i am going to be telling grandma stories all day today in honor of MY IMMIGRANTS. stories of LEGAL IMMIGRATION. My Lithuanian gram never had any education, in EITHER country. she was totally illiterate. but she passed her citizenship test. AND, KDKA always had some sort of contests going on, i don't even know how they got her name to make the call, but she was called by KDKA for an on air contest and she answered the questions correctly and if IIRC it had something to do with the Supreme Court or the Constitution and the only reason she knew the answer was bc of studying for her citizenship test those many years before and she won. The prize was like a gazillion S&H green stamps, which she redeemed for like FURNITURE that is how much she won. she got at least 2 chairs for her living room and a rocking chair to boot. i was in HS at the time.
I'm going to be looking forward to your grandma stories. I never knew my paternal grandmother and my paternal grandfather never spoke of Ireland, and he died when I was only about 7. My maternal grandparents were both born in NYC. So I have no immigrant stories about my family.
My GF came to this country from Copenhagen, Denmark, not even speaking English, went to night school to learn it, opened his own business, married my GM who emigrated from Scotland and already knew English, built his own house and successfully grew his business and raised a family. Someone should tell the ingrates that is how it is supposed to work.
My grandma had about a sixth-grade education. Both of my parents grew up speaking Slovak and Polish, respectively in the home. However, my mom said there was a "switch" in her head....outside playing with her friends: English, in the house: Slovak.
When did assimilation become such a bad thing? Incoming cultures share some pieces, take others away.