Full Transcript: Ted Palac on Immigrating from Poland
Ted: You know, I have family in Chicago but, you know, if I come from Sweden to New York, you know, I go to my family, you know it’s funny, old woman I think so my uncle she very old like 89 you know she say “Ted, don’t come in my house Chicago because you know I have 5 dogs” [Laughs] “They gonna bite you!” I was, “What?” and I go to old my girlfriend, she live in Hamtramck but I used to mess with her in Poland, you know? But she was married. She help me, she buy a ticket from Hamtramck to New York, she say go this and this windows, you know I go to this and this window and the ticket was here. I fly to Ham— Detroit and I live with her family, yeah. And after a while I move different places, yeah. They was old immigration people since ’51, after second war, yeah. Mostly people come ’50, ’51, ’53, and ’60, and still coming. Now the people not coming. People come from Poland to European country like England, Ireland, France, Germany, they were over there, yeah. They— mostly you know meet here, this building, this bar, and I come this building, this bar and they, they were all kind of people, you know, they help you find job, you know. Mostly people who grow up here and they each other help each other and find out job, you know. My life was lucky if I come here. Not every Polish people have lucky time if they come to United States, you know, but some might have good luck. From the beginning I’m missing all the time my country, I’m missing my friends, you know, my family, but years, years, years, I was in Poland so many times. I can’t live over there, no. I— lot of people know me here. We have lots of social here. We always go some dance with my wife. Lots of people know me, you know. We have a lot of friends. Right now in Poland, it’s different, you know. I don't have friends over there. It’s— everybody old, they die, you know, who knows? They move from city to city, yeah? Yeah, my mother say, “No, my husband die here. We want to— if I die, we want to get together,” you know. Some old generation immigrant, 1950, they already speak perfect English, they have good job, they have doctor, they have very good job, you know? They try out help new immigration like new immigration come right now to United States we try to help him like me, you know, but now they Polish people not come to United States because they figure out its so far, you know. They have, they have open way to other west country like England, Ireland, you know, Scotland, France, Germany. They have job, they have legal job. Here, you can’t have job, you know? You have to have permission for job. You have, you have to— social security, green card, they have problem and say we don’t want to get this problem, we going to live European west country, and they take two hours fly to Poland, one hours fly from England to Poland. They can visit for penny, you know, or driving car. Now, you have— if I want to visit, 16, 1400 dollars pay ticket to Poland, yeah? Last time I been 2008. I have still some property in my house, you know, I have— not house, but I still property. Nobody discriminate me. No, we— no, no, no, I can’t say. Only in a job, you know, like say you are an American, you have to work. [Laughs] You are in America, you have to work.
See, I was coming here, I was young, you know, I have some girl, you know, meeting, you know, I very was— [Laughs] active, you know? I have lots of woman, too, you know but always my mind was she, you know? Because I— this was my girlfriend from Poland, you know? Almost same area, yeah. We from mountain, yeah. And she finish university in Krakow and I promise her she gonna— I make a trip for her, you know, to USA. And then one day I send invitation and then she come in 1970, you know, and we married. I don't wanna long— wait long because, you know, she was nice woman, you know, I don’t want somebody steal woman from me. [Laughs] I tell you true, there was accident before marriage, you know? And she give me proof she have pregnant, you know, I married. And then we have three kids, yeah. We have three kids and then three grandchild, yeah. We happy. We live together 46 years, one wife, one man, I don’t think so, it’s good. [Laughs] Sometimes we have argument, you know, little thing, but it’s ok. Yeah, sometimes, I wasn’t at— of my house like I say for camp, two months, I go to traveling for three weeks, you know, I no been home, you know. I no even ask my wife what you do this time, you know? And then my wife have business, you know, in the store. She go to Las Vegas two times a year for shopping, you know, for big shopping, order something in the store. I don’t ask her what she doing over there, I don’t— this is not my business, you know, this is not her business what I’m doing but we don’t— I don’t think so we do something wrong. Yeah.
See, I was coming here, I was young, you know, I have some girl, you know, meeting, you know, I very was— [Laughs] active, you know? I have lots of woman, too, you know but always my mind was she, you know? Because I— this was my girlfriend from Poland, you know? Almost same area, yeah. We from mountain, yeah. And she finish university in Krakow and I promise her she gonna— I make a trip for her, you know, to USA. And then one day I send invitation and then she come in 1970, you know, and we married. I don't wanna long— wait long because, you know, she was nice woman, you know, I don’t want somebody steal woman from me. [Laughs] I tell you true, there was accident before marriage, you know? And she give me proof she have pregnant, you know, I married. And then we have three kids, yeah. We have three kids and then three grandchild, yeah. We happy. We live together 46 years, one wife, one man, I don’t think so, it’s good. [Laughs] Sometimes we have argument, you know, little thing, but it’s ok. Yeah, sometimes, I wasn’t at— of my house like I say for camp, two months, I go to traveling for three weeks, you know, I no been home, you know. I no even ask my wife what you do this time, you know? And then my wife have business, you know, in the store. She go to Las Vegas two times a year for shopping, you know, for big shopping, order something in the store. I don’t ask her what she doing over there, I don’t— this is not my business, you know, this is not her business what I’m doing but we don’t— I don’t think so we do something wrong. Yeah.