How Do First-Gen Americans Hold Onto Their Culture?

Wastewater Students Artist treatment initiate climate Grimes plant faces conscious releases potential move behavior new album PAGE 3 PAGEPAGE 66 PAGE 16 the Carmel Sandpiper A CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PUBLICATION VOLUME XXXIX MARCH 2020 thesandpiper.org STUDENTS How do first-gen HISTORY IN THE MAKING Americans hold onto their culture? BY ANASTASIA ZOLOTOVA the footsteps of her extended family who immigrated in 1995. But for her What makes an identity? Is and her mother, the road has not been an it your hobbies or hometown? Or easy one. Huynh describes the culture perhaps friends or family? Most would shock initially experienced, especially agree that it’s a combination of all of around the difficulty of studying in the above, but when you’re a first- school in a new language. generation American like me, it’s “My grandpa worked for the U.S. often hard to figure out which parts to Army, so he came here and he wanted embrace and which to leave behind. me to get a good education,” Huynh As a Russian-American teenager explains. “At first, I was really shocked. living half a world away from my I had learned English in Vietnam, but maternal family, it has been an uphill when I came here, I didn’t understand journey for me to hold onto my culture. anything.” Since childhood, my ability to speak, Elina Nizamova is also one of read and write fluently in Russian Carmel High’s newest arrivals. She and photo by RILEY PALSHAW has eroded, making it difficult to her mother moved from Moscow in late communicate with my family. However, 2019, and she enrolled as a sophomore Senior Kai Raine Lee fights for rebound in the first quarter against Foothill. every New Year’s Eve, my mother and soon after the start of the second Carmel went on to win 55-50 to advance to the Northern California I still make traditional Olivier salad, semester. Though her move was recent, championship. See page 6 for more. made with potatoes, vegetables and she already considers America, a place mayonnaise--even though my dad can’t she’s wanted to live in since she was DISTRICT stand it. young, as fundamental to her identity. This is one of many small traditions “I really don’t hold onto Russian that we have held onto, infusing our culture that much because I didn’t CUSD proposes long-term American way of life with traditions even hold onto Russian culture when from Russia—a sentiment and a I lived in Russia,” explains Nizamova, struggle true for many Carmel High providing a different outlook. “The changes to campuses in School students, no matter whether Russian part will stay with me forever they were born here or immigrated with because that’s the place where I grew seeking bond measure their families. up…[but] I consider myself as more Senior Quy Huynh is one such BY ZOE GARDERET November election or wait until 2022.” student. Born in Vietnam, she came to CULTURE To determine voter interest, the America in January 2017, following in In a long-term goal to redesign board hired a research company that CONT. ON 2 school campuses and support its distributed a survey to a sample of Facilities Master Plan, Carmel Unified Carmel voters, with results indicating School District is pursuing a bond that the majority of taxpayers approve measure, an initiative paid for by the bond measure. The district will Carmel taxpayers that seeks to improve decide by July whether to place the facilities and classroom technology as measure on the 2020 ballot, and the well as develop new infrastructure. discussion will become more public Due to the many phases of the when the board shares an updated Facilities Master Plan—assessing plan with the community and receives voter interest, planning and feedback starting in April. construction—it will be a multi-year The bond would impact all development, projected to extend over CUSD campuses with an emphasis on 10 years. Carmel High School Principal reconstructing CHS. Jonathan Lyons and Superintendent “The community advisory Barb Dill-Varga emphasize that the council…came to a consensus that the planning is mostly theoretical at this majority of the work needs to happen point as the district is still evaluating at the high school,” Dill-Varga says. voter support. “Something the board has discussed “Really it comes down to whether as being an issue is that it’s missing a the board feels that there will be an heart to the campus.” appetite for support by this November,” Lyons says. “The question is whether BOND MEASURE courtesy of QUY HUYNH they will go for the bond during this CHS senior Quy Huynh celebrating Lunar New Year at a Buddhist temple with her family. CONT. ON 3 2 NEWS thesandpiper.org MARCH 2020 “If I stopped [practicing our traditions], they First-generation wouldn’t say anything, but they’d be kind of like, ‘Why are you stopping? It’s been in our family a long THE SANDPIPER CONT. FROM 1 time,’” Blanco explains. “So, yeah, I don’t plan to stop anytime soon.” American because I’m a very open, positive and free Perez-Diaz feels the same way. STAFF person, and I guess Americans in majority have the “It’s a big part, at least because my parents want same personality that I do.” to make sure I know where I’m from and not to As for holding onto their home country’s Editor-in-chief: Ellah Foster forget that,” Perez-Diaz explains. “And also because traditions, both Huynh and Nizamova see the New I personally, too, want to know where I’m from Year as one of the most significant events of the and have connections to my family because they’re Layout editors: Athena Fosler-Brazil, Kylie year. In Russia, New Year’s is the most important immigrants.” Yeatman holiday of the year, even more so than the Orthodox For most first-generation Americans, there are Christmas or Easter, with toasts to say goodbye to the always some aspects of a new culture that require old year and a state-televised countdown and address Online Editor: Alicia Krueger more getting used to and others that are fully by the president before midnight. embraced in place of traditional ways of living. “[This year] we celebrated American Christmas Both Nizamova and Huynh observe, for example, Copy Editors: Jordi Faxon, Zoe Garderet, and Russian as well, so two Christmases,” Nizamova that American culture often feels more open and Cassie Gorman, Martin Sevcik, Andrew describes. “But Christmas in Russia is not such a supportive of equality. Wang, Anastasia Zolotova big thing. More important for us is New Year. It will “In Western culture, women can wear everything always be for me the main celebration.” they want, right? But in my culture, you don’t show For Huynh, Lunar New Year is most important, Staff Reporters: Emma Brown, Arielle your shoulders,” Huynh says. “I come from a pretty a festival that’s celebrated in China and other Asian traditional background, so over there, they have Castagna, Logan Falkel, Michelle Foley, countries. standard gender roles—you have to help, know a lot Jack Jarvis, Mia Kotelec, Alicia Krueger, “At Lunar New Year, we wear a traditional of things like how to cook. Here, women are more costume [a cheongsam], wear new clothes, clean the Julia Kurz, Michael Lakind, Riley Palshaw, respected. I’m trying my best to train my family house,” she relates. “The first person who enters your Bela Patel, Grace Paul, Miles Prekoski, Kea about what a woman can do. They can do whatever, house is really important because they will bring luck they can do a lot of great things like men can do.” Yengst to you.” Some drawbacks are smaller and affect people This year, Quy and her family attended services more day-to-day. For Nizamova, it’s namely American Faculty Adviser: Mike Palshaw at several different Buddhist temples in San Jose, teenagers’ preferred form of communication. although she herself isn’t Buddhist—a common “I always call people, I never text people,” practice among people who recognize Lunar New The views expressed in The Carmel Nizamova complains with a laugh. “Here, you guys Year regardless of their faith. often text, and I hate texting! That’s what annoys me Sandpiper are solely those of authors and Alternatively, sophomore Sophia Perez-Diaz, very much and what will definitely stay for the rest of are not intended to be viewed as those who has Mexican, Bolivian and Spanish heritage, my life…because texting is so impersonal.” of the Carmel Unified School District relates that for her and her family, Christmas is one As most first-generation Americans would of the most important times of year. She and her administration, the Carmel High School agree, carrying on such traditions—be it cooking extended family gather in celebration of the holiday administration or the adviser. certain foods or celebrating certain holidays—brings and their unique tradition. a sense of comfort and connection. Although we may “We make certain desserts around Christmas— be thousands of miles away from our family or our WANT TO SEND US A it’s like a big thing,” Perez-Diaz says. “They’re called first home, no matter where you are, traditions ensure buñuelos. They’re like irregular shaped doughnuts, LETTER? that you can carry a piece of that familiarity wherever and it’s a process to make because you have to make you go. the dough, but it brings everyone together.” The Sandpiper staff welcomes contribu- For me, that means that every New Year’s Eve, Food is indeed a big part of what connects my extended family and I are cooking the same food tions from the student body in the form of families, as many first-generation Americans (and with the same recipe—something that brings me one letters to the editor to sandpiper@carme- anyone, for that matter) can testify.

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