Ronald

=**Ronald Jervis** =

Immigration Podcast
media type="custom" key="8205330"

**Geography/Background**
Ronald Jervis is a Canadian immigrant. He was born and raised in Canada, and decided to come to America when he was 27 years old. He was a train conductor while he lived in Canada, and he married there. He rode the bus with his wife down to America and settled down in northern Los Angeles. He feels that America and Canada are ‘exactly alike’, with no differences. Ronald left Canada to find a better job. Canada is located in northern North America. Many seas, two oceans, and a bay surround it. It is 9,984,670 sq km, and a little bigger than the U.S. It is mostly mountainous with some lowlands, and cold just about everywhere. Its population is 33,759,742 people, with a life expectancy total of 81.29 years. Canada is made up of mainly British and French people. The Canadian government is made up of a parliamentary democracy, a federation, and a constitutional monarchy in the capital of Ottawa. The government is made up of a queen, a chief of state, and a prime minister. The elections are for legislation. As Ronald has said, Canada is very similar to America. The currency is about the same, the same language is spoken, and the countries are about the same size. The urban populations are about the same, too: Canada’s urban population is 80%, and America’s is 82%. However, interestingly enough, America’s life expectancy is shorter by about three (3) years. Also, Canadians attend school a year longer. So, in conclusion, America and Canada are similar, but they do have differences.

//Ronald Jervis//
//Ronald Jervis is the interviewerís grandfather. Around 40-50 years ago, Ronald left Canada via bus with his wife. He took the bus to Blaine, Washington, and eventually settled in Northern Los Angeles.// //// "[Between Canada and America,] the schools are the same, the money's the same, the wages are the same, they have the same stores, a few little different stores, but the same...basically the same." ////

The Bus Ride Into Similarity
by Mikayla Jervis

My wife and I watch as the bus pulls up. We hesitate to move, But we come out of our shells And begin to pack our luggage into the bus. We step onto the bus, Sit down, And it begins to drive. It drives And it drives And it drives. We stop and get ready to pass the border. I have heard rumors about America. The jobs are better. Thatís my reason for going. We finish paperwork and such, And when all is done, The bus finally crawls over the border. I then take a look around. I smell the air. I look at the trees. I take it all in. And I wonder what the difference is. Of course, I knew that it would be similar. But in my heart I had hoped that it would feel even the slightest bit more welcoming. Or even have the environment look a little different. But as we arrive in Blaine, Washington, I realize even the town looks similar. I thought, Maybe itíd be just a little different. But itís all the same. It's exactly The Same.

Transcripti﻿on
Mikayla: Okay, so...I'm going to start asking questions.

Ronald: Go ahead.

Mikayla: Okay. Did you feel any pressure from family members coming here?

Ronald: No.

Mikayla: (Laughing.) Okay. What struggles, if any, did you face when you arrived?

Ronald: What struggles?

Mikayla: Yeah.

Ronald: There was none.

Mikayla: (Laughing.) Are you sure?

Ronald: Yeah, because in order for me to come here, I had to be eligible. I had to wait six months to be able to come here and I had enough; I either had to have a relative down here or I had to have so much money to last me a whole year down here. Thatís the rules.

Mikayla: Which one of those requirements did you meet?

Ronald: I...the ones where I had money to come down here.

Mikayla: Okay. What kinds of fun things did you do back in Canada [Ronald's home country]?

Ronald: What did I do? I worked on the railway.

Mikayla: Was that, you know, entertaining?

Ronald: I was a train conductor.

Mikayla: What was that like?

Ronald: It was good! I enjoyed it. Your grandmother [Ronald is my grandfather] didn't like it, but...I liked it.

Mikayla: ...Do you think you made the right choice in coming to America?

Ronald: Yes.

Mikayla: Why is that?

Ronald: Pardon?

Mikayla: [Louder] Why is that?

Ronald: Well, because I make more money and I retired down here.

Mikayla: So, you like the fact that you retired down here.

Ronald: Yes, yes.

Mikayla: Okay. So there probably wasn't a language barrier...was there?

Ronald: No, there wasn't.

Mikayla: (Laughing.) Okay. But how was the transition? Was there any major differences in the Canadian life and the American life?

Ronald: No, it was pretty similar.

Mikayla: Okay. What was the toughest part of moving here?

Ronald: It was a strange place, I had never been here before, and I was looking for a place to live.

Mikayla: Where did you finally settle down?

Ronald: When did I settle down?

Mikayla: Where.

Ronald: Where? It was in north...it was in Hollywood.

Mikayla: Okay. What was your reaction to life in the U.S.?

Ronald: (Background noise.) It was good, it was good. Good life.

Mikayla: What all did you...did the rumors, that you heard, and the United States; were any of them true?

Ronald: It's so long ago...you know; don't forget it was about forty, fifty years ago. So, no, they rumors are all true. It was a nice place. Very similar to where I came from.

Mikayla: Whatís your favorite American food now?

Ronald: How about...how about...shrimp and pasta. (Laughing.) That's what Iím having for dinner!

Mikayla: (Laughing.)

Ronald: We're at the Red Lobster!

Mikayla: Very true. Were there...were there any different customs...customs that Canadians have that Americans donít, or vice versa, and which of those [American] customs did you adopt?

Ronald: There...customs were, it's very, very similar, and...so it was easy to adopt the ones down here.

Mikayla: Okay. So, if you had a choice, would you move back to your home country [Canada]?

Ronald: No.

Mikayla: Why is that?

Ronald: Politics.

Mikayla: Okay. Was it just you who came to the U.S., or did you have a friend coming with you or something of the sort, like a...? (Trails off)

Ronald: When I came here, I had a wife.

Mikayla: Okay.

Ronald: Your grandmother.

Mikayla: (Laughs.)

Ronald: We got married in Canada.

Mikayla: Did you have to remarry in America, because Iíve heard things like, where people had to remarry...?

Ronald: No, no.

Mikayla: What exactly were the reasons that brought you to the United States?

Ronald: I came because I thought I could get a better job at Disney Studios.

Mikayla: Did you get that job?

Ronald: No, I didnít get that job. They were...they had just laid some people off after fifteen years of them being with the company so there was no openings.

Mikayla: What port of entry did you come through?

Ronald: I drove through...no, I came through on a bus. Through Blaine, Washington.

Mikayla: What's one thing that's better in the United States that, you know.

Ronald: What's better?

Mikayla: Yeah.

Ronald: I guess the cost of living is better here.

Mikayla: What was the cost of living back in Canada?

Ronald: At the time, the jobs were better, too.

Mikayla: (Repeats self.)

Ronald: What was that?

Mikayla: (Repeats self.)

Ronald: What was the problem?

Mikayla: The cost. Of living.

Ronald: Oh, God. (Says something to wife.) Hang on, Mikayla.

Mikayla: Okay.

Ronald: (After ordering food at Red Lobster.) Okay, go ahead, Mikayla.

Mikayla: Here, I'll just skip to the next question. What is one thing that was better back in Canada that America doesn't have?

Ronald: Better?

Mikayla: Yeah.

Ronald: I don't think anything's better there! I think it's better here.

Mikayla: Do you miss anything that was back in Canada?

Ronald: Well, I miss my relatives. I have a lot of relatives that live up in Canada, and some of the friends I grew up with...but no, I made new friends here.

Mikayla: So what was it like when you first set foot on American soil?

Ronald: What was it like?

Mikayla: Did you feel any different like 'Oh my gosh, Iím an American now'?

Ronald: No, I'm still a Canadian.

Mikayla: (Laughs.)

Ronald: (Joking.) I never became a citizen. As soon as I get all the secrets, I'll go back.

Mikayla: (Laughs again.)

Ronald: No, I'm just kidding.

Mikayla: So what was a typical day like in Canada?

Ronald: Exactly the same as here.

Mikayla: No differences?

Ronald: No difference.

Mikayla: So if I go to Canada I'm going to be, I'm going to feel exactly the same as I would here in America?

Ronald: Yep.

Mikayla: Absolutely no difference.

Ronald: The schools are the same, the moneyís the same, the wages are the same, they have the same stores, a few little different stores, but the same...basically the same. We have McDonald's and Wendy's and, you know.

Mikayla: (Laughs.) So were you ever discriminated against for being an immigrant?

Ronald: Nope. Never.

Mikayla: Never?

Ronald: Nope!

Mikayla: Did anyone even really know?

Ronald: Not that I know of, no.

Mikayla: So they just thought you were a regular person?

Ronald: I didnít hear you.

Mikayla: (Louder.) So they thought you were a regular person?

Ronald: Yes, yes. [Though] I didn't tell them I wasn't.

Mikayla: (Laughs.)

Ronald: Nobody knew I was out of the country. Until later on.

Mikayla: So, what year...around what time did people find out; did you tell people 'Hey, I'm Canadian'?

Ronald: (Joking.) About nine o'clock at night.

Mikayla: (Laughs.)

Ronald: (Laughing.) No? Is that the wrong answer? No, I told my close friends.

Mikayla: Okay. Thatís actually all of the questions I have, so...

Ronald: Oh, good!

Mikayla: I hope, if you'll allow me to do some follow-up...

Ronald: Sure!

Mikayla: Okay. Thank you for allowing me to interview you.

Ronald: What was that again?

Mikayla: (Repeats self.)

Ronald: You're very welcome.

Mikayla: Okay.

Ronald: Okay, is that it?

Mikayla: Yep.

Analysis Immigrants come to America – or any place, really – for many different reasons. They can come for a better job, or a better life. Sometimes immigrants come to America for love. Sadly, past immigrants even came to America by force. Ronald Jervis does link to what history states about immigrants. He has stated, “ I came because I thought I could get a better job”. This was one of the reasons that immigrants came to America. He also stated “At the time, the jobs were better, too.” So, in conclusion, Ronald Jervis’s interview does link to what history has said.