Week 2: Michelle Prinzo

My family life growing up was relatively stable. Most of my family and extended family lived comfortably and shared similar values. Many of my relatives live close to one another or a short drive away. As I grew older, some of my relatives moved to different parts of the country, but we are lucky enough to have the means to travel back and forth to see one another. When my dad got sick, my family really came together. I do not think I realized how lucky we were to have the financial means to come together and celebrate like this. At many points in the readings I found my self reflecting upon this idea. Many of the immigrant families are leaving their countries and  families to essentially solve a problem--whether it be persecution, job opportunities, or an unsafe environment. In solving their problems they are often forced to split apart--for days, weeks, years or even permanently. This is a contrast from how I grew up--as a part of a family that had the means and opportunity to come together during difficult times. 

I really enjoyed meeting my mentee. She is a very articulate, hard working young woman. The teacher in me was excited to hear her say that she could not wait for tomorrow.Why? Because report cards were being sent home and she knew that she had all A's. In many ways she reminds me of Alice in The Inner World of the Immigrant Child. It is easy to see that she is a diligent and careful worker. Her notes are very neat and she knows exactly what assignments she has and what needs to be done to complete them. On the other hand, it is clear that she is unsure of herself in some ways. When we were drawing together she was very careful to replicate a drawing a friend had made. She wanted it to be exactly the same way and was hesitant to do the actual drawing--she asked me to do most of it while she did the coloring. 

We drew a very 4th grade flower and peace sign first and then a picture of a house. As we were drawing the house she told me that she lived in a house with her dad, mom, sister and brother. She also mentioned that her parents were from Mali. She did not give many details, but I got the impression that her parents still had relatives in Mali and that someone in her family had been involved with war. This was a startling contrast from my own life and was a startling change in the conversation as up until that point she had described the life of what I would consider a well-adjusted, bright child. I look forward to learning more about my mentee in future weeks!