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Creative Accent: A study across generations
When choosing neighborhoods for this project, I deliberately chose one that I knew very well. Woodside was my first home, my mother's first in the United States, and my Grandmother's first in the country as well. I decided to conduct interviews, myself included, to find out what Woodside means to different people.
My Grandmother: Rodica Ovanezian
When did you come to Woodside?
-Oh, it was so long ago. I was 36 years old and your mother was 13. It was getting really hard in Romania, and we decided to leave.
Why did you ultimately come to America?
-To get away from everything that had been happening at home. To have safety and some money.
Was it easy?
-No, it was very expensive. We were lucky to be granted legal entry, too. And finding work isn't as easy as you would think. I was a teacher in Romania. I came to Woodside and worked in a bakery. I would wake up at 4 AM and hope the bus would come on-time. Your grandfather tried to work so many places. He loved his restaurant in Romania, but here he ended up deciding that limo-driving would be better and more stable. People would treat us so badly. Our accents are very strong and people acted like we didn't know anything.
Did you feel that being white was helpful?
-Well, we had our Romanian friends, some that came before and some after. In the end I guess it may have been beneficial that we were white but at the time people treated us differently just for not being or sounding American.
Why Woodside?
-We had the apartment in Jackson Heights for a little while but we wanted to buy a home. Paying rent month after month really is not helpful. We wanted to buy the house and it was the best decision we'd made.
How has being an immigrant to Woodside affected you?
-We know what it's like, your grandfather and I, to come with nothing. We try to help people and sometimes even the people who weren't lucky enough to come here legally. We understand what it was like.
What do you think of Woodside?
-It has gotten much, much nicer. I remember they used to pull chains off your neck, and one time I got hurt pretty badly. I'm not as scared anymore as I was.
My Mother: Despina Ovanezian
How was it coming to Woodside?
- Woodside was alright because there were so many different types of people. I went to school in Astoria, though, near the projects for middle school and I would see a shooting I swear it felt like every day. And the kids would beat me up because I spoke differently and they thought I was stupid, and then they would beat me up because I was too good at math and it was weird. There was always something.
So you didn't like it?
-It took some getting used to, but I learned English pretty quickly. I got a job, and figured out where all the good stores were with cheap candy. Then as I got older I really enjoyed living there. It was pretty trendy. It's not where I wanted you growing up, though.
Why not?
-Because I knew what it was like to grow up in such an urban environment with graffiti here and a siren there. I wanted to move to the suburbs. I felt like I'd served my time in Woodside.
Why do you say it like that?
-I guess it was just a dream of mine to move out of the city and into a quiet town with a yard.
What was Woodside to you?
-It shaped who I was and it got me used to so many different people and ways of life and cultures. I do miss it sometimes because the diversity was overwhelming.
What changes have you seen?
-The higher class is getting wealthier and the lower class is getting poorer. The divide between the two is becoming evident. You can see which parts of the area are more maintained, and it's obvious that near subways have sprouted more industry. Then by the highways and major roads live all the higher class people because they can afford to and need to have cars.
Me: Arielle Shahid
So here's the deal: I lived in Woodside until I was eight and when I left I was glad. I got to walk to the "corner store" alone in New Jersey. I got to have 'play-dates' and run around in the street. Then for college I moved back and I've gained a totally different perspective. I've watched dingy bodegas turn to 7-11s and yet the same pink Cadillac is in the driveway 2 houses down of the Elvis impersonator and his wife with 80 cats. I've watched one generation pass Northern Deli down to their son, (They both love me [:) and I've gone from taking school buses to subways and even driving around.
What means the most to me about Woodside is the overwhelming diversity. Diversity in landscape meshes with diversity in infrastructure, which joins diversity in race and nationality and so on. There's so many different stores, people, places, restaurants, buses, trains, and any other constituent part of a neighborhood. It's just close-knit enough to feel safe, and just big enough to not impose claustrophobic suburbia upon its dwellers. It's just affordable enough to suit anyone's need, but wealthy enough to attract people. I truly enjoy Woodside and all that it has to offer.
Some More Creative Extras
