Bayside, Queens

Focus of project- To Study all the different cultures that cultivated in Bayside, Queens over time and learn why they came to the US. Also, to see how they communicate with one another while conducting businesses in every day life. My field site was Bell Blvd, where there are many Korean, Chinese, Greek, and Italian restaurants and businesses.

Main Research Questions

• When did you or your family come to the United States and why did you come to Queens? Did you live in Queens when you/your family first came here?

• What do you/your family like the most about living in Queens? The least?

• What are some hardships that you/your family face while living here?

• How do you/your family feel about the other cultures living around you?

• How is living here different from the country you are from?

• Did you/your family achieve what they wanted while living here?

Question Changes

• My questions did change over time. I was dealing with people that didn’t speak English and I had to phrase the questions in a way that they could understand.

• Instead of asking long questions, I broke them down into simpler questions in a way that they could understand me.

• Also, I changed my focus a little bit. I noticed that some of my subjects didn’t live in Bayside, so instead of asking them why they wanted to come to Bayside, I asked them why they wanted to come to Queens.

Methods of Research• Outside Observations- I spent a lot of time observing people on the street

and in restaurants. Every time I would walk to and from work/school I would observe people. It ended up being an every day thing for me since I decided what I was going to do for my project.

• Conducting Interviews-I was able to conduct about three full interviews. I interviewed a man from China who owned a 99 cent store, a woman from South Korea who worked in a hair salon, and a Greek younger man who was born in the United States but his family migrated here from Greece. I went to do this on three separate occasions. They each took about 20 min-a half hour long.

• Taking Photographs- One day I decided to just go out and observe and take photographs. I walked up and down Bell Blvd taking photographs of all the different Asian, Greek, and Italian restaurants. As I took pictures I observed the people walking on the streets and inside the restaurants. This took about two hours.

Method Changes

• My methods for research changed a little bit but not much. When I first went out to interview people I got discouraged because nobody wanted to talk to me; language barriers and lack of interest in my project made it difficult.

• I kind of gave up and decided to focus solely on outside observation and taking photographs. I wanted to cut out the interview process all together.

• I then realized without the interviews I would not acquire as much information as I need. After the help of the interview exercise during class, I gained enough confidence to get back out there and started interviewing.

What I learned• I learned that two of my interviewees Huang, age 32 and Helen, age 43 came to

the US during the 1990’s for reasons having to do with their family.

• Huang came from China in 1999 with his wife and children because he already had family in the US that he wanted to be closer to. He first lived in Corona, and then he moved to Bayside because the neighborhood is quiet and the schools are better for his kids. His English is not so good and this makes it hard for him to communicate with others and travel outside of Bayside. When he first came to the US his dream was to open a business. He got started in the flea market business while saving money, and then finally he opened up a 99 cent store with his wife in Bayside.

• Helen came from South Korea in 1993 with her children because they felt the school system in South Korea was too hard. At first she lived in Flushing but now she lives in Little Neck. She likes that there are other Koreans in the area that she can associate with. It gives her a sense of familiarity. When she came to the US her dream was to play the piano but she didn’t know how to pursue this dream because of her language difficulties. She now works in a hair salon. She misses South Korea but she was willing to make the sacrifice for her children.

Haung’s Business

• This is the cat inside his store. He told me every Chinese store has it because it brings good luck.

Helen’s Workplace

Based on My Observations…

• I noticed that cultures like to stick together. After interviewing Helen I realized that this is because if they stick with their own culture, they don’t feel as much like they are an outcast in a foreign place. They pretty much only associate with other cultures when they come into their business.

• I also noticed that half of Bell Blvd is very Asian with banks, restaurants, and real estate agencies and when you go further down Bell past the railroad station near the bars it becomes more Greek and Italian.

History of Bayside

• Bayside occupies the northeast corner of Queens facing the sound and Little Neck Bay. For most of the 19th century Bayside was just farmland but in 1872 they started building mansions and by 1920 extensive home building was on its way. Back then Bell Blvd was called “Bell Avenue” and it was just a small shopping center until 1927 when business started to grow. It was then starting to become difficult to find a parking space, a problem that is still common there today.

Help of the Course Readings/Concepts

• The course readings, discussions, and concepts helped me with my project in the way that they enabled me to have a better understanding of what it meant to be an anthropologist. Before I took this course I had no idea what it meant to be an anthropologist and how involved you can get in what you are researching.

• The readings especially helped me because they painted me a picture of how to conduct my research. Every anthropologist in those readings conducted interviews, took photographs, and did outside observation. Without reading them, my idea of how to go about my research wouldn’t have been as clear.

• Most of the readings from the course do not relate to my project because they dealt with a certain issue like structural violence, racism, women’s rights, or people with psychological disorders such as bipolar disorder. My project simply had to do with researching why certain cultures migrated to Queens.

However…

• One reading that reminded me a little of my project was “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight”, by Clifford Geertz. When Clifford and his wife first arrived in Bali to study the Cock Fights, the Balinese people did not associate with them. They were looked at as outsiders and ignored by them completely. I know it’s a little bit different but that is how I kind of feel in my very Asian populated neighborhood. Not because they are bothersome to me or I to them, but because we do not speak the same language and come from completely different cultures; it definitely puts up a barrier.

Problems/Limitations

• Language barriers-It would have been much easier if I had a Chinese and Korean translator. I feel like if my interviewees were able to understand me better the would have gave me more information that could have been useful.

• Lack of Interest- I felt that nobody was interested in my project and just didn’t want to bother because they couldn’t communicate well with me anyway. I almost gave up on interviewing entirely until the exercise in class helped me acquire all the interviewing skills that I needed. After that, the interviewing process was not a problem for me.

• Time problems- it was hard to find time to set aside for interviews and observation/photographing between my other classes at school, and work. I overcame this challenge by realizing that I observe every day when I walk home from the bus stop coming back from school, and when I walk to and from work which is located on Bell Blvd, my field site. As for the interviews and photographs, I was able to find time during Spring break, so it worked out well.

Things I would do different

• If I was working with people that didn’t speak English very well, I would make sure I can find translators before continuing the research so I can obtain all the information from them that I need.

• I would also pick a topic with more controversy. It’s not that I didn’t like the topic I was researching, I just feel like if I was dealing with an issue such as poverty, homelessness, or structural violence I would have a lot more material to work with and I would also be informing people about a serious problem that they should be aware of.

• Another thing I would do is conduct way more interviews so I would have more material to write about.

Successes

• I found it very interesting how cultures stick together so they feel like they are in a familiar place. It made me think and realize that I would probably do the same if I was in their shoes. Also, how Bell Blvd is divided by different cultures. It stuck out for me because out of the couple years that I lived here I never even noticed it.

• I also loved how this project made me think, feel, and act like a real anthropologist when I was conducting interviews and participating in observation. It was fun talking to different people and hearing their stories, accomplishments, and thoughts on their life in a new place.

• This project was a great experience and opened my eyes to a lot of things that were right in front of me; I just didn’t realize they were there.