{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/3n20c4tb9p/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Memories of Migration Episode 2: Paperwork"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2019-06-17 (released)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Natalie Milbrodt (Host)","Thara Madathody (Interviewee)","Christopher Boles (Interviewee)","Chun-Hee Kim (Interviewee)","Nusaiba Ally (Interviewer)","Pat McCluskey (Interviewer)","Eileen Sprague (Interviewer)","Richard Lee (Interviewer)","Adriene Lara (Producer)","Elias Ravin (Composer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens in New York City. Our first season collects stories of migration. For our second episode, we consider paperwork: the relationship between documents and the day-to-day.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFROM THE ARCHIVES: Storytellers whose oral histories we feature in this episode, with links to full interviews and timecode outlines\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"4597\"\u003eThara Madathody\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Nusaiba Ally (2015)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/gm81j97h60\"\u003eChristopher Boles\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Eileen Sprague and Sarah Covington as part of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.qcirishstudies.org/new-page\"\u003eIrish in Queens Oral History Project\u003c/a\u003e (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/jm23b5wj8b\"\u003eChun-hee Kim\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Richard Lee (2016)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIN THE STACKS: References available through the Queens Public Library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eResearch for this episode comes from the Queens Public Library stacks and databases, along with various online sources and Wikipedia articles.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor library immigration resources, the New Americans Program at the Queens Public Library offers multiple, such as for \u003ca href=\"http://connect.queenslibrary.org/2022\"\u003eimmigration assistance\u003c/a\u003e and English classes. They also compiled a Newcomer’s Guide that spans citizenship references, links to legal support, and readings on immigration in the U.S.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eREFERENCE DESK: Sources referenced in this episode from beyond the library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWe learned about the H4 visa, its history, and ongoing organizing around it from a number of places, including \u003ca href=\"https://saalt.org/community-guide-on-h4-ead/\"\u003ethis guide\u003c/a\u003e from South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.news18.com/news/world/indians-account-for-93-of-h-4-visa-holders-with-work-authorisation-says-us-1745709.html\"\u003ethis report summary\u003c/a\u003e from News18. While learning about the expansion of employment authorization to H4 visa holders in 2015, we learned that this came from Executive Actions passed in 2014 under President Barack Obama as well as years of local and national organizing. We listened to \u003ca href=\"https://truthout.org/video/our-futures-are-intertwined/\"\u003eoral histories from the Southern Voices oral history project\u003c/a\u003e to hear more about the circumstances and consequences of these Executive Actions. We also read \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscis.gov/archive/2014-executive-actions-on-immigration#4\"\u003ethis summary\u003c/a\u003e of the 2014 Executive Actions on Immigration from the USCIS website, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adriancarrasquillo/how-the-immigrant-rights-movement-got-obama-to-save-millions\"\u003eBuzzfeed News article\u003c/a\u003e by Adrian Carrasquillo introducing prominent immigrant rights movements that pushed for immigration reform, and this \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsindiatimes.com/right-to-work-indian-spouses-on-h4-visas-rally-u-s-lawmakers-indian-americans-to-preserve-work-authorization-gains/\"\u003eNews India article\u003c/a\u003e by Ela Dutt on ongoing activism and organizing to keep employment authorization under the H4 visa.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor more immigration resources, many community organizations and groups have put together documents with information on immigrant rights, documentation worksheets, and more:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       \u003ca href=\"https://www.drumnyc.org/\"\u003eDesis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM)\u003c/a\u003e, based here in Queens, created Know Your Rights pamphlets for immigration raids and workers’ rights\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       To read guides on DACA, renewing Green Cards, and applying for citizenship, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, another New York organization, designed an\u003ca href=\"https://www.aaldef.org/publications/immigrants-rights-and-post-9-11-civil-liberties/\"\u003e Immigration Rights webpage\u003c/a\u003e with many resources\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGUIDING QUESTIONS: Origin points for discussion\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       What documents have allowed you to go to the places you’ve been?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       What processes did you go through to get to where you are now?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eVoice narration, editing, and supervision by Natalie Milbrodt\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eProduction, writing, and research by Adriene Lara\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMusical composition by Elias Ravin\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eListen to the episode on \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/queens-public-library/memories-of-migration-episode-two-paperwork\"\u003eSoundCloud,\u003c/a\u003e as well as any other platform you find your podcasts. Give us a like if you want, and comment to share your thoughts with us. Find more from Queens Memory at \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/\"\u003eQueensMemory.org\u003c/a\u003e, on Facebook at \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/queensmemory/\"\u003eQueens Memory\u003c/a\u003e, and on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/QueensMemory\"\u003eTwitter at @QueensMemory\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e (summary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis audio piece was produced by the Queens Memory Project and is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License. For inquiries, please contact queensmemory@queenslibrary.org.\u003c/p\u003e"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens in New York City. Our first season collects stories of migration. For our second episode, we consider paperwork: the relationship between documents and the day-to-day.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFROM THE ARCHIVES: Storytellers whose oral histories we feature in this episode, with links to full interviews and timecode outlines\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"4597\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThara Madathody\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Nusaiba Ally (2015)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/gm81j97h60\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eChristopher Boles\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Eileen Sprague and Sarah Covington as part of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.qcirishstudies.org/new-page\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eIrish in Queens Oral History Project\u003c/a\u003e (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/jm23b5wj8b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eChun-hee Kim\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Richard Lee (2016)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIN THE STACKS: References available through the Queens Public Library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eResearch for this episode comes from the Queens Public Library stacks and databases, along with various online sources and Wikipedia articles.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor library immigration resources, the New Americans Program at the Queens Public Library offers multiple, such as for \u003ca href=\"http://connect.queenslibrary.org/2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eimmigration assistance\u003c/a\u003e and English classes. They also compiled a Newcomer\u0026rsquo;s Guide that spans citizenship references, links to legal support, and readings on immigration in the U.S.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eREFERENCE DESK: Sources referenced in this episode from beyond the library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWe learned about the H4 visa, its history, and ongoing organizing around it from a number of places, including \u003ca href=\"https://saalt.org/community-guide-on-h4-ead/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ethis guide\u003c/a\u003e from South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.news18.com/news/world/indians-account-for-93-of-h-4-visa-holders-with-work-authorisation-says-us-1745709.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ethis report summary\u003c/a\u003e from News18. While learning about the expansion of employment authorization to H4 visa holders in 2015, we learned that this came from Executive Actions passed in 2014 under President Barack Obama as well as years of local and national organizing. We listened to \u003ca href=\"https://truthout.org/video/our-futures-are-intertwined/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eoral histories from the Southern Voices oral history project\u003c/a\u003e to hear more about the circumstances and consequences of these Executive Actions. We also read \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscis.gov/archive/2014-executive-actions-on-immigration#4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ethis summary\u003c/a\u003e of the 2014 Executive Actions on Immigration from the USCIS website, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adriancarrasquillo/how-the-immigrant-rights-movement-got-obama-to-save-millions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eBuzzfeed News article\u003c/a\u003e by Adrian Carrasquillo introducing prominent immigrant rights movements that pushed for immigration reform, and this \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsindiatimes.com/right-to-work-indian-spouses-on-h4-visas-rally-u-s-lawmakers-indian-americans-to-preserve-work-authorization-gains/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eNews India article\u003c/a\u003e by Ela Dutt on ongoing activism and organizing to keep employment authorization under the H4 visa.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor more immigration resources, many community organizations and groups have put together documents with information on immigrant rights, documentation worksheets, and more:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href=\"https://www.drumnyc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eDesis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM)\u003c/a\u003e, based here in Queens, created Know Your Rights pamphlets for immigration raids and workers\u0026rsquo; rights\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; To read guides on DACA, renewing Green Cards, and applying for citizenship, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, another New York organization, designed an\u003ca href=\"https://www.aaldef.org/publications/immigrants-rights-and-post-9-11-civil-liberties/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e Immigration Rights webpage\u003c/a\u003e with many resources\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGUIDING QUESTIONS: Origin points for discussion\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; What documents have allowed you to go to the places you\u0026rsquo;ve been?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; What processes did you go through to get to where you are now?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eVoice narration, editing, and supervision by Natalie Milbrodt\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eProduction, writing, and research by Adriene Lara\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMusical composition by Elias Ravin\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eListen to the episode on \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/queens-public-library/memories-of-migration-episode-two-paperwork\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eSoundCloud,\u003c/a\u003e as well as any other platform you find your podcasts. Give us a like if you want, and comment to share your thoughts with us. Find more from Queens Memory at \u003ca href=\"https://queensmemory.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eQueensMemory.org\u003c/a\u003e, on Facebook at \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/queensmemory/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eQueens Memory\u003c/a\u003e, and on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/QueensMemory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eTwitter at @QueensMemory\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis audio piece was produced by the Queens Memory Project and is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License. For inquiries, please contact queensmemory@queenslibrary.org.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/138/727/small/Screenshot_%2830%29.png?1641897971","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61518/file/138727","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - qmpodcast_s1e2_8.Mp3"]},"duration":1069.57894,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/138/727/small/Screenshot_%2830%29.png?1641897971","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61518/file/138727/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61518/file/138727/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/138/727/original/qmpodcast_s1e2_8.Mp3?1641893830","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":1069.57894,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61518/file/138727","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61518/file/138727/transcript/35118","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61518/file/138727/transcript/35118/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Queens Memory Podcast\nSeason 1 Episode 2\nTranscript (English)\n\nINTRO\n\nNATALIE MILBRODT, narrator: For full transcripts, translations, content notes, and resources from this episode, follow along with us on our show notes at Queens Memory dot org.\n\n[INTRODUCTORY MUSIC BEGINS]\n\nNM: This is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens, in New York City. This podcast comes to you from the Queens Memory Project, based in Jamaica, Queens at the Queens Central Library. I'm Natalie Milbrodt, Director of Queens Memory, where we record and preserve contemporary history across the borough. We grow our archives by collecting oral histories, photos, and mementos shared with us by community members. Local volunteers, who train with Queens Memory staff, facilitate and record our oral history interviews.\n\nWe feature oral histories from our archives so we can reflect on and engage with the histories we listen to and tell one another. How do we carry each other’s stories? What shapes our personal and family histories? How did we get to the neighborhoods where we live? And where are we in relation to each other's histories?\n\nAs part of New York City, Queens has long been a point of entry to the United States. Thinking about the borough in this way, we searched through our archives to gather stories of migration for this first season of the Queens Memory Podcast. These stories cross continents and move through decades of the past century. We share these oral histories to reflect on the histories of this borough, of this country, and of ourselves.\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC CHANGES]\n\n[INTRODUCTORY AUDIO COLLAGE BEGINS]\n\nTHARA MADATHODY: - I came on H-4 visa - on that particular visa, you can’t work. Yeah, you’re not allowed to work -\nCHRISTOPHER BOLES: - He got me to fill out the application form for him for the United States - and I also filled one for myself - not knowing - at the time - that when you - got a visa - you had to use it - within six months! [START OF LAUGHTER]\nCHUN-HEE KIM: - One day, the inspector - walk in and found out - my husband didn’t have a license with his own name!\n\n[PAUSE WITH MUSIC]\n\nNM: For our second episode, we consider paperwork: the relationship between documents and the day-to-day. Before beginning the podcast, we’d been listening to stories in our archives of applying for visas, school enrollment, and work authorization. We began to think about how these documents become part of migration, and of deciding who goes where. We put this episode together to give thought to the different administrative processes instituted in coming to the U.S., and to the bureaucracy involved in staying. While we listen, we want to reflect on how files and forms regulate movement and daily life.\n\nLet’s listen.\n\n[MUSIC FADES OUT]\n\nBODY\n\nNM: First, we'll hear Thara Madathody and Christopher Boles share stories about filing for immigration to the U.S. and the papers that marked their entrance and stay.\n\nTo start, Thara Madathody mentions the documents her and her husband came with when migrating to the U.S. in 2003: the H-4 dependent visa and the H-1B temporary work visa. Although both visas join much longer histories of immigration law in the U.S., we’re starting from the Immigration Act of 1990. Among its many effects, the act set the conditions for U.S. immigration in the 1990s and 2000s by bolstering border patrol, adjusting immigration quotas and caps, and favoring highly credentialed and formally educated applicants. By setting Bachelor’s degree minimums and preferences for specialized work, especially in technological fields, the law implemented limitations into the H-1B visa. The H-1B thus created a channel for technology companies to promote pools of labor contracts for emigrating to the U.S., which was answered in mass by information technology and consulting companies in India. As of June 2019, U.S. immigration law permits children and spouses to migrate with H-1B visa holders under the H-4 visa. However, terms of life under the H-4 visa, from employment authorization and minimum wages, to access to social security, remain subject to changes in law.\n\nNow, let’s hear these first clips.\n\n[FIRST ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with THARA MADATHODY]\n\nTHARA MADATHODY: I came on H-4 visa. H-4 visa is like- H-1 visa if for the husband when he's, uh, working here and then you get the dependent visa like H-4. In that particular visa, you can’t work. Yeah... You’re not allowed to work.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nAll the time in India, I was working, like, 8 to 6 in a college, then I come back, and I would do some, ah, free tuition. So, I'll have my food and I would do free tuition to the kids voluntarily. So, that was my kind of day! And I would teach them 'til 9, 9:30 then go to bed, prepare and go to bed. So, that was a kind of a hectic lifestyle I had. I came here and all of a sudden -\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\n- I was like, um... morning, I would get up and I would, whatever, cook or clean, then I was sitting and thinking, \"What will I do today?\" And, uh, I was not very familiar with this avenues and streets and all those stuff, and I don't want to go alone and get lost somewhere.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nThe time change, the- the- what do you call it? The, uh- time-\n\nNUSAIBA ALLY, interviewer: Time difference?\n\nTM: Time difference really matters!\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nYou ha- you don't even recognize or realize, \"Okay, you're in a different state.\" I had that confusion for quite a while, I would say. It took me 6 months to come over that, um, time frame. Because, uh, I used to feel sleepy, in the mornings! And I would be awake in the night. That's a weirdo combo. Because, night, you're supposed to sleep, you're getting up and sitting, and you're, uh, you should be going around but I'll be sleeping -\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\n- and then, I never went out, because... I was always a kind of a quiet person at, uh- in- in my country also. I would do my job and come back home, and I had a strict parent- eh, parents. Like, they don’t want me going around, so I would always, uh, make sure I come back by 6. So I never had that, uh- [INHALES] -the thing to go and explore the world, you know? So I was kind of a quiet person, so when I came here, I didn't want to go arou- alone and, uh, go and explore the place over here.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nSo I was feeling so lonely! I would never go out.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nI don't have any relatives. I don't have anyone who knows me. I know only one person, that's my husband, and he goes to work in the morning, come back in the evening. So, I was hardly an alien here, with no one I knew, no one to call my name. Couple of years, I was kind of, \"Can anyone call me by my name?\" Because I- sooner, I'm gonna forget my name! That's- because that was my condition.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nSo finally, I got a library card! That is the first ever thi- ever, uh, nice thing which I got because I could go to library but it took me two weeks to figure out where to go and come back! Because, these avenues- I don't know, it was a little confusing for me, avenues and streets. So, eh, I go a different avenue, I would get lost.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nThen finally, I think by two weeks, I could go and- to the library, and come back home. So, that was a kind of big relief because then I would go there, sit and read and read. Ah, but still, life was not good. Because only when he comes back, have somebody to talk with. I was- I was lost.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nIt was kind of a tough life for me, beginning 2 to 3 years. Uh, I had my kid, then again, that was not easy for me because I never had the thing of, uh- [EXHALES] -raising a girl or raising a kid. So... Ah, yeah. Parents came for delivery but after that they have to go back because it was winter. They can't stand here because they were kind of old so, again I was like-! [LAUGHS] I had it all with me and I'm trying to figure out how to manage all those stuff. So, it was a tough life for me. Then- I think then, the life changed when I started working. Ah, it took me six years to get my H-4 because then we applied- I wanted to go back to India forever because I didn't like the place here. Then, gradually, somehow we applied for the Green Card, so then we had to- then, uh, my daughter was born, then was going to- eh, going to school. And somehow, we ha- we kept on, um, \"Okay, next year, next year!\" We kept on postponing our time. Then, uh- then, by then I could- I got my EAD card. The Employment Authorization Card where I could work, then I started working as a teacher. That totally changed my perspective, and then I could talk to so many people, I got so many friends! And, I'm using my- this is what I like: being active, being working!\n\n[SECOND ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with CHRISTOPHER BOLES]\n\nCHRISTOPHER BOLES: I lived with a couple of other fellows. And, uh, one of them was getting married, and, uh, the other guy was movin’ to Detroit. And, uh, when he was thinkin' of goin' to Detroit, he used to come in, and he was always complaining about the country anyway but [did not understand a few words] \"Let's go to America! That's the place to be!\" And, uh, the, um... \"Get those forms! Get those visa application forms!\" So they were tryin' to put that job on me! So I- I got the forms and then we had the forms and, uh, he used to say to me, \"Boles, fill that form for America!\" So, eventually, he found a girlfriend, and, uh, he got me to fill the application form for him for the United States, and I also filled one for myself, not knowing at the time that when you got a visa, you had to use it within six months!\n\nCHRISTOPHER BOLES, with interviewers PAT MCCLUSKEY and EILEEN SPRAGUE: [LAUGHS]\n\nCB: I thought this visa was good forever, I could go anytime I like! So, uh... My man, the other fellow, he got his, uh, visa. And, uh, he said he was goin' to go. I remember his girlfriend's name was Margaret. \"But I'm not takin' Margaret with me. Margaret, she's not goin'. I'm goin' to Detroit.\"\n\nES: [LAUGHS]\n\nCB: So, he went. And, uh-\n\nPM: By train, or-? Yeah, train to- from Toronto to New York?\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC BEGINS TO FADE IN]\n\nCB: Well, no, he was goin' to Detroit.\n\nPM: Oh, oh, to Detroit!\n\nCB: But me, as for my part, I came later.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nI had my visa and... I just decided to go, just like that.\n\nNM: Adding to visa applications and work permits, we’ll listen to Chun-hee Kim and consider how paperwork functions in daily life in the U.S. With this in mind, we also ask: What support exists for navigating government systems? And how do law and bureaucracy govern life in the United States?\n\nLet’s listen closer.\n\n[THIRD ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with CHUN-HEE KIM]\n\nCHUN-HEE KIM: My husband work, grocery stores and then, he- he could, uh, you know, open his own small business. The candy store in Far Rockaway.\n\n[BUS AND CAR SOUNDS IN BACKGROUND]\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nCK: One day, we had a problem. Because, uh, there's, ah, you know, the game? The… the game machine.\n\nRICHARD LEE, interviewer: Mhm.\n\nCK: In the small, you know, candy store.\n\nRL: Pinball?\n\nCK: There was a ga- yeah, machine. But he did not apply for the license with his name.\n\nRL: Oh okay. Got it.\n\nCK: So he used, you know, the previous owner's name. So he just, you know, delayed, delayed. Put away.\n\nRL: Yeah.\n\nCK: Oh, next month, next month.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nThe previous owner’s name is same, “Kim,” and “Chun.”\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nFirst, first word of the first name was same. That's why, you know, he didn't go right away after, you know, he, you know, got that store.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nBut at last!\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nThe inspector just, you know, all of a sudden came — walk in and found out.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nMy husband didn't have a license with his own name, so he was summoned. \n\nRL: Uh huh.\n\nCK: But he was self-employed, he didn't have any employees, so he could not, you know, go. So he asked me to go to Brooklyn, you know. Some government thing. Office.\n\nRL: Was it Downtown, Downtown Brooklyn?\n\nCK: Downtown Brooklyn. I went.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nCK: I talked to, you know, one, you know, gentleman. He said, we have to pay for the penalty. Each day, 175 dollars. So it was almost... 10,000, we-\n\nRL: Yeah.\n\nCK: Almost 10,000 dollars! So that time, my [SOUNDS OF TAPPING ON AND GESTURING TO PAPER] salary was very small.\n\nRL: Mhm.\n\nCK: And his business was not good enough. So we had really, you know, live month-to-month. So we didn't have any extra money to pay for it.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nCK: So I said, I just, you know, talk to him, my, you know, situation. This, this, this, this. But he said, I had to- we had to pay.\n\nRL: Okay.\n\nCK: And then it was lunch time! He just walked away. I did not gave- end up. After, you know, he walked away out of the building, I went to, you know, the other guy. He looks, you know, from... Mm... Haiti? He looks, his nationality, like Haiti.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nAnd he looks- he looks like, uh, around 60s.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nSo, I just, you know, cried. Cry, cry, cry, cry.\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nHe just, you know, look at me! Just look at me, and I cried. And at last, he said, \"Oh, what can I do to stop tears from your pretty eyes?”\n\nRL: [LAUGHS]\n\nCK: “What can I do?\" So I just smiled! Because, you know, the wording from his mouth was so poetic!\n\nRL: [LAUGHS]\n\nCK: He just look at me, you know, so warm, you know?\n\n[AUDIO CUTS]\n\nCK: All of a sudden, I just laugh! He said- [CLAPS] -\"That's it!\"\n\nRL: Uh huh.\n\nCK: \"So, how about, you just pay 250 dollars? Can you pay that?\" he said. \"Of course, of course! I can pay that!\" \"So now, are you happy?\"\n\nRL: [LAUGHS]\n\nCK: \"Yes, I am!\" So, I cannot forget that- [VOICE BEGINS WAVERING] that guy.\n\nRL: Mm.\n\nCK: Until I close my eyes. He saved me, you know. He just, \"Can you pay 250 dollars?\" \n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC BEGINS TO FADE IN]\n\nBut the first guy said almost 10,000 dollars! So I was so happy, and I liked, you know, to dancing on the street! You know. So it was most, you know, impressive thing happen in New York.\n\nOUTRO\n\nNM: Thank you for listening with us on the Queens Memory Podcast.\n\nVisit our show notes blog at Queens Memory dot org. There, you’ll find full transcripts and written translations of this episode, and more to listen to from our archives. We’ve also added reading recommendations from Queens Public Library’s collections as well as resources from local community organizations. And, if you want your stories to join those you heard today and become part of our archives, head to Queens Memory dot org forward slash participate or to our show notes to find out more.\n\nI’d like to thank our producer Adriene Lara and our composer Elias Ravin. A warm thank you to Ro Garrido for providing fundamental collaboration and support, and to Richard Lee and Molly Schwartz for offering their guidance and wisdom. Thanks also to the Queens Public Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services for hosting and funding this podcast. Finally, thank you to all the interviewees, interviewers, interns, and volunteers for collecting and sharing the stories that make this podcast possible.\n\nIf you’re listening with others, and want to reflect together, here are some guiding questions: What documents have allowed you to go to the places you’ve been? What processes did you go through to get to where you are now? To start reflecting for the next episode, let's think about vehicles of movement — trains, buses, planes, boats.\n\nListen with us next time on the Queens Memory Podcast.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61518/file/138727#t=0.0,1069.57894"}]}]}]}