Craig – South Africa

Marcus – New Zealand

April  12th, 2018

Dear Marcus & Craig,

Thank you for coming in to share your stories. I really liked it, and I thought it was cool that you got to visit so many countries.

Some of my favorite parts were eating the food, when Marcus showed us the Kiwi picture, and when Craig told us the meaning of the South African flag. I think it shows how much people had to overcome to have their country become its own country.

A connection I can make to our curriculum is that we have learned about how people are treated differently based on their skin color. This reminded me of when Craig told us about the apartheid.

How old were you when first left New Zealand/South Africa?

Sincerely,

Harley

---

April 12, 2018

Dear Craig and Marcus,

Thank you so much for coming in and sharing your immigration stories.

Something that surprised me was that you only got your green card a week ago. It was interesting because it kind of fell perfectly for the share. I always thought that to apply for a green card took a year and a half for a green card to arrive for most people. But apparently that is fast.

Another thing that was really interesting was that both countries, South Africa and New Zealand, is that they were both colonies of Great Britain and they both kept memories of their colonization in their flags.

One last thing that stood out to me was that Craig has six passports and is only aloud to use his original one from South Africa.

Thanks again for coming in and telling us about your immigration stories.

Sincerely,

Sonia

---

April 19, 2018

Dear Marcus and Craig,

Thank you so much for sharing your stories. I thought it was so interesting how you traveled to very exotic places almost every month. And I remember what all the colors mean on the South African flag. Blue= sky, yellow= gold, black and white= skin, red= blood, green= nature, and blue, red, and white together mean the past because England colonized South Africa.

You wanted to travel the world do you think your going to travel more? How was Thailand I’ve heard it’s really beautiful, do you think so? And exactly how many times did you travel? You traveled a lot.

P.S. Next time you share bring a Kiwi bird,

Sincerely,

Alejandro Ulrich,

---

Dear Craig & Marcus,

Thank you for coming into our class to talk about your immigration stories.

Dear Craig,

One of my favorite parts of your share was when you told us what the colors of the South African flag meant. I also think it must have been sad for people of color in South Africa because of segregation while you, Craig, didn’t really know what was happening to them. Also, I still don’t fully understand why it is so hard to get a Green Card in the USA.

Dear Marcus,

One of my favorite parts of my favorite parts of your share was when you talked about things about New Zealand; after your share, at home I looked up photos of what the flag might have been and it was so funny, especially the Kiwi with laser eyes. I also was very interested in the kiwi bird, it is so small.

One thing you said actually was sort of scary, you said that the soccer team of New Zealand does an ancient war dance. Does it actually intimidate the other team?

Over all I loved your shares.

Sincerely,

Bo Gardner

---

Dear Marcus and Craig,

Thank you for teaching us your immigration stories. It was very interesting how you traveled and what made you keep changing your home.

My favorite parts were when Craig showed us his papers and when both of you showed us the places you immigrated to (my mother is an immigrant) and when you showed us the flags. It was so interesting how  Craig’s flag had many colors based in the history of the country.

It was so exciting when you gave us food especially because I’m extremely hungry. I really like your entire share. You had so many interesting things to say. It was interesting when you told us about your life growing up. I thought it was interesting because your lives growing up were so different and you are both in the same place right know, you have both come a long way to end up in America. You both have really amazing stories and it was very nice of you to come share them with us.

Sincerely,

Palma

---

April 12th, 2018

Dear Marcus and Craig,

Thank you for sharing your immigration story. It was really interesting how many places and cultures you got to experience.  

Craig, I thought that the fact that recently South Africa was still segregated is very sad. I think it is cool that for work you get to move all over the world and experience many cultures. Why did your company move you all over the world? How did it feel to be in countries where not many people speak English?

Marcus, it is interesting that people from New Zealand are called kiwis after the national bird. It is funny that when you were in Thailand you had to leave every 30 days to live as a tourist.

I loved the donuts in syrup. They were very good.

Sincerely,

Sarah

---

Simona – Italy

Dear Simona,

I thought your immigration story was very interesting and I appreciate that you came in to share it with our class. I thought it was also interesting that you like American pizza better than Italian pizza.  

I think it’s cool that you can speak three different languages (Russian, Italian, and English). Do you ever get mixed up in language like speaking Italian and all of a sudden say a Russian word? Where do you speak Russian?

I enjoyed seeing the map of Italian pastas, but it made me want to eat pasta!!!!! My favorite pasta is Spaghetti with parmesan cheese on the side.

My Mom and Sister went to Italy a couple years ago and really liked it. They said the food there was so amazing. I hope to visit Italy someday.

From,

Henry

---

Dear Simona,

Thank you for coming to our class today to share your immigration story.

You fill my head with amazing facts about Italy. I think the Italy quiz was my favorite part of your share but also the drinks and cookies you brought us.

Why did you like America so much?  What do you think was the biggest difference between Italy and America? When you moved to America was this what you expected? (Trump…etc…)

From,

Macy

---

Dear Simona,

Thank you for coming in and sharing your story.

I learned that you grew up in Torino and they are known for FIAT and Nutella. I learned that Italy became a country in 1861 and there are 20 regions in Italy. I also learned that the population of Italy is 60.6 million and that The first capital of Italy was Torino.

Thank you for bringing in the soda and the pastries, they were delish.

Thanks again, 

Saffron

---

Dear Simona,

Crazy story today, you really had a awesome life. Torino looked really nice, I’d like to go there.

The quiz was awesome, I nailed it!

You had so many careers, unbelievable. You had a really peaceful life. I liked how you did most of the things in your hometown like go to college and study there.

Thanks for coming,

Love,

Theo

---

Dear Simona,

Thank you for taking time out of your day to come into our classroom to talk to us about your immigration story.

Some of my favorite parts of your share were when you showed us the map of Italy with all the different kinds of pasta on it. I also liked the image of the chef kicking Fettuccine Alfredo into America. Another favorite part of your share was when you gave us a quiz on things in Italy and how it was a pretty hard quiz. Another favorite part of your share was when you talked about FIAT and how Italy created Chocolate like Nutella. Probably my favorite part of  your share was when you talked to us about your favorite pizza place in Torino and how you went to a college to study languages and you finished with a major in Russian.

Some things I learned from your share was that Juventus plays in Torino. Something else I learned was that there are 20 regions in Italy, the population of Italy is 60.6 million, the first Capital of Italy was Torino and Italy became a country in 1861. Probably the most incredible thing I learned is you were able to become a citizen in 3 years instead of five because you got married. The reason why this is important to me is because in class we are doing a small groups project and my group is studying how U.S laws are made and that involves becoming a citizen.

Once again thank you for coming in and talking to us about your immigration story.

Thank you,

Love

Bayo

---

Dear Simona,

Thank you for visiting on Thursday, April 19th. My favorite part was the soda and the pastry. It was really really good.  

Also, were you an undocumented immigrant when you first got here? Also, you never really explained how you met your husband. It was cool that the chef was kicking Fettuccini Alfredo out of Italy and into America (where it belongs).  

Do you know where to buy the soda from Italy? Have you ever regretted going to the USA? And did you know any family members in America who told how good  or bad it is?

Sincerely,

Arlo

---

Lisa – Egypt

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for sharing your immigration story with the class. It was very interesting. My mom also had some of the same traditions that you had because she was also born in the Middle East. In Iran. What was it like moving to a new country? My friend Maxwell did that too. I find it meaningful that instead of having a job that everyone else in your family did, you chose to help people instead. When was the first time that you had encountered another Egyptian person that had immigrated to the US?

The Sphinx sounds so cool to visit. Can you go inside? I found out why the Sphinx doesn’t have a nose. It’s because in 1378 CE, Egyptian peasants made offerings to the Great Sphinx in the hope of controlling the flood cycle, which would result in a successful harvest. Outraged by this blatant show of devotion, Sa’im al-Dahr destroyed the nose and was later executed for vandalism. Whether this is absolute fact is still debatable.

I loved your food. It reminds me of kotlet from Iran. It has that very good flavor and texture. I wonder if Iran’s kotlet is kind of like Egypt’s falafel but they just have different names.

Your share was fantastic,

Cy

PS, Are there lots of mangoes in Egypt because you brought in mango juice?

---

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for taking time out of your day to speak to us about your immigration story.

My favorite parts of your share were when I got my Arabic name. I thought it was cool to see what my name looked like in Arabic. Also when we ate the food. It was delicious and I really felt the food culture of Egypt. It was definitely more flavorful than the average American food.

What did it feel like when you ate the first food in America? What did it taste like? What was your favorite dish in Egypt?

It was awesome hearing your share and I learned a lot, like the Nile River is the longest river in the world. And thank you for sharing about your immigration story.

Sincerely,

SebastianTakeshiHarding

---

April 26, 2018

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for sharing your immigration story with us!

It is so interesting how you came to America when you 10. I liked when you showed us the pictures of you and Nazir next to the sphinx. That picture was so cool! I also liked when you showed us the picture of Nazir trying to read the hieroglyphics. I really liked the food. I thought it was funny when you first saw snow.

Thank you for coming in I hope you come again soon!

Love,

Giselle  

---

April 26th,  

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for coming to our school today and talking to us about your immigration story from Egypt to here.

My three favorite parts were: the delicious food including the falafel, which didn’t taste much different than Israeli falafel, the picture of Nazir and his cousins now and then because Nazir was so tiny and cute, and hearing your very interesting and nice story. I thought it was terrible how you had to leave to get religious freedom. It kind of reminds me of how my grandmother had to leave Poland because she was Jewish during WW2.

I hope you will keep telling your story as it is good and interesting.

Sincerely,

Libi

---

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for coming to our classroom and sharing about your immigration story.

I never knew that Egypt had almost has 100 million people. And I never knew that 11 million people lived in Cairo. Overall, I just never knew that Egypt was so big. I think that it is cool that the Nile River runs through the middle of Cairo. I also think that it is cool that there are still ancient temples and sphinx in Egypt.

I never knew that the Nile River is the longest river in the world. I also learned from you knew that it flows north and if you were looking at a map you would think the Nile flows south. I think living near the Nile River is smart because you said that most of the land is a desert. I think it is interesting that the Nile River is the only big mass of water in Egypt.

I thought it was interesting that when you first started school in America you didn’t know any English and people still wanted to be your friend. I never knew that people in Egypt spoke French. I thought it was nice that all your classmates were very supportive. I never knew soccer, volleyball, basketball and handball were popular in Egypt. What is your favorite thing about baseball?

I think it is nice that you always wanted a job to help people. I also think it is kind that in Baltimore there were no Egyptians but everyone was nice to you. It is cool that when you took English with the guy from Peru, you spoke way different languages but you found a way to communicate.

Sincerely,

Celia