Cold War: Growing Up in 1980s Eugene, Oregon - Essay Sample

Introduction

The time was 1980, in a small town in Eugene Oregon, James Holland was growing up in America at a time when the country was facing unprecedented changes. It was at this time that the cold war with Soviet Russia was peaking and there were stark reminders of the war that was going on and had been for a considerably long time. The cold war was the culmination of the rivalry between the east and the west for the control of most countries in the African Continent and some other smaller countries in the Americas and Asia (Murphy, 2018). It was during this time that most people from the east migrated to the west in search of better job opportunities, education and overall, a chance at the start of a new life.

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James Holland came to the United States of America in the hopes of having a fresh start as he was certain that the opportunities that the first world country would provide him would be substantial to support his dreams. It was, however not the case, as he had first to do menial jobs to support himself. James Holland's first job was working as a dishwasher. At the time, the modern dishwasher machines that are common were not available. Human beings had to wash their dishes and most other things by hand, and this is the gap that James Holland filled. At the time, dishwashing was one of the menial jobs that were a preserve of the poor and immigrants as they would take just about anything that could help them survive the new environment and the changes that came with it. The dishwashing job was so bad that James Holland recalls it as being the worst job he ever did. The assertions of James Holland go along to show how bad and dire the situation was for immigrants and people of lower social and economic status in the 1980s in the United States of America.

At the moment, however, James Holland would like to complete his university studies where he is studying to be a construction manager. James reports that he is in the military and therefore is in the college there where he is studying the degree mentioned in the preceding sentence. On completion of his studies, he would like a stable job in the construction industry. The reason for this phenomenon is that the first encounter that James had as a dishwasher was so bad that he would not like to go through it again. As such, he would like a stable job as a construction manager or in the construction industry. The stable job will also allow him to pursue his hobbies, goals, and dreams of going camping, hiking, and taking pictures of nature. The job will also allow him to afford to live with a pet. James reports that he likes pets and he even has a cat which he keeps at the moment. With regards to food, James likes Korean food, although he is American. The penchant for Korean food started a long time ago at a time when he was in the military, and it happened that his troop got the chance to go on a tour in Korea for one year. The time he spent in Korea made him like the food as that was the food that he ate most of the time.

James comes from a big family; he has four brothers and sisters of which he is the second last born in a family of nine children and two parents. The experiences he had growing up always made him aspire to be a teacher. When asked why he would then like to teach, James stated that he likes the look in his learners' faces when they understand a concept. He likes how their faces brighten when they learn new things, and this gives him great joy in knowing that he was able to assist in a way. Growing up, James had many memories, just like any other child who would often dream of grand projects in the future. James' grand dream was, however, not as flustering as most other kids were, he always dreamed of running a bicycle business. In the business, James would make his bikes by hand and sell them to whoever wanted handcrafted bikes. In his grandest of dreams, the bike company that he would be running would be successful to the point that he would have to sell it after just 14 years of doing business with it. In the duration that the business would be operational, James would have made enough money to warrant him to sell the venture and move on to other things. In his young mind, however, he had no idea what those other things would be and thus as far as he remembers, his bicycle business was the height of his dreams. He, however, remembers that his bike business would be Volcanic Bikes and it would mainly cater to the Seattle Police Department.

From James' interview, it is clear that all he wants is to live the best life that he can while in America. He has been dreaming of having a good and wonderful life since he was a kid, and the life that he would like to have for himself is pretty simple. He wants to be in a job that can allow him enough income to explore his hobbies and live comfortably for the rest of his life. The United States of America, although a first world country and one of the richest in the world, is still far from being the best country. The citizens and inhabitants living in this famous country still face myriad challenges that make a living a wonderful life difficult. For one, many jobs do not pay handsomely, and they are menial jobs which are often not fit for a human being. Secondly, the system of capitalism does not allow for fair practices to employees and workers, and hence, they are at a greater disadvantage as they are more likely to be victims of exploitation by their employers. Lastly, the country as a whole needs to recognize the need for safe practices and cordial relationships with other countries to allow for amicable relations between her citizens and foreigners. There is more life beyond the borders of the country, and the only way that the citizens and inhabitants of the country can explore these opportunities is by the government setting up a cordial relationship with foreign countries. As such, it will be possible for the inhabitants like James Holland to live their best life in America.

References

Murphy, P. V. (2018). The United States in the 1980s. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.418