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first-gen•er•a•tion
adj.
Designating the first of a generation to become a citizen in a new country
Designating the first of a generation to be born in a country of parents who had immigrated
– a first-generation Canadian whose parents were born on a farm in Vietnam
Designating the first version of a type made available
– first-generation descrambler technology
sec•ond-gen•er•a•tion
adj.
1. Of or relating to a person or persons whose parents are immigrants.
2. Of or relating to a person or persons whose parents are citizens by birth and whose grandparents are immigrants.
3. Of, relating to, or being the second form or version available to users: a second-generation Web browser.
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I had to look up a definition of myself.
First-generation. That’s what I’ve always called myself. But recently I questioned if I was misusing the term. I remember telling a new acquaintance that I was Polish American.
“Oh so your great-grandparents came over?” she said.
“No, my parents.” I responded.
“So your grandparents came on the boat.” She replied.
“No, my parents did. Well, mom via freight boat. Dad came on Pan Am two years later.” I said.
“So you’re Second Generation.” She concluded.
I became puzzled. Was I first-generation or second-generation? My parents arrived in the United States as adults in the mid1960s. My two older brothers and I were born in the United States and grew up bi-lingual and bi-cultural. Was I naively calling myself one thing, when I was actually another? I had to look it up. This was the first time I had to look something up about myself that I didn’t intrinsically know. Who was I telling people I was? And why was it becoming more important for me?
I guess up until that moment, I hadn’t noted the importance of defining it. I’ve always considered myself first-generation because my brothers and I were the first-generation born in the United States. That makes perfect sense to me. After some research I discovered that technically, my parents, my brothers and I can all refer to ourselves as first-generation. We all share the same definition. At the same time my siblings and I can also jump tracks and be called second-generation too. But who wants to be second in anything? I hereby, proclaim myself as first-generation.
It’s important for me to know so that I am conscious of how closely woven my parents’ past is to my present life. As a child, trying to understand the duality of cultures was like trying to look down at my own nose. The more I understand what defined my parents, the more I understand myself. During a writing workshop two years ago, a teacher assigned us the task of writing our life memoir in only six words.
I wrote: Could have been born in Poland.
Every once in a while that fact floors me.
You are first generation, clearly. I’m neither first nor second but somewhere in between…foreign-born father, American born mother. I’d love to coin a term for this hybrid!
I think the term first-generation refers to those in a fmaily that are the first to be born in a specific country? Both sets of my grandparents came over and my parents were the first to be born in the States, so I’ve been going around telling people I am 2nd generation Irish-American for years. 3rd generation wouldn’t be as interesting, so that is my story and I am sticking to it.
I always wondered about this too – thanks for clearing it up!
I can related to this confusion. I’m what they call a 1.5 generation. Born in Korea, raised here.
Thanks for sharing your generations stories. It does get confusing what with the first, second, 1.5’s…etc. Something to ponder.
Good challenge, a memoir in 6 words. I came up with:
Once a farm girl always roaming.
It pretty well says it. Currently in Alaska for 2 months :-) and glad to be back in gypsy mode.
Ann
I’ve looked those terms up as well–first generation and second generation. My parents came to America from Italy in the mid to late 1950s. What am I? I used to call myself first generation, and then switched to second generation after I read the definitions, but now I’ll switch back to first. We are the first generation born in the US. And, like you said, who wants to be second?
Exactly Laura. Seems to me like you are definitely first generation. As you can see, this first-generation thing is a large pre-occupation of mine. We should talk over thawing bread sometime. Swap stories.