The upheaval felt by immigrants across Minnesota history is remarkably similar as they struggle to comprehend a new language and culture. Andrew Lindgren came from Sweden to Minnesota in 1914. In a 1978 interview with a historian, he recalled the overwhelming experience of stepping off the train alone, in a strange place. So I stood there at the station, and I didn't know what to think. Marissa Hajdar felt the same confusion when she arrived from Bosnia four years ago.
People is different.
Rules is different. Marissa says many people have befriended her and her family since they came to Minnesota. It's the classic melting-pot idea long the backbone of U.S. immigrant assimilation. It's less fashionable amongst academics, and strongly resisted in some long-established immigrant groups, but still very real in many communities. And Marissa says Americans too often ignore the individuality of new immigrants.