Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Red, White And Blue

I am an immigrant by choice. I was lucky to be able to decide where to live, because even though I was born in Poland, my great grandparents came to Chicago in the beginning of the twentieth century, my grandfather was born there and my mother is a US citizen. I got married very young (at 19!) and my husband and I were both rebels with big dreams, so it was only natural for us to sell everything we owned (which was very little) and buy one way tickets to Newark, NJ, with only Green Cards in our pockets. We chose NJ because my BFF was living here with her boyfriend. We just notified them that we were 'coming to live with them until we could find a place of our own'. They put us in a tiny room, that after we moved out, she turned into a closet. We thought we could speak English but to our frustration, nobody seemed to understand us.

When we left Poland I had no idea what I was in for. That was a good thing, because having known how hard it would be, I might have stayed put. Many of my childhood friends have done very well because the change of political system and joining the EU afforded many young people to advance quickly, having been in the right place at the right time. But I never looked back and never regretted 'adopting' a new homeland. It was very freeing to be away from all the expectations that are bestowed upon you when you build your life surrounded by your family and people you grew up with. This was my very own, personal Declaration of Independence. I might have been naive in many ways, but I thought that I am choosing my destiny and shaping it the way I wanted. Coming from a country always at mercy of its own geography and powerful political winds, this seemed like a quintessentially American thing to do.

***   HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!   ***  

Now, few outifts in my favorite colors, that just happen to be flag colors (coincidentally, for both Poland and United States):
  
Tessa top with foulard capris

Linen perfect shirt with raj paisley skirt

Porcelain Paisley with Horseshoes and Anchors
Ikat t-shirt


BR top and high waisted denim pencil

***
How do you wear red, white and blue?

Please share, it would be no fun without you!!!




14 comments:

  1. AJC-What a great story-the American dream realized. I hope you have a wonderful 4th.

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  2. Awww, I wish I had followed you and gotten a Green card, I would love to live in America.

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  3. Interesting story. You were brave to move so far away at such a young age but good that your family had some idea what life in the U.S. might be like for you, even if you didn't.

    I'm an immigrant as well, I moved to Canada after marrying my Canadian husband, who I met while he was working in the U.S. I grew up in the South and thought I spoke English too but believe me, it took a while for people to understand me and I've worked on toning down my drawl and avoiding Southern colloquialisms. We both have dual citizenship now so I guess I didn't leave it totally behind either, like you did. We thought it would be good to have options to live and work in either country, you just never know what the future will hold.

    I like the last outfit the best, a pencil skirt wins my vote every time. Happy 4th of July!

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    1. It's funny how many Americans don;t even perceive Canada as foreign country but Canadians of course have their strong national identity.

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  4. Love this story AJC! I think it is so brave to move halfway across the world - I once moved across the country and could not wait to get back to the Maritimes! So you are amazing in my eyes and you look very pretty in your patriotic outfits!

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  5. I love your Independence Day story, thanks so much for sharing it with us!
    Your red white and blue outfits are all terrific. I really like what you are wearing this summer!
    Have a great day today. :)

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  6. Thanks for sharing your immigration story! It's so interesting to hear about the impetus for those who move as adults.

    I am a zeroth-generation immigrant (born in China but moved with my parents at age 3) and have grown up mostly in the U.S. but also as a young child in Canada. In fact, I hold Canadian citizenship and only a green card here, which surprises many people. Although I didn't choose my own immigration story (ironically I'm much more conflicted about the Canada-U.S. move than the original uprooting from the other side of the world), I would never trade the experience for a more typical suburban upbringing.

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    1. You know it is interesting and I think it does make a difference whether it was your own choice or th eone made by your parents. I have a friend from El Salvador and even if he came here with his parents as a small child and he is now an English teacher he is ambivalent about his allegiances to both countries. My older daughter has probably more 'Polish pride' than I do, maybe because I take it for granted.

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  7. What a wonderful post. We use to live in St.Catharines, Ontario and two of my son's school chums went to medical school in Krakow, Poland. My children would show me pictures of the city and I loved seeing it. You are perfect for the 4th year - round as you always have a pop of red.
    Happy 4th!

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    1. I am from Krakow, it is a beautiful city!

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  8. Happy 4th of July to you and your family! Thanks for sharing your story - that was very brave of you to sell off everything and move to another country. I have always wondered about doing the same thing but lack the nerve, plus things get more difficult when there's young children to worry about. Your outfits are lovely - red, white and blue is a fabulous colour combination on you!

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  9. Thank you for sharing your story, ajc! I hope you and your family had a wonderful July 4th holiday! :)

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  10. Thank you Ladies for reading! I hope you all had a wonderful day!!!

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  11. I loved reading this. I always admire people that take chances and step outside of their comfort zones. Thank you for sharing more of you :)

    My fave in this set is the Raj!

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