Zageris 1 Ilze Zageris Professor Raymond English 1103 10/16/2013 My Immigrating Family My family is com licated!

to say the least" If my mothers side has too many si#lings to acco$nt for all their %ids and grand%ids! co$sins and second co$sins! then my fathers side is com osed of half si#lings &hom I'(e met t&o times at most" My family is still ne& to this co$nty" )e ha(e #een here for only t&enty fi(e years at most" I am second generation to ma%e home in this co$ntry" My co$ntry of origin is not hard to fig$re o$t" *at(ia! the small co$ntry in +orthern E$ro e is &here I gre& $ and &here I made my home for si,teen years" *at(ia has a coastline along the -altic sea and *at(ia has #orders &ith Estonia! *ith$ania! -elar$s and R$ssia" *at(ia is a small co$ntry &ith long history of freedom fighting from .o(iet R$ssia! +azis! and .o(iet R$ssia again" *ast occ$ ation #y .o(iet R$ssia &as more than fifty years long" /+ot m$ch more than a decade after it declared inde endence follo&ing the colla se of the 0..R! *at(ia &as &elcomed as an E0 mem#er in May 2001" 2he mo(e came 3$st &ee%s after it 3oined +ato4 5/*at(ia 6o$ntry Profile47" It's amazing to see ho& fast a co$ntry can gro& once its freed from o ression" 2he ca ital city of *at(ia is R8ga! &hich is

the largest city of the -altic .tates 5Estonia! *at(ia! *ith$ania7 and hosts more than third of the co$ntries o $lation" R8ga &as fo$nded in 1201 &hen it &as art of 9anseatic *eag$e! trading ro$te along the sea" R8ga along &ith 0mea! .&eden &ill #e the E$ro ean 6a ital of 6$lt$re in 2011 5/Riga47" I am from a smaller city a#o$t ho$r and half a&ay from the ca ital called .ig$lda" I ha(e li(ed in .ig$lda e(er since I can remem#er myself" .ig$lda is a#o$t eight h$ndred and si, years old" In 200: I had the chance to cele#rate /.ig$lda ;004" Many reconstr$ctions &ere made! incl$ding $tting

Zageris 2 ayment on my childhood laygro$nd" .ig$lda is im ro(ing fast! incl$ding ro(iding school #$ses similar to 0nited .tates school #$s system" My mother and father are not originally from this city! ho&e(er! they are from near #y cities" It's not hard to stay close! since *at(ia is only 61!<;= %m2 521!=3; s> mi7 &hich is ro$ghly the size of )est ?irginia 5/*at(ia47" My family li(ed in .ig$lda $ $ntil the moment they mo(ed to 0nited .tates" My a$nt In@ra! dads halfAsister! and her h$s#and Blsher#y &ere the first to lea(e *at(ia" 2hey &ere li(ing in different co$ntries along E$ro e $ntil 0nited .tates ga(e them olitical ref$gee stat$s 5esca ing .o(iet R$ssia7" )hen In@ra &as settled in this co$ntry she hel ed my familyC mom! dad! t&o #rothers! sister! and grand arents! get the same olitical ref$gee stat$s since my family &as esca ing .o(iet *at(ia" My family too% a lane! ro#a#ly connecting flights! to get to 0nited .tates" My #rothers al&ays say that they had too m$ch st$ff and the &hole thing &as a #ig hassle" .ince my a$nt &as settled in the Bshe(ille area! it 3$st ma%es sense that &e! too! made o$r home there" My arents mo(ed in 1==1/1==2 and I &as #orn in March of 1==1 at Mission 9os ital in Bshe(ille" I &as the only Bmerican citizen in my family" )hile li(ing in .&ananoa! +orth 6arolina my mother &or%ed at the -illy Draham 2raining 6enter at the 6o(e! my father &or%ed as electrician at different laces 5Zageris! Ianis7" Bfter the colla se of .o(iet R$ssia! *at(ia &as gro&ing into a ne& and #ea$tif$l co$ntry fast" My mother decided that she &anted to go #ac% and #e re$nited &ith her family! so in s$mmer of 1==< my mother! Inta too% all the %ids and mo(ed #ac%" My father and grandmother and her h$s#and! Mi%elis -$%sh! decided to stay in 0nited .tates" Mi%elis died in 1===! he &as o$r grandfather since &e! the %ids! had ne(er met o$r #iological grandfather! &ho died &hen my father &as still yo$ng" Eet again my family too% connecting flights to get #ac% home 5Zageris! Ianis7" I &as a#o$t year and a half &hen &e came #ac% to *at(ia" *at(ia has al&ays #een my home! #eca$se I can't remem#er anything else"

Zageris 3

Bfter mo(ing #ac% to *at(ia my mother ic%ed $ a #ad ha#it" .lo&ly o(er the years she #ecame a hea(y alcoholic" F$r >$ality of life &as not leasant! my mother had a 3o#! #$t most of the income al&ays &ent to s$ ort her addiction" My oldest #rother! G@nis or Ianis 5Bmericanized7! mo(ed

to 0nited .tates in 2000" It &as easier to hel $s from far a&ay" 2ogether my #rother and father sent $s clothes and money to hel my sister! #rother Bndris and myself" My mothers addiction #ecame &orse &ith each year" .he #ecame danger to herself and others! she got (ery aggressi(e $nder infl$ence and often her (iolence &as reflected on me" Bndris mo(ed to the ca ital city as soon as he finished first year in 0ni(ersity" My sister and I &ere still in high school so &e had to li(e at home" )hen I &as a#o$t to finish ninth grade! my sister &as finishing high school! entering med school and mo(ing to ca ital city" .o it did not came as a s$r rise to my family that I &o$ld rather mo(e across the &orld than stay &ith my mother" 2h$s in B$g$st of 2010 I mo(ed to 0nited .tates to li(e &ith my dad and my oldest #rother" My grandmother Pelage3a is still li(ing! she's ;= years old li(ing in a artment com le, designed for the elderly" .he s$ffers from Blzheimer! #$t she still recognizes me" My father died of colon cancer in B ril of 2011! only nine months after I mo(ed" +o& my si#lings and I ha(e greater ris% of s$ffering from these diseases! #eca$se of family history" Bltho$gh it's not #een easy! he ga(e me a lace to call home &here I can feel safe! that is more than I co$ld e(er as% for" My #rother and I! along &ith In@ra's three %ids! are the second generation to ma%e home here" My #other started o$t &or%ing odd 3o#s! then #eing a manager of three local .$#&ay's! then as an coA o&ner of the -lac% Mo$ntain -a%ery! and no& he is the #a%er and manger of -lac% Mo$ntain -a%ery" I am only staring to ma%e my mar% here! c$rrently I am a f$llAtime st$dent at 0ni(ersity of +orth 6arolina at 6harlotte! &ho &or%s at the -a%ery d$ring s$mmers" 2hat is the story of my family &hich immigrated to 0nited .tates t&o generations in a ro&"

Zageris 1 Bltho$gh different ca$ses made $s mo(e a&ay from *at(ia! &e ne(er ha(e sto ed lo(ing *at(ia"

My sister *8ga! #rother Bndris! mother Inta! and all the relati(es from my mothers side still li(es in there! so as long as I ha(e family there! it's still my home" I am glad that I am art of immigrating generation! #eca$se that means I can emigrate #ac% home and still recognize the lace I left #ehind"

Zageris < )or%s 6ited H*at(ia 6o$ntry Profile A F(er(ie&"H BBC News" --6! 13 G$ne 2013" )e#" 11 Fct" 2013" H*at(ia"H Wikipedia" )i%imedia Fo$ndation! 11 Fct" 2013" )e#" 11 Fct" 2013" HRiga"H Wikipedia" )i%imedia Fo$ndation! 11 Fct" 2013" )e#" 11 Fct" 2013" Zageris! Ianis" HMy Family 9istory"H Personal inter(ie&" : Fct" 2013"