Magyar News, 1993. szeptember-1994. augusztus (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1994-02-01 / 6. szám
Alexandra Rakaczki I WILL ALWAYS BE A PROUD HUNGARIAN The Mary Katona Scholarship applicants are required to write an essay on their Hungarian experience. This is written by one of the applicants. My name is Alexandra Rakaczki, 1 am 19 years old and am currently enrolled at the University of Connecticut in Storrs completing my sophomore year. I was bom in Nyirbator, Hungary, on September 5,1974. My father is a Byzantine Catholic priest and served as an Associate in Mariapocs until soon after I was bom. He was then transferred to a small village called Barakony. My father, mother and I lived there until I was 3 1/2. At this time my father was transferred toCourtland, Ontario in Canada. On May 12, 1978 we arrived in Canada where we were going to spend the next 8 years of our lives. My sister Gloria was bom just a month after we arrived in Canada. My brother Andrew was bom 2 years later. I grew up in Canada and had a wonderful childhood there. At the end of my sixth grade year we received word that my father was being transferred to a parish in New York City, but we (my family) would be living in a vacant convent in Perth Amboy, NJ. So in the summer of 1986 we left Canada and moved to the United States. We spent 1 year in Perth Amboy and at the end of my seventh grade year, we moved to Elizabeth, NJ. We lived there for two years and in February of 1989 my father was transferred to Holy Trinity Byzantine Catholic Church in Bridgeport, CT. After the commencement of the school year, my family and I joined him in Connecticut. I began my sophomore year at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Fairfield, CT. I graduated in June of 1992 and began my pursuit of higher education that fall at the University of Connecticut. When I am asked the question, “What does it mean to be Hungarian in America?” many things come to mind. For me personally, my Hungarian heritage has always been something that has set me apart from others. When people find out that I am a native bom Hungarian, they find it fascinating and unique. My demonstration of the Magyar language has often been an ice breaker in conversations. People truly find the Hungarian language interesting and want to know more about it. When my family originally moved away from Hungary, first to Canada and then later to the United S tates, we had to leave all of our family behind. Growing up without grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins was very hard. My parents had to sacrifice many things because they were on their own completely not having any help from family members. This separation from our family forced us to become dependent upon no one else besides ourselves. My brother, sister and I were taught how to be selfsufficient individuals. But, my parents never let us forget our Hungarian heritage. We all speak and understand Magyar completely, we have gone back to visit our family in Hungary several times, and we have participated in many culturally ethnic events. I was in a Hungarian folk dancing troupe for approximately 6 years and I have been reciting Hungarian poems for various occasions since the age of 6. My Hungarian background is something I have always been extremely proud of. In America, more often than not, people come from such diverse cultural backgrounds that they end up having such a diluted sense of who they really are and The Im migration and Naturalization Service (INS) is proceeding with its program to replace alien registration cards (“Green Cards”) that carry the Form number 1-151. INS will replace these old cards, issued before 1978, with the Form 1-551, a more sophisticated, counterfeit-resistant document that includes the fingerprint and signature as well as the card holder’s photograph, name, and biographical data. INS announced the care replacement program in The Federal Register on September 20, 1993, by publishing the rule change establishing the expiration date of September 20, 1994, for the old Form I-151 and designating the Form 1-551 as the exclusive “Green Card” for the use of all lawful permanent resident aliens in the United States. The rule change also includes a new section (8 CFR264.5) that spells out application procedures for replacing the card. Aliens who had completed the application requirements for new cards under the earlier replacement program, and paid the S70 fee, will not be required to reapply. Their applications will be processed in the order they were received and their new cards will be sent by mail to the address on their applications. Those whose applications were returned because of the previous court injunction may now resubmit them. Other holders of the old Form 1-151 cards, who have not yet applied for replacement, will be able to get basic information, and to request an application (Form 1-90) package for the new card, by calling the INS toll-free number (1-800-755-0777). The automated information line is open to the public 24 hours a day. After the applicants complete the forms and obtain proper photographs, they must bring them in person to the INS office and pay the application fee of S70. The photos are usually prepared by commercial firms that specialize in such services. Many of these firms are located in or near the same buildings as the immigration offices. Applicants who cannot afford the fee may request a fee waiver, and applicants whose advanced age or physical disability prevent them from traveling to an INS where they really came from. They wind up not having any sense of identity or heritage. Having this passed on from generation to generation produces a people who don’t know who they are or how they got here. I am so very grateful that I have a strong sense of who I am and where I came from. I in turn, plan to pass that knowledge on to my own children so that they too can feel the pride that I feel as a Hungarian. No matter where I may end up living my life, in my heart I will always be a proud Hungarian. office may request special assistance in completing the requirements for the new card. INS outreach personnel will try to meet special needs of applicants on a caseby-case basis. The purpose of the card replacement program is to remove from circulation all older “Green Cards” that are less fraud resistant and to provide all resident aliens with a secure document that is universally recognized as evidence of their status. The INS office serving Connecticut is located at 450 Main Street, Hartford, CT., Room 410. Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Wednesdays 8 a.m. - 12 noon. MANY THANKS to those who with their contributions help the Magyar News, and also those who make a donation to the Mary Katona Scholarship Fund of the American Hungarian Heritage Association. In no special order they are: John Lesko, Rose Deutsch, Thomas Onda, Natalie Goldstein, Joe Browning, Jocelyn Smiles, Michael Orosz, Edit Storrie, Andrew Pechena, William Ziman, Steven Taborosi, Pearl Maraczi, Janet Gault, Robert Falaska, Albert Kovács, RichardNemeth,EdmundStefurek,Nelson Batky, Mary Homyak, Paul Kardos, Helen Sabo, Josie Lasko, Myrtle Stefanek, Olga Sosnowski, Joseph Stiber, John Butosi, Frank Valu, Daniel Gombos, Karl Rackovi, Margaret Varga, William Yakubik, Elizabeth Martha, Charlotte Lengyel and Rose O’hegyi. Generous contributions were made by Joseph Gergely, Joseph Katona, Helen Fazekas and Irene Warcup. Our advertisers and contributors make it possible to produce the Magyar News and also to have it given free at our churches and businesses. The A.H.H.A. is a tax-exempt organization and your donations are deductible. Our permit number is 5052055. Thank you all for your interest in the Hungarian heritage and for your support INS PROCEEDS WITH ALIEN CARD REPLACEMENT PROGRAM
