-blooded sicilian. i loved knowing my grandparents were the ones who were straight off a boat.

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  45. canadian...with a filipino heritage. i def id more with being canadian...maybe b/c i speak french? who knows!

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  46. I have a born-British Dad too- he came over 8. And as far as my Mom's side (she swears we're from Tennessee as far back as she cares to count). I love that I'm an EU citizen too. It's my fallback plan...

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  47. My dad's side is part Irish and part Native American. My mom's side...I have no idea. I wish I did! I guess it's something that I should ask her one of these days!

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  48. i'm a total mutt - we're talking english, irish, welsh, german, dutch, italian, supposedly even native american... but the largest chunk (like probably nearly a third) is irish, and i LOOK totally irish, so that's usually what i say. irish + sicilian.

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  49. aww, I love the dual-citizenship/multi-lingual thing

    I'm pretty sure you already know my ethnicity from the blog, so I won't reiterate.

    ;)

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  50. If I were going to pick one, it would probably be Polish, as that's got the highest concentration. I'm 1/4 Polish (my paternal grandmother was born there), 1/8 Bulgarian, 1/8 Hungarian (paternal grandfather), and the half that came from my mother's side is, well, mutt. Mutt with a lot of English and German.

    So really, if we're getting technical about it, I'm an American. But I take pride in my heritage just the same. If only for the pierogies :)

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  51. I am third generation American, but we are in touch with relatives in Sweden and Norway in both of my parents families! I've always thought that was really cool and special.

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  52. What a great question to ask!

    I'm Dutch on my dad's side and Belgian on my mom's.

    And Fake Hispanic by marriage. Heh.

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  53. Great post! I love learning about where people came from (or, rather, where their families came from as is most often the case).

    Although I look like I'm a direct import from Scandanavia, in fact I am an English-Irish-German-Swiss-French conglomorate with unnaturally natural white-blonde hair. I'm a Euro-Mutt with American sensibilities. :o)

    xox

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  54. I find this question so fascinating-- I've actually discussed how I could write an entire paper off of the "what is your ethnic background" question in a study I ran.

    Me? I guess I would just deem myself Canadian, though I put a great deal of pride in my French side-- my dad is Acadian, which is a group a lot of people don't know a lot about.

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  55. I would be proud of your heritage if I were you, too! I am fascinated to no end to hear these things about people. It's such a neat picture into the person's identity!

    I, like many folks here, am Melting-Pot-Euro-Mutt American. I have a lot of the following: Irish, Swiss, Portuguese, Welsch, and a dash of British, Native American and German. Lot's o' everything.

    I still find a few parts of my mixed up bloodlines to be interesting, though - some of my family came to the US before it was the US (in the 1650s) and set up shop in Boston. And it turns out that I am the 5th generation on my dad's side to be born in Oregon. That's a lot of Oregonians! I have some pioneers, gold rushers, homesteaders, circuit court ministers (those are the reverends that rode around from town to town on horseback to preach to huge sections of the state), and all kinds of Western icons mixed up in my ancestry. Apparently we're not ones for holding still long enough to enjoy the city life and propriety. :)

    What a great idea for a post!

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  56. Interesting question. Will think about it and put it on my blog.

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