A Reflection on Identity: Exploring My Father's Immigration Journey
Alvi Chowdhury interviews his father and explores his story of immagrating from Bangladesh.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My goal with this project was to document my fathers story. Through a casual interview I hoped to provide him with a platform to tell his story in his own words. With our conversation focusing on his childhood memories, the life-changing choice to immigrate, and his experiences establishing a new life in a new society. More than just taking down my Dad’s story, I wanted to understand him, his motivations, struggles, and successes. To truly understand what got my Father to this point in life. And through that I understand myself and what role my dad played in the shaping of my life.
CHILDHOOD, FATHER'S JOB, SCHOOL 📽 (0:00 - 5:04)
"HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GO TO THE BEST SCHOOLS?" 📽 (5:05 - 7:49)
"WAS THERE EVER ANY FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES GROWING UP?" 📽(7:50 - 9:30)
SHIFTED FOCUS FROM SOCCER TO EDUCATION 📽 (10:00 - 14:06)
Baba Solo Collage. © Chowdhury Family Photo
FROM CLEATS TO CLASSROOMS
Growing up my father’s childhood was a carefree playground. The dream to become a soccer player etched into the soles of my Dad’s feet. It’s all he could think about from day to day. Nothing else made sense, only the rhythmic sound of the ball against his feet soothed his soul. But as he grew older the far flung dream of being a professional soccer player kept getting hazier and hazier as realities of the real world started to seep in. Watching his own father, a tireless typewriter mechanic, his hands marked black from a full day's labor, wrestling the typewriter back to life. The tough and rugged work didn’t appeal to my father but a sense of admiration bloomed and stayed in my heart. His own hands, smooth and untouched by such labor. A knot started forming in his head. The burgeoning understanding of the sacrifices his father made. An unspoken debt weighed on the shoulders. And a seed set for a future obligation but a duty to define him today.
The glamor of being a professional soccer player started to fade. The continual threat of harm loomed over his head, like a scythe ready to whisk away his hopes. Even if he escaped that fate, the Bangladeshi professional scene remained a barren wasteland. Where those that reached the summit struggled to make a decent living, their benefits were tiny in comparison to the sacrifices required. The harsh reality eroded the basis of his ambitions, leaving him to face a future that no longer shined a smile like it did as a kid.
Me and my dad at my High School Graduation. © Chowdhury Family Photo
DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATION 📽 (21:26 - 25:18)
My father saw education as a ladder, with each level representing a vital step toward a secure future. He saw people without education imprisoned in the struggle of a low standard of living, which he desperately wanted to avoid. He admired doctors and professors because they had risen through the educational ranks and lived a comfortable and respected life. Their achievement validated his notion that education was the route to a better life.
My motivation, however, comes from a different source. Alfie Kohn's notion of "Ungrading" appeals to me since it stresses the intrinsic worth of learning, regardless of extrinsic incentives. For me, school should be a playground for the mind, a place to discover and develop your interests. I think that by focusing on your passions and interests, you will be better prepared to navigate the future. My ultimate objective is not just to have a good job, but to have a happy and fulfilling life.
These opposing viewpoints are not reflective of who values education more. My father and I both value education. The distinction is in the why. My father required education as a means to a goal. I see it as a treasure in and of itself, a pathway to a fulfilling life.
This distinction emphasizes the crossroads of our lives which impact the way we see things like education. For some it is a lifeline, while others see the inherent beauty in it.
Collage of me and my Dad when I was Young. © Chowdhury Family Photo
FULL LENGTH INTERVIEW (LENTGH 41:40)
PROJECT REFLECTION
Importance of Dialogue & Understanding Ourselves and Each Other:
The most important lesson I received from this project was the significance of discussing and recording the subject of border crossing. These stories of border crossings particularly in immigrant communities are often kept private, bottled up within families, or silenced but deserve a place at the table and not to be buried. But engaging in these discussions is critical for building understanding and empathy in our communities.
Having these conversations with family and community members is important because it gives valuable insights into the choices and collective experiences that molded our identities and eventually led them to where we are now. Furthermore, these dialogues must be preserved and shared because they bridge generational divides and cultivates a greater sense of empathy and understanding among people both within and outside our community.
Continuing the Journey:
This project has piqued my interest in learning more about my father's background, and how it continues to affect both his and my lives. And I feel like I've just scraped the surface of his story and how it continues to affect both his life and mine. This project has additionally sparked an interest to look into the lives of other members of my family and community. And I feel that after going through this project I have a better understanding of how to explore stories of border crossing and immigration and therefore can gather much greater insights than I could have before.
Conclusion:
Ultimately this project has been a transforming experience. It has given me the opportunity to contend with my father's story, gaining a greater understanding of his path and the perseverance that has shaped our family. It has also highlighted the significance of sharing and conserving these stories, not just for our personal understanding but also for the benefit of the larger community. By continuing to research and record these stories, we may help to create a more inclusive and sympathetic environment in which immigrants' experiences are acknowledged, appreciated, and understood.
THANK YOU
Special thanks to all the people that helped me along this journey to complete this project.
Thank you to:
Professors Tram Nguyen & Bijoyeta Das for organizing this institute and giving the opportunity to share this project.
Camila Estrada camixestr@gmail.com for illustrations animation, graphics, photographs
Miguel Madrid miguel.madrid@baruchmail.cuny.edu for narrative, structure storytelling, editing, quoting, copyediting.
Kevin Liu kevin.liu@live.lagcc.cuny.edu for sound, video, music, editing.
Emily Ramos eramos@lagcc.cuny.edu for constructing the website to present my project.
MORE ABOUT ALVI CHOWDHURY
Alvi Chowdhury is a first-semester student at LaGuardia Community College majoring in English Creative Writing. He was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens and is of Bangladeshi heritage. His long-term goal is to become a college professor specializing in South Asian culture, history, and arts.
Beyond creative writing, he is passionate about using analysis and cultural exploration to understand the world around him. He is also passionate about history, particularly leftist politics, and South Asian studies (due to his Bangladeshi heritage). This curiosity extends to other ethnicities and their cultures as well. He is also particularly interested in the study of education, and advocates for "Ungrading" the practice of not marking students to focus on learning over grades. Ultimately, he is a lifelong learner driven by a desire to connect with his heritage, understand the world through writing and analysis, and perhaps make a positive impact. Email: alviscl12@gmail.com