Amber Garrett

Education 280
Dr. Flowers
June 27, 2016
Midterm
Jane has been a friend of mine for many years. When we first met I immediately
noticed she had a unique accent. I guessed she was from Australia, but when I told
her she smiled and said no. Next I guessed New Zealand and again she shook her
head and said I was going the wrong direction. When I still couldnt place it, she told
me she was from South Africa. Jane was born in Durban, South Africa in 1980. She
was born into a family with two brothers and one sister, and was second generation
South African as her grandparents migrated from England originally. Her father has
his own mechanic business and her mother stayed at home and cared for the kids
and the home.
When I asked Jane about the community she lived in growing up she described a
scene much different than the one Americans experience in many ways. First, she
explained that the social structure in Durban is much different than the U.S. There
are ten native tribes, which make up the population of black Africans in the
community. This includes the ANC, Zulu, Xhosa, Da, Segre which make up the larger
tribes. They live outside of town on tribal land. Then among whites you have the
Afrikaans, who are Dutch and the English speaking, who are the British. The white
African community lived in the city and suburbs. She went on to explain that since
Apartheid was in place until 1994, most things were segregated and even if they

werent, in her opinion, it would have stayed segregated anyway. I was curious
about this and asked her why people would choose to be segregated. She said, You
have to understand that white children like me were taught that black people were
like animals, we were told that they were criminals and basically depraved. Thats
what we grew up thinking. We didnt go to school together, socialize together, or
anything.
Jane also described how the black Africans often lived in poverty. Homes made of
scrap metal and other crude building materials, meanwhile whites were living in
houses. She said her family home was not large by any means, but it was
equivalent to a middle class home in the U.S. She explained how this extreme
poverty created a high crime rate between and amongst the tribes who were often
forced into crime to survive. She explained that this only further separated white
and black communities.
In 1986, her parents decided to file the paperwork to immigrate to the United
States. As she grew up, Jane described the crime situation getting worse and her
city becoming less and less safe. She described how the white community blamed
the crime on the black community. They thought that black Africans leaving the
tribal lands and moving into the city attributed to increased crime, but, Jane
believed it was the lack of opportunity for black Africans to earn a living. She
explained that the situation got so bad, that when she was about 14 years old, she
could no longer walk to school. Some tribes had begun kidnapping children to
ransom them for money. After Janes friend from school was kidnapped while
walking home, her parents even debated whether or not to another country so they
could leave sooner. Janes family had now been waiting eight years for approval
from the U.S.

Jane was also quick to describe that there are many things she loved about living in
South Africa. She described how blessed she was to live in such a beautiful country.
She described how she learned to surf and spent most of her time down at the
beach getting so good at it that she got involved in professional competitions. She
described that you could go an hour any direction and run into amazing wildlife and
landscapes. She also fondly recalled being involved in school activities like
Drummies, which was her school band. I couldnt help but think that these aspects
of her childhood are very similar to the way many kids grow up here in the states.
When Jane turned 16 her parents announced that they were finally approved to
move the family to the United States. It had been a decade of waiting and Jane
explained that this was 1996. Her parents told her and her siblings they were
moving to Nevada and she laughs now looking back at how she knew nothing of
Nevada, and had never even heard of the place. Jane described how her parents
explained their belief that the United States would offer their children more
opportunities and a better, safer future. Jane said that even though apartheid ended
in 1994, two years later it didnt feel to anyone that things had changed much as far
as acceptance, opportunity, or desegregation.
I asked Jane what her first impressions of America were. She laughed and replied
hot. She explained that she had never experienced extreme dry heat and she was
a bit disappointed at first that this was her environment. She also described how for
her and her family, it was their first experience seeing so much diversity living and
socializing together. Jane went on to further explain that this was the first time she
was able to see black people as part of the community with white people. She was
quite surprised to see that African Americans had the same jobs, lived in the same
neighborhoods, went to the same schools and were just like everyone else in the

community. This led her to re-think everything she had been taught her whole life
about black people and instead base her judgments on her own experiences.
In addition to diversity, she described having trouble getting used to how
extroverted Americans are in general. She described how in South Africa, people are
in general more introverted, not prone to sharing their lives and personal business
with others, while Americans are much more open about their lives and eager to
share their feelings and opinions. She also explained how she realized many words
mean different things in the U.S versus South Africa and she felt that she had to relearn English in American slang.
Soon after arriving in the United States, Janes father went to work as and A/C and
refrigeration technician while her mother took a job with an insurance company.
Jane and her younger sister enrolled in Bonanza High school. I asked Jane to tell me
some of the ways American culture differs from culture in South Africa. Jane
described that there a lots of small differences like the availability to get a variety of
foods, as well as portion sizes, because Americans eat much more food than people
in South Africa. She said there are also the kind of differences that make life more
comfortable here. Like being able to go to a store and buy a laptop, or having the
ability to turn on your air conditioner when youre hot, or feeling safe in your home
because you have the ability to rely on 911 or install a security alarm.
Americans always want more, bigger, better. It never seems to be enough. It is
good, in that youre able to have many options when it comes to products, but it
creates a situation where everyone is wanting the new thing out. She went on to
explain that often Americans take for granted the ease they have in living their
daily lives. She describes that seeing the kind of poverty that some people

experience, that Americans sometimes dont realize how good they have it. Running
water, electricity, sub standard housing, extreme poverty, disease are all still
struggles among the impoverished in South Africa to an extent that you dont often
see in the United States.
When I asked Jane if she still feels connected to the culture of South Africa, or the
culture here, she explains that she feels connected to both. She assimilated to the
States and she loves being here. She is happy and grateful her parents brought the
family because she believes she has had a better future for it. She is also quick to
follow up that she also feels connected to Durban. She still has family there that she
is in contact with and she still watches South African sports teams.
I then moved on to ask her opinion now that she has lived here for 15 years on
whether she believes her parents were right about the family having more
opportunities here in Nevada than in Durban. Jane replied yes without hesitation.
There are jobs here for everyone, no matter their race or social class. She went on
to say that she would not have been able to go to college because in South Africa, a
student must be at the top of their marks or G.P.A to be eligible to attend University.
Jane, who holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree knows that life would have been a
much different experience had her family remained in Durban. She says her sisters
have been able to do the same here and obtain their degrees. Jane also points out
that her parents have been able to retire here, which would have been much harder
for them financially in South Africa.
This interview experience taught me a lot about the immigrant experience.
Although each person who immigrates to the States has a unique story, I imagine
that most feel some of the same feelings as Jane. It also makes me realize all of the

things in my life that I take for granted. Listening to Jane speak about South Africa,
the extreme poverty, segregation, and limited opportunities, it reminds me that I
am grateful for living somewhere that I dont have to feel unsafe, or struggle for
basic necessities. At the same time, it makes me think that Jane perhaps values her
lifestyle more than most Americans, because she understands how different things
can be.
1. Would have in interest in returning to Durban to visit or live?
I would go back to visit. In fact, I really would want to. I have family there
and would like to see it again. I wouldnt ever move back though. After living
here and starting a family, I couldnt imagine taking my daughter back there
to live.
2. What are the major differences in the school systems between Nevada and
Durban?
Schools there are more like military schools. Corporal punishment is used
regularly and school is usually gender specific. If you score high metrics, you
can go on to University, if not then you can go to a trade school but those are
the only options for furthering your education.
3. How do you imagine your life would be had you stayed in Durban?
I would probably be living in fear. You have to have your own business to
have any success if you dont go to get a degree. I probably would have
worked at my Dads business or I would have sold my own artwork and
married a local boy I knew growing up. My life would definitely be more laid
back there.
4. What do you miss most about Durban, South Africa?
Food. I miss pies, which are pot pies here and South African bbq which has a
different flavor than the bbq here. I also wish I could get more of the sports I
like such as rugby and cricket.