I am a hidden immigrant

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Below is a transcript of an intriguing speech on being a “hidden immigrant” delivered on Sept 21, 2008 at RDU Toastmasters by MaryAnne …

My name is MaryAnne Gucciardi. I am a hidden immigrant. A hidden immigrant is someone who looks the same as you, speaks the same as you, but thinks differently. I am a hidden immigrant by birth and from living overseas for most of my adult life.

I was raised outside of Boston in a second generation traditional Italian American home. My parents and grandparents spoke Italian and we followed all of the Italian traditions especially those around food and family. The most visible sign of our status was how we celebrated holidays. We had lasagna for Christmas and Thanksgiving – no turkey or ham or lamb and on Christmas eve, we had the traditional seven fish –including squid, octopus, shrimp, and baked stuffed lobster.

I spent many Sundays with my grandparents or playing with my cousins, who lived close by. I had a few friends at school, but generally my relationships were with my extended family and other Italian-Americans. Even my best friends in elementary and high school were Italian American.

While my parents thought not teaching me to speak Italian was helping me to assimilate, hanging out with Italians kept me culturally, Italian.

I suspect the unconscious ease of being in two cultures paved the way for my decision to move to Hong Kong after graduate school because, at the time, it didn’t seem like that big a deal to me.

I moved to Hong Kong with my then boyfriend, now husband, and worked for Johnson & Johnson, the baby products company. The two years we thought we were taking off from the rat race turned into four, then ten and then 15. I was one of four expatriates at J&J, and the only American. I left J&J and started a hotel supply business, which I ran for thirteen year, allowing me greater access to the local culture and the status of servicing the incomparable four and five star hotels during Asia’s boom times. I was very lucky to attend the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule in 1997 – and watch Governor Chris Patton, with Price Charles, sail out the harbor.

I had two children, and sent them to local Cantonese preschools – and they were fluent in about three months. Sending my children to Cantonese school deepened our relationships in the local Chinese community and was one of our best decisions.

In 2003, we decided to move back to the US because my parents and in-laws were aging. We were not quite ready to come straight home, so we took a year off in Italy. I wanted my children to know their ethnicity and feel Italian, as I did, and to speak the language (which I didn’t). It turned out to be a great decision – we again put the children in local schools and they were fluent by October. We made lifelong friends and had a year of rediscovery as a family.

I tell people Italy ruined us for life. The slow pace, beauty history and quality of life are unparralled.

In many ways, being a hidden immigrant is difficult. I have huge cultural gaps –if I don’t laugh at your jokes, it is not because I’m stupid, it’s because I don’t get the references.

I left the US with Cosby and came back to Desperate Housewives. I came back to HMOs, PPOs and the decline in the quality and delivery of health care. I left the core of my friendships in Hong Kong and it takes a lot of time, effort and money to maintain those relationships long distance.

My hidden immigrant status affords me a broad and balanced view of events and situations. I am slow to judge anything, because there is always more than one way to look at a situation. I’m grateful for my broad view of the world, of seeing things done a million ways and knowing there is no right ,or one, way to attack a problem.

Thank you.

MaryAnne Gucciardi
September 21, 2008

NEWS from Tuesday September 24 2008 Meeting

We have postpone the Humorous and Evaluation Speech contest until Sept 30

. We had 4 contestants that were pulled away at the last moment.This week we had two speeches this week, one by Alan Happ (A fine walking stick) and Mary Anne Gucciardi (Hidden Immigrant) both good speeches and both tied for best speech.

Evaluations were done by Sylvia Vaughan and Michelle Yuan with Michelle voted best evaluation.

Table Topics was lead by Alan and we had quite a few interesting and challenging topics (Unusual pet, Bird, Tears, Unusual Fear, Left Handed stuff and what would you do if you didn’t”t need sleep), Sylvia was vote best Table Topics.

Important Dates to Remember:

Tuesday Sept 30 2008 : RDU Toastmaster Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest

Wednesday Oct 1 2008 : Area 52 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest at at Eva Perry Library in Apex

Thursday Oct 2 2008 : Area 51 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest at Cameron Village Library in Raleigh at 7:00pm

Wednesday Oct 15 2008 : Division E Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest at Nortel in Voice Recognition Theatre

North Carolina District 37 Fall Conference Friday and Saturday Nov 7th and 8th

Hilton Hotel at Research Triangle Park
4810 Old Page Road [Page Rd. at I-40]
Durham, North Carolina 27709

November 7 & 8, 2008
Program Highlights:
Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contest
Friday night Roast of Past District Governor
Toastmasters Bookstore
Nine Educational Programs
Awards ceremony for 2008 Distinguished Clubs, Areas and Divisions

NEWS from Tuesday Sept 16 2008 meeting

We had another great meeting on Tuesday September 16 2008
We had 15 attendees with 3 visitors, with one of them joining today.
The 3 speeches were given by Michelle (what is you learning style), Jeannie (First Impressions of America), and Kevin (Bohemian Folk Tale) with Jeannie voted top speech.
A great round of Table Topics led by Sue and Mary Anne was voted top Table Topics.

The evaluations were give by Sumit, Tony and Silvia with Sumit voted top evaluation

Grammarian was Jeri and Timer was Lisa.

NEWS NEWS NEWS

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30 RDU TOASTMASTER WILL BE HAVING:

1. HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST ( ALL YOU NEED TO COMPETE IS TO BE IN GOOD STANDING (PAY YOUR DUES)).

Please email the officers if you plan on PARTICIPATING IN THE humorous speech CONTEST

2. EVALUATION CONTEST ( ALL YOU NEED TO COMPETE IS TO BE IN GOOD STANDING (PAY YOUR DUES)).

Please email the officers if you plan on PARTICIPATING IN THE Evaluation Contest.

3. THURSDAY OCT 2ND IS THE AREA (51) HUMOROUS AND EVALUATION SPEECH CONTEST (LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED)

(VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED)

4. WEDNESDAY OCT 15 WILL BE THE DIVISION E HUMOROUS AND EVALUATION SPEECH CONTEST AT NORTEL.

(VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED)

Interview with Susan Breitsprecher, area governor and member of rdu-toastmasters

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Interview with Susan Breitsprecher moderated by RDU Toastmaster’s VP of Public Relations, 2008.

Q1. What is your current role and responsibilities in the area/district?

I am currently the Area 52 Governor. I help 6 clubs maintain their goals so they can achieve a Distinguished club status and better serve their members.

Q2. What attracted you to rdu-toastmasters?

I was taking another course, in which, using your voice was an aspect we discussed. One of my classmates was a member of RDU Toastmasters and she invited me to visit a meeting. I immediately knew this was the program for me.

Susan Breitsprecher

Q3. What is your most memorable rdu-toastmaster experience?

Competing and winning the club International speech contest.

Q4. How has rdu-toastmasters helped you succeed in becoming an Area Governor?

I will never forget the first time an Area Governor visited our club when I was still Treasurer. We were not organized and lacked a number of things that go into making a good Toastmasters meeting. That visit inspired me to strive for a better club and to learn more about the structure of the Toastmasters organization.

Q5. As an area governor, what advice do you have for members in your home club of rdu-toastmasters?

Do not give up on your goals and make excuses for not giving speeches. The more you put into your personal development the more you develop so keep practicing and working on your speeches. Make sure you support your fellow Toastmasters at the meetings and speech contests….remember the golden rule: Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You!

For most of us, the answer would be, “run for the hills”

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What is your first thought when asked to come stand up in front of a large group of people? Curiosity.

Then you are asked to talk for a couple minutes about a topic?? Concern.

And you have no idea what that topic is??? Panic.

AND the group of people do not speak your native language????

For most of us, the answer would be, “run for the hills“. But not for current RDU Toastmasters member and VP of Education 2008, Michelle Y. She is a native speaker of Mandarin and Cantonese, and an effective communicator in several languages. Michelle shares some of her experiences joining Toastmasters in a new country.

Michelle Y

Michelle Y’s journey to RDU Toastmasters:

“You live a new life for every new language you speak.
If you know only one language, you live only once.”
-Czech proverb

Several months ago, when I was preparing for my ice-breaker speech, I tried to find a way to define and describe myself. One way to define myself is by telling people what I like. I like learning new things. That’s why I joined the RDU Toastmaster club. That’s why I travel across the Pacific Ocean to US five years ago. That’s why I enjoy living in a foreign country, and communicating using my second language every day.

I was born and raised in China. I am a native speaker of Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese. After finishing my undergraduate study in south China, I was about to start a new job there. But I decided to take a risk and start an adventure in a foreign country. I applied for the graduate program in the United States. Not everyone understood my decision. Lots of friends didn’t understand why I was giving up a good future in my home country and starting life in an unknown world. I was fortunate to have supportive parents who have the courage to let their daughter try new things and live so far from them.

In 2003 I started my graduate study in upstate New York. I still remember my first days in this country vividly. It was a cultural shock to me. Living a life using second language was not as easy as I thought. But, as time went by, I started feeling fortunate for having the courage to start the adventure. With that courage, I successfully completed my high education and landed on a job in North Carolina. With the same courage, I joined RDU Toastmasters and got to know many great people who continually give me inspirations.

I feel so fortunate for having leant English and joined Toastmasters. “You live a new life for every new language you speak.” English opens a window for me, and Toastmaster helps me better use the new language to communicate, explore, and ultimately, to enrich and expand life.

Communicating in a second language is still challenging for me sometimes, I believe with the tremendous help and support from my fellow Toastmasters, I will keep improving and succeed.

Tears with Steve Snyderman

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Interview with Steve moderated by RDU Toastmaster’s VP of Public Relations, 2008. Steve is considered a lifelong member of RDU-Toastmasters for his incalculable contributions to the club and its members.

Q1. Why did you join toastmasters originally?

I originally joined Toastmaster’s after I saw myself on TV in a brief interview. I was shocked at how poorly I communicated. No eye contact, looking at the ground, mumbling, etc. It couldn’t have been worse. I joined that week.

Q2. What are your most memorable experience(s) while being a member of rdu-toastmasters?

Learning about my fellow Toastmasters through the speeches they gave was truly memorable. I learned to like and respect them and appreciate their personal qualities and witness the growth of their speaking skills

Steve Snyderman

Q3. How do you use public speaking and communication in your career?

I occasionally have to deal with reporters in my work and sometimes they are hostile when they’re doing an investigative report. In these circumstances you have to be able to state the issues clearly and honestly. I am also a member of a number of other organizations and have held leadership positions in them. I am often called upon to give presentations and speeches and find my TM experiences invaluable.

Q4. What is your trick to giving great pocket speeches?

I really don’t have a trick. Sometimes I will deliver a pocket speech on a topic I have been thinking about to see how well the subject goes over and if it deserves more development. I would prefer to have a polished presentation, but when a speaker doesn’t show up, I’ll risk sticking my neck out.

Q5. We all recall when you gave a speech about an aunt you never met that brought the audience to tears. What tips can you share on giving emotional speeches?

An emotional speech has to have an emotional topic. In the speech you cited, that subject was, for a long time, difficult for me to talk about without becoming emotionally choked up. It didn’t have that effect before I found my young aunt’s photo and realized that the story of her life and early and tragic death were true. If a story is meaningful to you, it may be meaningful to others. I really was just sharing my feelings with the audience

Journey to competency awards with KSchnatter

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Questions prepared by VP of Public Relations 2008.

Award(s) from Toastmasters International to date
CC & CL

Most challenging speech or project
The most challenging speech dealt with explaining table saw safety. What made it challenging was describing the physics to the non-technical and to deal with the props I brought with me.

Most memorable speech or project
I think most people enjoyed by speech about my family’s mishaps on our family vacation to Disney World and Louisiana with our pull camper.

Where do you feel you have most improved leading up to your award(s)
I think that my public speaking has greatly improved, even in the situations where I thought I had not had the time to prepare as well as I would have liked.

What advice do you have for members of rdu-toastmasters working towards similar recognition
Keep at it. Make goals for yourself to achieve the awards. Put yourself on the schedule and try to maintain your commitment. Remember that the more you put in, the more you will get out of it.