The Cowboy

SHAVKAT

American westerns

American westerns were popular with many children in the past. Children loved cowboys because they were simple but very “cool.” They always arrived on time and punished the villains. Igwe also loved cowboys as a child, but he came to Oklahoma to study at university. When he felt unfairly treated by a professor at the university, he wanted to be like the cowboys.

Conflicts with a professor

Igwe’s relationship with his professor didn’t work out due to the professor’s unfriendly behavior and arrogance.

I also had a conflict with a professor when I was studying at a university. The professor demanded that everyone write down everything he said during the lecture, but I didn’t think it was necessary and didn’t take notes. At the exam, when I answered all the questions, the professor asked me to show him my notebook with the lecture notes. I didn’t argue with him and showed him my friend’s notebook as my own. The professor didn’t believe me and significantly lowered my grade.

MARIA

Adjusting to life in the US

Most people move to others countries or cities looking for a new life, new opportunities that allow them to grow financially and professionally, and at the same time to help their families in their countries, even if in the beginning It is hard for both parties. For me the language has been the hardest because even if I have studied it, and have some experience, that has been a barrier to find a good job. Also, it’s hard to be so far from my family.

One of the interesting things about Igwe is that he moved to a new city, with different customs and everything was new. He had no trouble adapting and never gave up on his dream of becoming better, achieving it through perseverance. He always tried to help his family through his actions, remaining strong and seeking new opportunities. He was a very self-confident man and didn’t care about others.

The easiest of this is that in my country Ecuador, I used to have the same kind of life with the schedule and routine, so, I have to work and spend my time in the same things.

Pushy?

I don’t think Igwe was pushy, or aggressive. I see him as a confident man who believed he could achieve his goals. Sometimes, this confidence can seem a little superficial, but it’s his personality. When we have many relationships and attend school, work, or spend time with friends, they know it’s part of us, but that we are not bad people. Meanwhile, we should try to modify our behavior in some ways to avoid being perceived as pretentious, but that doesn’t mean we should lower our self-confidence and authenticity. This is part of our growth, and we need to have experiences that allow us to understand life and that every person is different. Everyone has their own life.

ABBOS

American westerns

I do not fully understand how the image of a cowboy appeared. Maybe American movies were inspired by real people and their hard life. They worked a lot on farms and ranches and lived on big open lands with rough nature. Or maybe movies created this image by themselves of strong and tough country guys.

In any case, before and now this image looks attractive. These are strong and independent men who work on ranches and do not break under hard conditions.

At the end of the last century, cigarettes were added to this image. Marlboro advertising made the cowboy a symbol of masculinity. A lonely man in nature with a cigarette looked like real strength, but in reality, cigarettes do not make a person stronger and even make him weaker.

I still do not understand how they managed to sell this idea so well, but I like the image below. The question is how else people can be made to love hard work in such tough conditions.

GHIZLAN

Adjusting to life in the US

According to the video, Igwe was as tenacious as a real cowboy. Even though he was rejected and treated like an alien, his mindset and perseverance helped him to find his place within Oklahoma’s community. He didn’t care what others thought about him. Since he was driven and confident, he ultimately succeeded to adjust to life in Oklahoma and gained the respect he deserved.

As for me, my adjustment to life in NYC was relatively easy. In fact, the hardest issue is probably the language that I consider a major obstacle to achieve any goal.

Only in America

Since I arrived in this cosmopolitan New York City, I have been fascinated by its unique diversity, fabulous museums, vibrant parks, busiest highways and inspiring libraries. However, what’s truly breathtaking is the multiple of languages spoken here “Only in America”, especially in NYC, which is considered a small microcosm of the world. What an amazing experience to be exposed to so many languages everywhere in NYC, such as Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Arabic, French, Hindi, Fulani, Persian, etc.

Conflicts with professors

I agree that he was pushy. Pushy is something that gets uncomfortable for many people. To me, especially if someone is being pushy with the professors who didn’t pay attention to him.

Sometimes it’s a good thing in the university because the professors think this student who’s pushy is very interested in this type of opportunity, especially if this opportunities offers good benefits in the university.

I think I’m very pushy with my friends and family when they don’t want to do things that could be beneficial for them.

So I really want them to be happy, or in a good mood or happy in what they do and I try to push them to do good things in any occasional situation.

Yes. I have changed since I came to USA, and I think everyone changed when they came here, this country is so different.  The people are different, the type of life becomes different from what you were used to. There is a special rush in NYC that makes you change in many ways. Lots of family members ask for money from the person here in the USA so they change in a bad way because they don’t understand that nobody has an idea of how to live in the USA, until they really live here, especially if it is in NYC.
I didn’t have to change in that way, but I’ve become quieter. I listen more than speak.  I pay attention to conversations and analyze the person’s mindset. I’ve become quite calm and all of my friends and family say that I’m a very calm person that I never get angry by anything. And it’s because I learned that to live happy, you have to be grateful for whatever you have and I don’t have to wait or ask for more. I work for it or I don’t need to wait for things, all the opposite. I’m very grateful for all the things – bad and good –  that happen to me.

The bad things are experiences to me and I learn from them. Good things are very good and exciting because it makes me happier and more confident.

CHRISTINA

American westerns

I watched many cowboy movies when I was a child with my family. I think they appealed to kids (and to me) at that time because they were trendy and popular; every week there was a cowboy movie on TV.

Children lack nuance, so the vision presented in cowboy movies was very Manichean: on one side there were the good guys, the cowboys, and on the other side the bad guys, the Native Americans.

The horse chases, the sense of freedom, the beautiful landscapes, and even the guns were attractive to children. The movie industry does not produce cowboy movies in the same way anymore. It now focuses more on a historical perspective, such as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the difficult living conditions of the time, or the genocide of Indigenous people, as shown in Killers of the Flower Moon directed by Martin Scorsese.

Cowboy movies really appealed to me when I was a child. I played cowboys and Indians a lot with my brother. I loved dressing up with feathers, a bow, and arrows, while my brother played cowboys with toy firecracker guns.

I think that, in life, coincidences don’t exist. Regarding Igwe’s move to Oklahoma, as a Black person, I think he could have found a university in a big city that would have been more willing to welcome him. Instead, he chose a university in Oklahoma, a land strongly associated with cowboy and Western culture. Something was
already seeded in his mind, and that idea guided his choice.

Adjusting to life in the US

I think that, in some ways, adjusting to a new country, whether it is a big city like New York or a small city, has some similarities. The language, the culture, the mindset, the food, everything is different. At first, we need to understand how things work, and then we adapt.

Nevertheless, the difference between Igwe and me is huge: he arrived in the 1980s, and I came more than 40 years later, with a job and my family. Should I say that I am white? Unfortunately, it makes a big difference in the way people treat you. Even though I still struggle to speak English, I was lucky that my adjustment was not hard at all.

I like the love we can feel in the movie between him and his family. The way his family supported him, especially through the audiotapes they sent, was crucial in helping him overcome loneliness and the difficulties of adjusting.

SABRINA

Pushy?

Igwe can be pushy sometimes, but I think it’s more like a cultural thing and maybe normal in his country, since he seemed surprised when his professor said it. To me, being pushy is when someone forces things to happen, insisting in a kind of annoying way. I think we’re all pushy sometimes. The problem is when it becomes a habit. Over time, as Igwe got to understand the culture better and fit in with a group, the cowboys, he naturally stopped being pushy because he didn’t feel the need to prove himself or belong anymore.

Since I moved to the US, I feel like I’ve become a bit colder, probably because people here are colder too. I’ve also gotten more impatient since everyone seems stressed all the time and takes it out on others, so I often leave the house already stressed, just worried about running into one of those people during my day.

Only in America. . .

One thing that makes absolutely no sense to me is tipping outside of restaurants. The first time I went to a hair salon here, and it was a Brazilian salon, the stylist told me the service would be $200. The final bill came to $350, and they told me it was because they washed and dried my hair. And I would still have to give a tip!  A tip for what, tell me?

And if you’re doing a service, like in my case – maintaining my extensions – which requires washing to remove the glue, how is that not included in the total price? And how is the professional’s service fee not included either?

This is the craziest thing ever! The service isn’t $200, so it’s $350 plus a tip.

I didn’t pay the tip, I felt cheated, and I was treated badly by a bunch of Brazilians acting like they’re being clever.

The same thing happened when I went to get a tattoo… a tip for what? I’m paying the guy to tattoo me! He’s the one doing the service. It’s not like a restaurant where I eat and someone has to bring the food to my table.

To me, this is total madness!

ELENA S.

American westerns

To be honest, I don’t remember watching these movies as a child. Maybe I just saw the excerpts. Perhaps children like these films because the main character fights for justice and certainly defeats evil. Maybe because the main character is very cool, self-confident, lives without looking back at anyone and believes in his truth.

I think Igwe didn’t choose Oklahoma by accident. It was his dream that he was able to make come true.

Yes, I think Igwe can be called persistent.

He clearly knew what he wanted. He made every effort to carry out his plan. He had a goal. His persistence helped him. He came from another country to a country with a completely different mentality. I think that soon he got used to other orders (he didn’t touch the teacher’s shoulders). Sometimes I feel unconfident here. I feel like a child who learns to speak, learns new procedures (insurance, filing a tax return, etc.), but it is a very interesting experience for me

SVITLANA

Adjusting to life in the US

I noticed one thing when Igwe described his day at the English class –

He described how his family was doing in Nigeria, but not himself. For me it means that he didn’t live his full life in Oklahoma, a huge part of his attention was still in Nigeria. I am talking about it because the hardest part for my adjustment here in New York was focusing on the new life and leaving the past life details. It’s hard to let go of the past, but necessary if you want to build new life. And also this process always takes time.

Conflicts with a professor

I don’t think Igwe and professor had a serious conflict, it was closer to a dispute.

And we all saw the professor’s respect of Igwe’s knowledge which showed his professor as a fair and professional teacher. I didn’t have any conflicts with professors or teachers at my university. But I noticed that scary and strict professors became the best for students who really were interested, who study a lot and who show a good result. I had a few professors like these.

One story was on my entrance exam in Medical University. The professor starts the exam from some words like “I know you guys! I’m not sure in your knowledge and results.” So she didn’t believe us at all.

We passed chemistry and I started from the hardest task just because I knew this task. She saw it and emotionally asked me “Hey! Do you really think you are the smartest person here?” I didn’t answer. I just wrote the answers. And then she told me, “Oh, you are!” She was teaching us like during the first year. She was strict and emotional but always helped in studying and she was also kind.

JANNA

American Westerns

I think American Westerns are more interesting for children because these films are easy to understand. They contain a lot of action.The characters are strong, brave and courageous. Igwe came to Oklahoma to study. After seeing a real cowboy and visiting a ranch he decided to become one himself.

Only in America. . .

I hear how often people apologize to each other. Sometimes people apologize for no reason, just in case.

I do not apologize that often, only if there is a reason. This is a difference in culture.

I can also say that only in America I see Yellow Taxi Cabs. When I first came to New York, I felt like I was a character in an American Hollywood movie. There were Yellow Taxis with skyscrapers in the background.

EVGENY

Pushy?

In my opinion, a pushy person is someone who is too persistent. They push for a quick decision or repeat the same request many times. Sometimes they do not understand that silence already means NO. Because of social media and personal branding, people today are more persistent and more open about it.  In the 1980s, it was different. Being pushy (persistent )was often seen as impolite.

There are also cultural differences. In some cultures, like Nigeria, being persistent may not be seen as rude. I think that in the United States in the 1980s, this kind of behavior could be considered pushy.

What experiences have YOU had that have been totally different (or new) to you since you arrived in the US?

One thing I find really unique in the US is the pricing system. You pay for a service and only afterward realize that the price didn’t include taxes or extra service fees. Then you’re asked to choose a tip: 20 / 30 / 40%. Honestly, I haven’t seen anything like this anywhere else in the world.

ELENA K

Adjusting to life in the US

I cannot compare my adjustment to Igwe’s because he moved to the United States about forty years ago, and life is a little different now. I think adjusting to life in a new country is not simple, and everyone has some difficulties.

I liked the part when he listened to the CD later and imagined talking with his family. It felt like he was really speaking with them, and we could see how connected he felt even from far away.

Nowadays, it has become easier because we can use video messengers, so it is simple to connect with our family and friends.

Only in America. . .

I wrote about this based only on my own opinion and experience in America. It was my own adjustment in America.

Only in America can you find a job just a few months after arriving in the country and earn enough money to pay rent, buy food and clothes, and support yourself.

Only in America can you learn English for free with government support and use many free resources at public libraries and community centers.

Only in the USA can a proof of address be just a letter, which surprised me.

CHRISTIAN

American westerns

American western movies appeal to children because they are about heroes, in this case cowboys who protect the town and fight against bad guys. Likewise, the costumes and personalities of the characters in these movies really attract children’s attention. I like that these films accurately portray the lifestyle of people living in the American West. Likewise, their attire gives them a confident and masculine presence that catches anyone’s attention.

I think it was a coincidence that he ended up in Oklahoma. Perhaps because they watched those films as children, the only places they knew in the United States were the western states like Oklahoma.

Adjusting to life in the US

The part of Igwe’s life that I liked the most was when he became a cowboy and started to turn his life around. I think that from that moment on, Igwe understood that the problem of being discriminated against because of his skin color and his origins was not his fault or society’s fault, but rather that trying to fit into a culture by force is difficult. That’s why sometimes you have to combine different lifestyles and try to make traditions and cultures like Nigeria’s fit into a society like America’s, which in this case came from becoming a cowboy society.

The most difficult part of my adaptation was learning a new language. I think not being able to speak it made me an introverted person and took away my confidence and self-assurance. The easiest part was adapting to the fast-paced American lifestyle, where you are very productive and fast during the week, and on the weekends you just hang out and enjoy American culture.

Conflicts with professors

I have never had a conflict of that kind with a teacher where he rejected me from a job opportunity just because of my physical appearance. However, I think the way Igwe handled the situation is the same way I would have handled it. I am a person who is often greatly underestimated because I sometimes think very differently from what most people think. These differences make me fight my fears every day and make me a better person and professional, which has helped me grow in all areas of my life.

Pushy?

I think that if he expressed that insistence in a tone that was sometimes rude, it was because in his home country, that form of expression could be seen as natural. Pushy is someone who is insistent, pressuring, or aggressive in order to get something. I consider myself pushy, but in a negative way.

I always like to push myself, and there are even times when I push other people to achieve their dreams, always treating them with respect. In this context, I think it was a good idea for Igwe to be
pushy because it got the professor’s attention, and once he had the chance to talk to him alone, he showed him his skills in economics and earned his respect. I think he changed that aggressive way of getting things done and stopped being defensive. Once he felt loved and comfortable in Oklahoma culture, he showed his kind and humble side.

I think I came to the United States with good values. So far, I don’t think I have any negative aspects, but if I did, I consider myself an open-minded person who actively listens to people’s criticism. I would probably change that negative aspect.

Only in America. . .

I would talk about Brooklyn. When I first came to NYC, I fell in love with Manhattan, its skyscrapers, and how noisy the city was, but when I made the decision to live permanently in NYC and moved to Brooklyn, I saw multiple cultures, foods, traditions, and customs. It’s like living in different worlds every day. I love Brooklyn and could possibly make a representation of everything I like about Brooklyn.

JORGE

Watching cowboy movies

Personally, I remember when I watched some cowboy movies in black and white on a TV, with my family in the living room together. During that time, I didn’t understand the meaning of those movies, but I remember my feelings clearly. Sometimes it made me sad or confused because, everything for me was about tragedies, killing people. One time, I saw humans suffering injustices moments like Indigenous people or women.

Adjusting to life in the US

I found a similarity with myself: I came to the same country. However, for me, the movie is inspirational, especially for people living in the USA, because it is not easy to start a new life and learn a new language. The protagonist in the movie found a path despite his circumstances. In the same way, I am building my goals and facing challenges. I am grateful for being able to take inspiration from lives like this.

SIMONE

Adjusting to life in the US

I can see myself in the same situation, multiple times during the video. It was interesting but was hard in the same time, when he tried to know more about his family.

It is important to be different in a new country and to become a patient person, stay curious and don’t lose your faith.

Conflicts with professors

I have had conflicts with professors here and in Brazil. Usually I am a person with strong opinions and some professors don’t like that. Of course, I don’t like these situations and I try to avoid them. For me, the most important thing is try to avoid any conflict.

DARYA

[I haven’t seen the movie, as I was absent during the last session.]

American Westerns

As a kid, American Westerns did not appeal to me. I was a girl, and at that time this genre was not attractive to me. Instead, fancy movies were my favorites. My husband, however, loves westerns, especially those played by Clint Eastwood. The only reason I can imagine is that he’s a man and maybe still has a sense of boyhood inside him. Men tend to enjoy fighting and competition, even if it’s imaginary and only on the screen!!!

It doesn’t seem to me that Igwe has come to the US in search of cowboys. It was more probably an absolute coincidence. He had already been exposed to American Westerns in his country. However, It is not surprising to be familiar with American movies. Hollywood is a big industry and like Coca-Cola is exported to every part of the world.

People all around the world, use their products and even admire them, but these are not a part of their culture or identity. In my opinion, what Igwe did way a way to cope or fit in, because the life there was not easy for him. When you move to a country adapting can help you to be accepted, but exactly how you adapt is up to you.

YANETH

American westerns

I think children are attracted to cowboy movies because the characters are brave, determined, and always fight for good against evil. Personally, I have never liked cowboy movies. I found them too wild and violent. I never liked the guns, the stories about macho men, or the submissive women. I don’t think Igwe moved to Oklahoma because of cowboys. He moved there for practical reasons. Nigeria had just come out of a terrible civil war, and he wanted better opportunities. He also wanted to get a master’s degree in economics, and the University of Oklahoma was a good place for that. Finding real cowboys there was just a lucky coincidence.

Adjusting to life in the US

I believe that Igwe’s adaptation to life in Oklahoma and my adaptation to life in New York have both differences and similarities. It was similar because we both had to adjust to a new culture, meet new people, and often felt out of place. It was different because he had to live in a small town and be one of the few people of color there, while I am in a cosmopolitan city with more open-minded and friendly people.

The part of his life I found most interesting was how he blended his culture with cowboy culture and made it his own, showing creativity and pride in his roots, and how he achieved his goals by facing challenges and adapting to his environment.

The hardest part of my adaptation has been having to navigate the healthcare system without receiving proper care, experiencing discrimination and mistreatment because I don’t speak English, and trying to find a job that I can do given my health condition and language barrier.

Conflicts with professors

I have had conflicts with some of my teachers. Once, a teacher didn’t understand my way of explaining things, and we disagreed a lot. I resolved it by talking to the teacher politely and explaining my point clearly. Afterwards, we understood each other better.

Pushy?

“Pushy” means trying too hard to get what you want. I’m not very pushy, but occasionally you need it to succeed. He probably changed to fit in better while keeping his identity. I’ve also had to adapt since leaving my country, but I try to stay true to myself.

Only in America. . .

One good “Only in America” experience for me is the sky. The sky in the United States is beautiful. The moon looks bigger, the sunlight is wonderful, and the sunsets and sunrises have incredible orange colors that take my breath away.

One bad “Only in America” experience for me is the health care system. Sometimes doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff treat us badly if we can´t speak English fluently. They may yell at you, treat you negligently, or discriminate against you. Many times, they aren’t concerned about providing an interpreter, and when they do, they don’t listen to the interpreter or the interpreter says something different from what I express.

He has made cowboy culture his own. Through his perseverance, he caught the attention of a professor, demonstrated his skills in economics, and earned his respect. By overcoming difficulties and adapting to a new life, he achieved his goal. Assertiveness is sometimes necessary to achieve success.
It is possible to adapt and integrate into another country, but still remain true to yourself, your values, and your “self.”

I tried to read more and more about the origins of cowboys: through reading several articles, I found that they originated in Spain, but their riding style came from North African/Arab warriors, while the stirrups came from the China/India region and were brought to the Americas by early Europeans. The diverse landscapes, climate, and cattle-raising traditions shaped their unique clothing, equipment, and skills.

JULIAN

Conflict with any of your professors?  

There is one time I was in school and I remember there was one teacher who had a favorite student in our class. The student was always doing her homework on time, getting the highest scores in class so the teacher was always treating her so different from the rest of the other students and everyone was feeling weird because she always was comparing the rest of the class with her,  and nobody liked that. No one was happy with the other student. I didn’t really pay attention to that because and I didn’t understand why everyone was mad at this student.

One day I started to talk with her and I realized she was a really nice person and she was always getting the highest scores because her mom was the one that was obligating her to be this way.  Over the months I told her that that was really good because she had better opportunities with the school and everything, but that does not mean anything if that was not making her happy. She was making her mom happy and she thought that was her satisfaction.

But she also started to do things that she liked, and not only study the whole time. My friends and I were going out sometimes for fun, going to eat something or funny things like that and she was always at home studying. I invited her to do these things with us and she was very happy. Her mom was not happy with this but her mom also realized my friends and I were not a bad influence on her because she was getting very good scores –  not as high as before but she never failed or anything.   So her mom was ok with that as long as she paid attention to the school too.

Pushy? 

I agree that he was pushy. Pushy is something that gets uncomfortable for many people to me, especially if someone is being pushy with the professors who don’t pay attention to them.

Sometimes it’s a good thing in the university because the professors think this student who’s pushy is very interested in these types of opportunities, especially if these opportunities offer good benefits in the university.

I think I’m very pushy with my friends and family when they don’t want to do things that could be beneficial for them.

So I really want them to be happy, or in a good mood or happy in what they do and I try to push them to do good things in any situation. . . .

Yes. I have changed since I came to USA, and I think everyone changes when they came here. This country is so different.  As for example, my homeland and  many different countries. The people are different, the type of life becomes different from what you were used to.

There is a special rush in NYC that makes you change in many ways. Lots of family ask for money here in the USA so they change in a bad way because they don’t understand that nobody has an idea of how to live in the USA, until they  come to live here, specially if is in NYC.

I didn’t change in that way, but I’ve become quieter. I would rather listen than speak.  I would rather pay attention to conversations and analyze the person’s mindset.  I’ve become quite calm and all of my friends and family say that I’m a very calm person and that I never get angry with anything. And it’s because I learned that to live happily, you have to be grateful for whatever you have and I don’t have to wait or ask for more. I work for it or I don’t need to wait for things, all the opposite. I’m very grateful for all the bad things and good things that happen to me.

The bad things are experiences to me and I learn from them. Good things are very good and exciting because they make me happier and more confident.