Immigrant Mentality

I was in Ohio to do a presentation for a bunch of bankers. And afterward there was an informal meet-and-greet.

I struck up a conversation with one of the bankers. I don't remember how I got to this point, but I told him something I truly believe: the only difference between me and that guy sleeping on the streets is just a few lucky breaks here and there- but for the grace of god go I.

He looked at me and asked if I was born here. Now as the only non-white person in the the room with 150 other people and a non-English name, it was pretty obvious that I was not born here, but he was being careful and so I said yes, I was born in Taiwan and moved here as a kid.

He said that his grandparents moved from Italy to the US years ago, and that was exactly the same mentality they had and that is the mentality he carries with him. He believes that immigrants are more likely to have this sense of thanksgiving than native-borns.

It's a vignette of the American narrative: that an Asian guy from California can find a source of profound commonality with an Italian American living in Ohio through his grandparents' immigrant experience.