Miron

=Miron=

interview with Miron
media type="custom" key="8171346"

Biographical/Geographical Note
Miron came to the United States in 1991 on a two week visit with his wrestling teem and decided to stay because he loved it here in America. He went to college at the University of Findlay to learn English. He now owns his own successful wrestling teem in Ohio.

Miron Kharchilava is from a country called Abkhazia which is touching Georgia from the west on the coast of the Black Sea. Abkhazia has recently gained its independence from Georgia after several wars one in 1985, and one in 1991. Some of its products are citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts and livestock.

Creative Wrighting
By: Sara Thomas
 * New at American life**

__Fascination__

1991,

I am lying here fascinated by all the opportunities in America. The work days here are the same as Abkhazia but here there are a lot of things that are different than Abkhazia. When I was in my home country I would always rely on friends and family to help me out, lend me money, or give me a job. When I am here there isn’t anyone to rely on for help. There are so many things here that are new and better that Russia and Abkhazia. I think it might be good to learn to be independent. I’m not sure if I should stay in America, I already miss my family and its only been ten days that I’ve been away from them. Here there are all kinds of opportunity for, jobs, and education but there, is my family and my home. There are only four days left of my wrestling team’s two week visit to America from Abkhazia so I will have to hurry up and make my decision to stay here in America or go back home to Abkhazia. I am leaning towards staying here because I love America and American families; there is so much opportunity here that is not at home in Abkhazia. I think it would be a better choice for me and my future family to stay here in America, where there is so much more opportunity.

__Clueless__

1991,

Today was so embarrassing. I was at the library looking for books that my teacher told me to read to help me learn English. I went to use the restroom. There were two big brown doors and neither had a sign, a boy or a girl, so I just chose one, walked in and three frantic looking women started screaming. I soon realized where I was, I had walked into the women’s restroom. I quickly walked out, my face hot and went into the door on the other side of the hall, the men’s restroom. I really need to study the words for man and women in English, because I only know how to speak Russian. I think that everywhere should have signs for a girl or a boy. I don’t want to ever do that again, I was so embarrassed, I hope that I don’t see those women again anywhere. Tomorrow I have English class and I am going to ask the teacher to teach us the words for men and women. I hope that she will have time to teach us that because today I was so embarrassed today that I didn’t check out the books I needed and I just left.

__Something Different__

1991,

I like America but I miss my family. I have been going to school to learn English. Before my English class I only knew the words, “yes” and “no” but I have been learning a lot, and know much more now and can understand a little of what people say. I coach the wrestling team at University of Findlay, in Ohio and in exchange they teach me English. It’s not that I didn’t like coaching wrestling it’s just that I wanted to try something new so last week I applied for a job at the oil change and got accepted. Yesterday I went to school and then afterwards I went to the oil change place for my first day of work. It was terrible, smelly gas and dirty cars and I hated it, I went back today too and it was just as bad as yesterday I came home dirty and tired. I think I should stick with wrestling, training, and going to school. I will call into the oil change place later and tell them I will not be coming back tomorrow. It is a relief that I don’t have to wake up tomorrow and know it’s going to be another day of changing smelly oil , I can just focus on going to school and wrestling. I should just stick to doing what I am naturally gifted at, wrestling. I have always wanted to coach wrestling. After I learn English and get my degree in physical education I want to create my own wrestling team and be successful in my own business doing something I love to do.

Transcript
Thomas: First, can you spell your first and last name for me?

Kharchilava: Miron M-i-r-o-n my last name K-h-a-r-c-h-i-l-a-v-a.

Thomas: Then, where were you born?

Kharchilava: A country called Abkhazia A-b-k-h-a-z-i-a.

Thomas: In what countries have you lived?

Kharchilava: I lived in Abkhazia, and I live in Russia, St. Petersburg and U.S.A.

Thomas: Why did you come to the United States?

Kharchilava: I came United States in 1991 because of Soviet Union corrupted and it was all breaking into parts. It was all, all the Soviet Union was collapsing and I really didn’t wanna live in a country where it’s corrupted too much and I just wanna live in a good life and where I can have a better opportunity for myself to succeed and have a better opportunity for my kids to live.

Thomas: Did you move here with anybody?

Kharchilava: Nope! I moved here by myself in 1991. My [wrestling] team was the Soviet University national champion team and we make a trip here to United State to wrestle some of the best teams in the United States so we came to wrestle in Ohio and the first was University of Findlay and in Ohio and after that we visited here for two weeks. I fall in love with America and American families and kind of have a girlfriend. Started my life, left my family behind and wanna start the new life here in United State.

Thomas: What did you like about the country?

Kharchilava: The country what I like is you know it is the best country you can live, safest if you ever wanna have your own family. It’s, it’s for the kids it’s the best opportunity to grow up. No war, really everywhere corrupted but you still see the corruption here but it's less corrupted, more safe and a lot of opportunity and if you work hard, you know, you can succeed.

Thomas: In your country what could have been done to keep you there?

Kharchilava: In my country what could have done was. You know it’s a system, it’s a system it’s, it’s everything from business point, or you do it’s not competitive. It’s not a lot of competition and it’s, it’s run different government and you know it depends who controls the country and is it communist? Is it a bunch of propaganda? Or you know or it, it just not a good life to be educated, more, there’s better education here definitely. When you educated you gonna get smarter you, gonna get work harder, and you gonna get more success.

Thomas: What education did you receive here and in your old country [Abkhazia]?

Kharchilava: Well education, it’s there, education is here. Probably there is more college opportunities here, More college choices and majors and stuff like that but, but we do have a great education back there too, not as many as here, not as many as choices you have in America you can go every university, and stuff but overall, you know education its very hard there too. There’s just more opportunities here, more majors you can choose and, and probably that’s the difference.

Thomas: When you came to the United States did you know any English?

Kharchilava: No, Sara I was clueless of English. I knew two words, yes and no and a lot of people thought maybe I was a mute but you know and deaf. I have absolutely no clue. I remember even a couple of times I walked into a public restroom and I couldn’t even read men or women. There was no sign a man or a woman so I walked in the women’s restroom and people start screaming so I get out and that’s how bad I was. I could not ask what time is it (pointed to his watch). I remember, as I said when I came here I had maybe a girlfriend but I could not ask her, would you like to go to movie? I was practicing that words for days to just ask one sentence, would you like to go to the movie with me, and I, I was that bad but I work hard I have one degree in Russia and I wanted learn so bad English so I enrolled University of Findlay where I learn how to speak English. It was intensive language for the foreigners and I spent two years there and I passed my TOEFL to get into university to pass the TOEFL which it gives you chance to enroll from English and you learn into University so it took five years and I got from University my bachelors degree with physical education degree and I always wanted be coach and be a teacher and a coach and influence the kids so.

Thomas: How did your career change from Abkhazia to the United States?

Kharchilava: Well as I said I always wanna be a coach a wrestler and influence some young kids and when I move to United State I was twenty-one. I grew up a lot I gained a second education you know and I think I have a lot of good life experiences I spent twenty years there and then I spent the next twenty years here. I think I learned a lot how to be more educated and I know two lifestyles one in Russia and one here and I just think I become hard worker I didn’t rely on anyone. When I was back in Russia I rely on maybe my Uncle, or my friend, or my relatives. You always rely on somebody when you’re in the other country but in America you have to rely on yourself. So I rely on myself I learn how to speak, I learn how to ride a car, drive a car, I learn how to earn my money. I never got one dime from my mother or my father and I wanna be independent. The change career is you rely too much on your friends, your relatives, uncle, aunts, over there. Here in America you on your own and that’s what I like about, so I succeed on my own. I never rely on if somebody gonna give me a dollar, somebody gonna give me a job. I went and study and learn English, graduate, got my degree, and I wanna be independent. I wanna be rely on nobody but myself and that’s what this country does. It teaches you and you grow up fast in this country.

Thomas: What was your first job when you came here?

Kharchilava: Good question, actually while I was university I guess I was so good at wrestling; university hired me as a coach. So I always wanna be coach and I coach university team and they coach me, they teach me how to learn English and get enrolled university of Findley. So we basically exchange to have me teaching them how to wrestle better and they teach me how to learn English and get my college degree. I also tried one time while I was working at university go work for something different than wrestling was maybe a really oil change or something and I was not good at it, I only last two days and I realized that no good I better be training and I better be good at what I am naturally gifted. So I really just never had any other job [besides coaching wrestling] than I work probably two or three days in the oil change in my life ever that’s it but been doing wrestling that what I’m good at it.

Thomas: What struggles did you face when you arrived?

Kharchilava: You know there is quite few challenges I have. The struggle the first one I have was, Sara, it was twenty twenty-one and I had really missed my family. I have very close family brothers, sisters, Mother, father, and a lot of relatives and we are very, very close family and when I came here I didn’t have nobody but my host family and I couldn’t speak English. I got homesick of course missin my mother, my father, my brothers, my sisters, my cousins I mean I was extremely I have a happy family and I came here and I don’t have nobody besides training and my host family so, I really thought after three months I would go probably and change and go back but we decide I decide, I decide to stay here and I’m not gonna change my mind. I’m gunna suck it up I’m gonna get my college degree and be successful and have a better opportunity for me and for my kids and my new family that I develop. I got, of course, family sickness that I was missin and then I got a lot of problem with food you know I couldn’t digest the food right away I missed some of the food and the culture the different culture, you know, and I missed that as well.

Thomas: Do you think you made the right choice by coming to America?

Kharchilava: Yes, I definitely made a choice it was a better choice, because it was for me it was about not just me it was about my future, my family, my what I would do for my future family, when I get married when I have kids. What would I do for them to be successful? More opportunities for my kids and I have no regrets I married a beautiful wife, American girl, I have four kids and there all doing well, happy and healthy and am sure they’re gonna have better opportunities for colleges, to go and, and have a better career for them self and as well as myself that I'm really happy that I have a great family, like you.

Thomas: You had said you had a host family, how do you get a host family?

Kharchilava: Well when we came to United State a visit we the first time United State we were not staying in a hotel we were hosted by American families. We spread out into families and we stayed with families. So the family that hosted me, me and my other friend, former Soviet Union wrestler, and me we were hosted by American family and they have a daughter who I got to know her and that’s how she became my girlfriend and they hosted me and they took care of me for six, six months to a year. They took care of me and they were responsible for me I sleep in their house I eat there and I basically they said well take care of you if you if you decide to stay.

Thomas: What is one thing that is better about your old country?

Kharchilava: The people, less stress and not everyone you know like here chasing bigger homes, bigger boats, bigger cars, and it’s not just one car you gotta have two, three cars, you gotta work harder because you gotta pay to so much and and for all these items that I’m listing and people in my country they are more friendly, hospitable, and more not selfish, they will open up their heart for the guests families, they have a better communication, a better way to see each other more frequently ; were just too busy here in America and over there less stress, less busy, more time for friends and family and they do have less stress there.

Thomas: Could you describe a typical day in your old country?

Kharchilava: It depends, a teenager’s life or adult’s life?

Thomas: Either.

Kharchilava: Well first of all adults life as I said you know they have their typical job that they do have they go nine and they come back five just like here but you know they’re not as busy as here and they have a lot of friends, families who lives close by so they visit their relatives, their uncles, their aunts, and their cousins, they don’t live too far.

Kharchilava: That process took me a long time actually; it was a very difficult process. I got first in my student visa for student and then I worked on my citizenship for ten years. We applied for non-immigrant visa and then I got accepted, a student visa and after that I was on student visa for four or five years and then I applied to become American citizen and that took us another five, six years. So basically I applied for naturalization and that process took six years. I became American citizen officially and after I pay all the fees you have to be a permanent resident for five years not in a student visa or anything like that but it went to after. Ten years I become American citizen, so I pay my duties as well so, it was not easy but it was a hard course, it was a hard course and I waited a long time and I got officially my citizenship and I was the happiest guy after ten years I become American citizen, and so I was the happiest guy.

Thomas: Are there any holidays from your old country that you still celebrate here?

Kharchilava: Well, you know that’s a very good question. Yes we do have some holidays it’s there’s its new year and an old new year which is January 14 that’s when the, that’s one of the biggest celebration. We do have a thanksgiving you know holidays are; we do have different way a couple other things but what I can say is there’s more holidays here than there, we have a lot more breaks here than there and there’s a few differences here and there but I'm gonna say the biggest difference is probably is a holiday on new year, new years and new years in fourteenth of December, I’m sorry, January fourteen that’s old new year we celebrate and a couple other major ones but its been a long time; its been twenty years sense I left there so.

Thomas: Where there any hardships in your country?

Kharchilava: Oh yes, we have a very hardship there for many years and actually I lost my dad in the civil war in Abkhazia 1991 when Soviet Union collapsed. We, my homeland, Abkhazia, it’s a very small country it’s only half a million population, it’s the size of New Jersey; wanna declare their independence from Georgia which is about five six million population. Georgia declare their independent from Russia in 91 and they did get their independent we, Abkhazia wanna declare our, Abkhazia wanna declare independent from Georgia but they wouldn’t let us go they, they said no cause my homeland, Abkhazia, as I said it’s half a million and very sub-tropical it’s palm trees, resort area and it’s very good a source to make money from tourism and Georgia didn’t wanna let us independent but we’ve been part of the Soviet Union since nineteen twenty-first but then when Stalin become a dictator he was from Georgia he expanded his homeland, Georgia, Abkhazia become Ottomans republic and we lost our what we have as an independent country but then we try to back up again and we have a war in 1985, 1985 we have a war, in 1990s we have a war and right now we are being independent in the last twenty years since 1991 Abkhazia declared their independent and my dad was killed in that civil war and but we are being independent on our own as a country and we have a hardship just to be free country just represent I came in 91 and I couldn’t even wrestle for my homeland, so I couldn’t represent my homeland and compete in the world and Olympics and so if you’re talking about hardship that’s what I was tellin early, yes I don’t want my kids go through that and we can’t even declare our independent as a as a country somebody else monitor us somebody else controls us and everything else. My family’s ok now they’re all happy and we are independent country as a country were love it and we’ll continue to be independent in the last twenty years we’ve been independent but we went through a very difficult time.

Thomas: Were there different foods there?

Kharchilava: Yes, there are really quite different foods. We use corn as a corn meal, which in America you really don’t see that. A main meal is a corn meal and our main meal beans and we use corn and beans a lot and we got a lot spicier food than here. We use a lot of natural food, natural products because as I said it’s very sub-tropical and the climate is very warm so you can grow anything. We do have a lot of fruits, citrus, teas, we grow our own tea, grow our own citrus tangerine, Clementine’s, and, and everything. We grow our own corn, we grow our own beans, soy beans whatever and we grow our own meal you know but we do have a black market where you can go and buy all kinds of food as well and definitely a lot healthier food than here, not a lot of frozen food like here. So I love when I go back there, I miss the food cause it’s all natural and it’s all good.

Thomas: What is your favorite food here and there?

Kharchilava: My favorite food in America when my wife cook she makes, anything she makes is good and I don’t know if I would say like pizza or hamburger or any of that. I like good healthy food lots of vegetables. I don’t have a typical favorite meal maybe I would say lasagna, perhaps, maybe, you know and here what we kind of don’t have over there but over there my best favorite food is spicy and lattice, salad, cucumbers, tomatoes. I can’t name your typical different sauce you make from plums, some spicy, some stuff like that. I like a lot of sauce, spicy sauces and stuff like that maybe I would say one food is lasagna, yeah.

Thomas: Did you feel any pressure from family members to move back home?

Kharchilava: No, you know what they want me to be successful, they want me to be successful, they want me do something different from everyone else, they didn’t want me be surrounded by all the relatives, cousins, friends. So, they said hey son if that’s the route you choose to be successful that go for it and they supported me and one thing, we have tradition to marry, when you marry you supposed to marry your own nationality, your own person and it’s our culture but they also, said you can marry whoever you want as long as she cares for you, she loves you and she takes care of you and your family and I found that they were very supporting. Yes they missed me as their son, as their brother, as their cousin but everyone loves me and I give a lot to them when I get back there and I help them today more than, from here than be now because I’m educated, I’m successful and during that war in 91 when we have, country was very broke, I help them a lot to survive as my family and I care very much for them.

** Analysis **
Miron Kharchilava’s immigration experiences compare to what we have learned about immigration because in the book I read it talked about missing home and he talked about missing home. //“//// I had really missed my family //// ” // Miron said during the interview. Also we have learned most immigrants that come here do not know English and he did not know English when he came // “I was clueless of English; I knew two words, yes and no.” //

His experiences contrast to what we have learned about immigration because he said that the food was hard to get used to //“//// I got a lot of problem with food you know I couldn’t digest the food right away,” // and in the movie we watched it told about liking the food here very much.