ANECDOTE

Two sisters from the same family came to the same country, but adapted very differently: Bharati
followed American culture, and Mira followed her traditional Indian culture. In “Two Ways to Belong in
America,” the author Bharati Mukherjee describes her and her sister’s personal experiences adapting to
American culture. Mira lives as an “expatriate Indian,” while Bharati lives as an “immigrant American.”
By living this way, Mira avoids “the trauma of self-transformation.” [Therefore/As a matter of fact/In
fact] I agree. As an immigrant myself, I believe that culture doesn’t change us; we change ourselves.

STATISTIC

More than a million people immigrate to the United States every year; in 2008, more people immigrated
here from India than from any other place except Mexico. [For example/For instance] In 1961, Bharati
Mukherjee was one of those people who immigrated here from India. In “Two Ways to Belong in
America,” the author Bharati Mukherjee describes her and her sister’s personal experiences adapting to
American culture. Mira lives as an “expatriate Indian,” while Bharati lives as an “immigrant American.”
By living this way, Mira avoids “the trauma of self-transformation.” [Therefore/As a matter of fact/In
fact] I agree. As an immigrant myself, I believe that culture doesn’t change us; we change ourselves.

QUESTION

How does it feel to be an immigrant?

What are the trials and tribulations of an immigrant? If you moved to a new country, how would you
adjust to the new culture and the new system? In “Two Ways to Belong in America,” the author Bharati
Mukherjee tries to answer these questions by describing her and her sister’s personal experiences
adapting to American culture. Mira lives as an “expatriate Indian,” while Bharati lives as an “immigrant
American.” By living this way, Mira avoids “the trauma of self-transformation.” [Therefore/As a matter
of fact/In fact] I agree. As an immigrant myself, I believe that culture doesn’t change us; we change
ourselves.

VIVID EXAMPLE

A ten year old boy tries to have a conversation with his buddies; they threw around unfamiliar words
and phrases, and before he knew it, the boy was lost. When watching movies, he always felt like the
“annoying one,” because he was constantly asking, “what’s going on?” That boy was me. Learning
English was the most important way to understand American culture. In “Two Ways to Belong in
America,” the author Bharati Mukherjee describes her and her sister’s personal experiences adapting to
American culture. Mira lives as an “expatriate Indian,” while Bharati lives as an “immigrant American.”
By living this way, Mira avoids “the trauma of self-transformation.” [Therefore/As a matter of fact/In
fact] I agree. As an immigrant myself, I believe that culture doesn’t change us; we change ourselves.

When I moved to the US, the only English I knew was “yes” and “no.” Try to imagine a conversation
between me and my boss. He would give me directions, and I would end up in the wrong place. At the
supermarket, I always picked out the wrong foods, because I didn’t know how to read the label. One
time, I even ate dog biscuits. I soon realized that I would need to adapt to American culture in order to
survive and have fun. In “Two Ways to Belong in America,” the author Bharati Mukherjee describes her
and her sister’s personal experiences adapting to American culture. Mira lives as an “expatriate Indian,”
while Bharati lives as an “immigrant American.” By living this way, Mira avoids “the trauma of self-
transformation.” [Therefore/As a matter of fact/In fact] I agree. As an immigrant myself, I believe that
culture doesn’t change us; we change ourselves.