Peter    Anthony     Thomas  

 

     In Social Studies, my class is highlighting stories of America's immigrants. My name is Noelle Robinson and I will be interviewing my step dad for my American immigrant project. My interviewee is Peter Anthony Thomas, and he is a immigrant from Kingston, Jamaica. He is 49 years old, and now resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Even though  Peter has lived in America for many years, he still follows a lot of Jamaican traditions. He still loves Jamaican foods like jerk chicken, rice & peas and plantains. He loves  reggae which is Jamacian music. And he also speaks Jamaican, and is always saying things like "Yeah Mon". Peter is a great dancer, and  really knows how to break it down dancing  Jamacian dancehall style. Peter misses Jamaica very much but is happy to live in America because there are so many opportunities here. Even though he has lived in America for many years, his heart and most of his family are still in his birthplace Kingston, Jamaica. He tries to go back to visit every two years.
  

"This picture of beautiful Jamaica really makes me home sick. It is just soooo beautiful!"   Peter Thomas 

 

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INTERVIEWEE QUESTONS                                         NOELLE ROBINSON

 

 

 

1.      What country did you come from and when?

 

 

 

2.      Why did you move to America?

 

 

 

3.       In what city did you enter the United States?

 

 

 

4.      What immigration requirements did you have to fulfill to move here?

 

 

 

5.     What places have you lived in after arriving to the United States?

 

 

 

6.      What was the hardest thing you had to endure in moving and living here?

 

 

 

7.      What is the thing you love most about this country?

 

 

 

INTERVIEWEE ANSWERS                                           PETER THOMAS

1.      I was born in Kingston, Jamacia. On December 18th, 1973 I left Jamacia to move to the United States when I was 13 years old. That was a very sad day for me.

2.     I had no choice but to move to America. I had to come with my parents because they wanted to seek better job opportunites, and a better life for us finiancially. At the time, I was young and did not want to leave Jamaica because I was happy there. However, I did not want to be seperated from my parents.

3.     I entered the U.S. in Queens, New York. We flew into John F. Kennedy Airport, and took a taxi to Brooklyn, NY. I will never forget it because it was the first time that I had ever seen snow, or experienced cold weather. It was freezing!!!

4.     For immigration, we had to have a visa to leave Jamaica, and to enter the U.S. We also had to get approved for residency to live in the United States, as well as a passport to travel.

5.     Since arriving to the United States, I have lived many places. Brooklyn, NY/ Manhattan, NY/ Tulsa, Oklahoma/ Beverly Hills, CA/ Miami, Fl/ Coconut Grove, Fl/ Pembroke Pines, FL/ London, England, and Atlanta, GA.

6. Some of the hardest things that I had to endure moving & living here:

   A.The cold weather & snow, after living in a warm tropical climate my whole life.

   B. So many people everyhere. Jamaica only has about 3 million people, and the U.S. has about 300 million.

     C. Culture shock because Jamaica is mosltly people of color.

    D. My school in Jamacia was a lot smaller, and better than the huge public school that I attended in Brooklyn.

    E. I used to get beat up a lot at school because my skin color was very dark, and I talked "funny". I had a very thick Jamaican accent. The kids at my new school nick-named me "tar baby" and "coconut". I used to love going to school in Jamaica because I was smart, but the kids at my new school made me hate school because of the way they treated me.

   F. My parents could not afford to bring all 5 kids to Brooklyn at one time, so they spit us up. That was hard because 2 of us came with my parents, and the other 3 came 2 years later.

7.   I love so many things about this country.

      I love the 4 seasons: summer, winter, spring & fall. I love that there are so many job opportunities & such diversity of people.

       I love that there is so much variety of everything in the U.S. from the foods that I eat to the clothes that I wear.

 

 

 

 

          

 

To check out my website

http://americanimmigrant.yolasite.com 

Click on the play button to listen to Bob Marley. "yeah mon!!!!!"

 Noelle interviewing Peter

"I really enjoyed interviewing Peter, and learned a lot about Jamaica ."  Noelle Robinson

 

GORGEOUS!! 

PETER THOMAS & CYNTHIA BAILEY 

 

BOB MARLEY 

This is called bread fruit, one of Peter's favorite things to eat. You can eat it grilled, boiled or fried. I like it cut up like french fries, and dipped with ketchup!  Noelle Robinson

"This just looks so relaxing & peaceful." Peter Thomas

 

 

A typical Jamaican meal. Stew chicken, rice & peas, and green salad. Noelle Robinson 

 The Jamaican legend Mr. Bob Marley. My favorite song is "One Love". It reminds me of being in Jamaica.  Noelle Robinson

THE JAMAICAN FLAG!!!!! 
 
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