I came to Chicago to visit my cousins for the summer. I was looking forward to this trip because I have not seen my cousins for 3 years. Getting on the plain in Poland; where I am originally from, I was very excited and was able to feel the butterflies in my stomach. The previous day I have talked to my aunt and she told me that Chicago is different than Poland. I asked her what does she mean and she told me that Chicago as well as the whole America is very diverse and few languages are used to communicate. At that moment I was not so sure if going over seas was such a good idea; I hesitated, but since everything was taken care of and ready for my trip I knew that it was too late for changing minds. So I flew to visit Chicago.
When I finally came to my cousins house and got the chance to unpack, my cousins took me on a stroll around the neighborhood. They showed me where grocery store is, the park, the hospital, the fire station, and also introduced me to some of their friends and neighbors. I was glad that I got the chance to meet few people because they were polish so it would be easy for me to communicate. However, there were only 2 of them, everyone else where foreigners. In fact the whole community consisted of people from different nationalities; backgrounds. Observing them I noticed how different each ethnic group differs from one another. How each ethnicity celebrates different holidays important to each own country, has different views about the U.S. government, the education or health benefits. And I understood that their differences are the things that bring them even closer together.
However, their identity, their lives had changed when they moved to Chicago. They said that before, they lived with people that did the same things at the same time, thought alike, and were closed before the whole world. I understood their feelings because I am living like that right now. And now they as well as I have a chance to live in a community with people that are American, Hispanic, Greek, Swedish, German, Italian and Polish. All of them are very nice, open, and protective and have no problem getting along with each other. They visit each other; talk on the street or through the fence, allow their kids to play together; and all the kids go to the same school which is convenient because they all can be picked up by one parent from the block, or help with tasks around the house like cutting the lawn. They even look out for each other houses, take care of the mail and feed the animals, which is very unlikely to keep animals like cats or dogs in the house in Poland, and in here that’s the way it is; when someone goes on vacation. Also one of the things was surprising was that they organize so called ‘block party’ where every house gives $5, which go toward providing some fun entertainment for the kids, and each household makes some traditional ethnic food and shares with the whole community. That was one of the things that shocked me the most but also pleased me since the small village in Poland where I am from does not do that, because there is only one nationality and people who think alike living there.
Although they manage to live in the same community bringing something of them into it, I noticed that from time to time there are arguments between them. Mostly if both sides are the same nationality because the arguments then starts with something little and ends up somewhere on the country government, calling the police and who saw rising kids in that way. It is easy to figure out then that they can work out things together, but at some point they are still living and thinking about the ways and believes in which they were raised on. And that was one of the things that could not understand if they moved from their country should they focus on the place where they live now. Find a way to leave their old laws and feelings behind and start a better life. Decide but mostly understand that now they are the ones responsible for their future and that they are able to do whatever they want to make it better.
Living in such a diverse community with so many different nationalities and languages, helped me in understanding how fun and enjoyable it cam be. But also, how a person identity can change because it is being influenced and exposed to so many different believes. This trip helped me to over came the fear that was in me for the whole time that I was on that plain. Being scared of strangers from different backgrounds is not so scared anymore; in fact it is amazing. I enjoyed every single soul that I met in that community and the things that they brought to the table. It was then on the plain home that I wondered why other countries in Europe, especially Poland, are not as diverse as U.S. In order to explore the world and understand all the cultures that are out there we should integrate and not be afraid. After all, would that happen someday anyways?
