From Belgium to Baltimore. An Old Immigrant Reflects
Prologue
At 87 years old, you become increasingly more aware that life is transitory, and you develop a tendency to look back. You know you don’t have the time anymore to fashion a new future, and so you tend to hold on to the memories of the past. People who were vital to your world have disappeared; your contemporaries are passing away fast, and you become increasingly alone in the world. You are conscious that at the end of this transitory and fleeting life stands death. If you are a believer, eternity stands at the door. If you are not a believer, death leads to nothingness.
Daily we are being bombarded with television news about the thousands of people from all over the world who are crossing our borders illegally in search for a better life or hoping for asylum. At the same time, many other thousands are patiently waiting for their immigration approval after legally applying for entry but are in limbo because of the enormous backlog.
It is obvious that not many other large countries in the world have an immigration crisis in such proportions. The United States has always been a country of immigrants, symbolized by the Statue of Liberty in New York with Emma Lazarus’ sonnet “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Libraries are full of histories of large swaths of immigrants who came to this country to start new lives. Most major cities have enclaves named after groups of immigrants from all over the world. What city does not have a Little Italy or China Town?
What is it that makes the United States of America such a beacon of attraction for people around the world? Is it freedom? Is it because of its reputation as a land of opportunity? Or is it that a certificate of naturalization in the USA makes you a real American? Today we see many emigrate to the European Union, but not on a scale it happens in America. Some countries have closed their borders; others make it difficult, if not impossible to immigrate or to become a citizen.
I became one of those immigrants when in January 1970 I arrived at JFK Airport in New York at the age of 33.
During a recent dinner with a trusted friend, I explored a possible subject for a new book. “Why don’t you share your experiences as an immigrant? How did you come to end up in the United States? What things were different from living in Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, and the Philippines? What prompted you to choose Baltimore, Maryland, and this country as your new home and to decide to be an American citizen? How did you manage to eke out a living after years in the protective cocoon of your priesthood? You had successes and setbacks in your journey. Why don’t you share them with the public? What does it mean to you to be an American? It might also provide some pointers to other immigrants and make them understand why America is such a beacon of attraction for immigrants. If you this right, people in Baltimore and Maryland might be particularly interested.”
Realizing that these questions had not been a subject in the two memoirs I had published, his suggestions piqued my interest. The many immigrant friends and the complete strangers who had assisted us in building a new life in this country began reappearing in my mind. I began to understand that we had gone through a protracted cultural assimilation throughout all these decades.
I thought that the variety of subjects would be best served in vignettes. In Part One I relate our story as immigrants from our arrival to the bliss of retirement. It shows how we slowly built up our life with the help of friends and complete strangers, culminating in being homeowners and naturalized citizens.
In Part Two I am trying to show how particular activities and circumstances led to increasing assimilation in the American way of life.
Part Three relates my reflections on a variety of topics – from religion, politics, and sports, to socializing and food – where I noticed the differences between Americans and my immigrant Belgian persona. I know that not everybody will agree with how I envision the USA and its people, but I also know that Americans have the tendency to agree to disagree.
And that’s what “From Belgium to Baltimore” is all about.