Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies Essays-Biographies
What is the immigration ?
Immigration relates to the movement of peoples from one country into another , for residential rather than visiting purposes , which may be for a number of reasons , including economic , familial , social or personal .
Vandi , Place of Origin : Sierra Leone
Hi , my name is Vandi and I was born in Freetown , Sierra Leone . There was a war in my home country , so we had to leave . When I was six , my family was living in a refugee camp in Liberia , which is a country that neighbors Sierra Leone . We were picked by some officials there to come to America . I was really sad because I had to leave my family and friends ; I will not get to see them again until I am grown and can go back to Liberia as an adult .
Coming here was amazing . It was my first time being in a real plane . My first impression of America was , " Wow ! This is huge !"
Leaving was hard , but my mom made me feel better by telling me that in America we would learn to use the telephone to keep in touch . Now , I can call my family and talk to them by phone . They speak Mende , and I speak English to them to help them learn my new language , too .
Asya , Place of Origin : Ukraine
Things are different in the Ukraine and the United States . The holidays are different . We celebrate Christmas on January 7 . Ukraine is an Orthodox Christian country , and Orthodox Christian countries follow the Julian calendar . It is 13 days behind the normal calendar , so we celebrate Christmas later than other parts of the world .
And Thanksgiving is a new tradition for us , because it is not celebrated in the Ukraine . At Thanksgiving , we decorate the table and put all kinds of food on it . We celebrate together .
I have been back to Ukraine several times to visit . There is a lot more traffic in Ukraine than here . When I visited , I remember thinking , " who can forget that road , it ' s so crowded !" People in Ukraine use a lot of different kinds of transportation . There aren ' t a lot of cars , just vans and trains and buses
When people ask me if I miss the Ukraine , I say that I miss my grandmother most of all . I talk to my grandmother on Skype , and she tells me stories about her cat Buska . One day Buska caught a pigeon and brought it in the house . Buska always does funny things . My grandmother also tells me stories about the neighborhood in Ukraine where she lives .
I like living in the United States . It ' s clean , and I have a lot of friends here . Some of my favorite places to go are the ice-skating rink and gymnastics class . I also like to go to restaurants in New China . I love to go to the beach in Florida !
I think I will go back to live in Ukraine one day . My parents will have to decide that . When I went to visit my grandmother in Ukraine , she met us at the airport with balloons in her hand . It felt like I was really at home . It felt like my real home
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