Interviewing The American Dream; An Immigrant's View

The American Dream is a concept that's interested me for some time.  Part of the impetus for beginning a blog was to take on the American Dream; its history, my dream and the dream of others.  To that end I decided to borrow from author/broadcaster, Studs Terkel.  Terkel wrote a series of books on various aspects of American culture which were essentially oral histories.  They are collections of interviews with Americans from all levels of society; the rich,, the famous and the common, each with his or her own experience.  For the most part Terkel left the interviews to stand by themselves.  I suggest a side trip to the Studs Terkel website.
This is the first in a series of interviews that will appear from time to time.  I started with the easiest, or one might say, the hardest interview of all; my wife.  An immigrant from The Philippines, she came to America in the late seventies.
You are an immigrant to this country. What is the American Dream to you? Of all the immigrants, the American Dream. That’s their dream.

You know this American Dream that people usually dream to buy beautiful houses, luxury cars. I never dream of that. Way back in the Philippines when I was in high school , in college, the economy was so good. I think that the exchange of dollars and pesos was like 5 to 1 as compared today the exchange is 1 dollar to 45. So during my high school days and college days the economy was so good and I think, I remember the Philippines was number one in the Asian countries for economy. It’s ranking number one. Unlike today it’s…I think it’s the 7^th and Singapore is very progressive, Malaysia and even Vietnam. But my father was a businessman and he was a marble contractor. So he was doing very well with the business. He was able to send all the 10 kids to college with his business. And it’s only one income. My mother never worked. She stayed in the house and managed the house and the children. So my father has a very good income. When martial law was declared, that’s the time  that my brain was working. My father does not know but I was thinking of going to America. 

What year was that? If I graduated in 1970, I was working in the 70s with architect Mercado and the wife was an interior designer. I was working in the Makati financial district and business was very good. Even the architects, my big boss was awarded as the father of condominiums because all of the condominiums, townhouses sprouted. And it was designed by architect Mercado and I was the accountant and I was earning well. But in the 70s I noticed that businesses were going slow because of martial law and my fathers business starting to go down. And I remember my father came at my office two oclock in the afternoon and he was trying to borrow money from me. And I was so shocked. My father used to be a businessman. He used to go to Macau just to gamble. He has extra money to gamble in Hong Kong. And now all of a sudden he came to me and asking money. So that’s the reason it worries me so much because my two brothers. One is an architect, he got married a year before he graduated. So there’s no way they’re going to help my dad. My other brother, Anton the same thing got married before the year they graduated from college and my father has to support them. My sister Lucy got married young, she just finished two years of associates in college. So who’s going to help my father? I think it’s me. But I never tell my father and my family that’s the time I called in all my friends, all my classmates in college. I said remember we went to U.S. Embassy and applied for professional’s visa to come to United States and I back out because I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave because I was happy living  in the Philippines.  And I said, ‘I changed my mind.’ Said ‘You want to come with me and we’ll go back to U.S. Embassy and apply’. So we applied. So that’s the start. That’s the reason why I strive hard to come to America to help my family. I never dreamed to have a luxury car or a beautiful house. Never. My dream was to help my dad. And, of course to get married in America. What else, I was single (laughs). So to help my dad and my family. And the one that was helping then was my sister Carrie. She was working in the bank. She was still staying with my parents and she was helping out. I was already married to Paul when the People’s Power was declared and I was right in front of the television and my mother in law was comforting me because I was crying right in front of the television seeing the People’s Power and I said ‘I really have to work hard here in America to help my family.’ So I was married. Of course I have a dream to have a house but not those big house. My dream is just, you know, I  have a roof over my head, not a big house and have a happy family. So that’s one part of my American Dream and to practice my accountancy profession in America. And of course I started as a clerk and I was so ambitious….I said ‘why should I be working as a clerk when I can do the books up to financial statements and I can get a higher salary.’ So my dream was to practice my profession in America. 

When we talked about the American Dream, you talked about a big house and fancy cars and that sort of thing. How did you come by that idea that people think that is what the American Dream is? Because as I have observed some of the Filipino community, that’s their dream. Big houses. Luxury cars. And investments in real estate. That’s what I heard from the community. Even non Filipino immigrants. Even European immigrants. They dream for big houses and luxury cars. That’s what I heard. You know I saw one program on channel 9 about those Russian immigrants in Los Angeles. They want nice houses and luxury cars. 

Talk about where you are in your life today. Did you achieve what you would consider your dream? Yes I do. I think. I believe that I’m not a CPA here in America but I believe I’m successful with my profession. I only work as a clerk for one year in America and after that I became a bookkeeper, I became an accountant. So yeah that’s my dream. I fulfilled my dream. In my profession especially. 

Did your dream at all change over the years. It seems that part of what you were trying to explain was to help your family. Did you succeed in that?

Ummm you know I did not help a big monetary rescue to my father because I got married after a year that I immigrated to America. And I have my own family and I don’t have a big income back then. So I wasn’t able to help big money to my father. But once in awhile I gave money. It’s not a big deal but I hope it helped. I don’t know. But they survived. I think another help was when my sister Carrie followed here. And I think the two of us helping my dad for small amount. It helps. It’s, it’s not a big money but I think it helps. 

The actual term the American Dream was coined in 1931 in a book called The Epic of America. I’m going to ask you to read the description. Does it change your idea of what the American Dream is?

This line ‘ It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable.’ This is true. It is not about cars and high wages. And it’s true that you know its like the recognition of your attainment. And uhh, you see like me, I’m a minority and when I proved to my employer here in America that I can do it. And they respect that. So it’s your attainment. But in the Philippines, I remember, its always all the male professionals are always in the higher positions. There are several females but they are all extraordinary. They graduated summa cum laude from the university. But during my time, its always the male executives in the higher position. I think here in America, that if you can prove you can do it they’ll respect, they’ll let you try to prove it. 

Do you think that Americans, immigrant or not would actually see Adams description as the American dream?  You know as I have observed, those Americans born here, they take it for granted. They take for granted that America is giving lots of opportunity. I remember when I landed here in 1979 at work, you don’t find lots of college graduates, American born. High school diploma, they have their job. But now I observe I think these American people realize that immigrants are working so hard. Especially immigrants with a degree are taking the jobs from them. So they’re studying now. They’re at school. That’s my observation. American born now are going to school. But 30 years ago, I noticed in the company I worked for they are not degree holders. 

What do you think most Americans think the American dream is? It depends on who I talk to. If I talk to a Mexican person, came here, not even have a high school diploma. They’ll tell me that I came here to earn dollars to send money to my family in Mexico because they don’t have jobs there. So it depends on the individual. If I ask like a Vietnamese who came here during their war, they have a different reason. If I ask an Indian who is a chemist or an engineer, of course they want the real American dream. They want to practice their profession here. And get the bigger opportunity. 

And someone who is born here? Americans take it for granted because they’re here. And they’re here, you know especially if they’re a graduate of the university here. They have no accent. I mean if they pursue enough to land a job related to their profession, they’ll get it. But immigrants from other countries, they work so hard because they were not born here. So the real American citizen, born here, that’s my observation that they take if for granted because they are here.  All the opportunities that America is giving. You know. There are some American born of course they dream to have nice houses, luxury cars. I don’t see that in everybody. I don’t see that. 

From a professional perspective your dream came true. Did it evolve at any time? Do you have a new one? Because I have the family, my only dream is to have my children finish they’re college degree, which happened. So you know I’m not so ambitious because for me I fulfilled my dream. I have a good job. I have a good family. I’m not dreaming of some more. I just want to have a good health. And a good health for the family and the success of my children. Just good health, a happy family. That’s it. I have a roof over my head. I’m driving a car. I don’t have a luxury car and that’s fine. 

We’re going through the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. How has it affected your life? It affects me because several friends, even not friends, are affected by this recession. One big example is, look at Mervyn’s, look at Circuit City. They closed. And its in the town that we’re living. I was affected by it. In fact I knew some of the employees in Mervyn’s. I’ve been going there for 20 years and they lost their job. And I knew them. It affects me because of them. You know lots of people lost their jobs because of this recession. And what causes this recession? It’s the war in Iraq. We paid billions, billions of dollars. That’s my opinion.