Prompt: Letter to a relative who is about to come to this country for the first time

Dear (Relative), 

If you're moving to America for the first time, I'm going to assume mommy and daddy are going to make you come to Cleveland, first. You could stay with us and get to know the city and life in the states with a little bit of help, from us. And we'd be glad to have you, anything to have another native Italian speaker around because no matter how many more Italians we get to know, we'll never exactly feel like we're at home. At least that's how I feel, but what do I know, I was only there for nine months. 

First, I guess I should tell you about the comforts here in the U.S. of A. It's really comfortable, everything is accessible. Well, I guess that's a little broad. It's comfortable and accessible if you're in the middle class, or of course, rich. Wealthy, to be polite. Mom and dad own a business, so I guess I grew up in the middle class. I grew up going to a Catholic school, and here I am, still in the private school education, even in college. After college, I have the option of experiencing even more education by going to grad school (since I don't want to be a damn doctor or lawyer), because right now, in 2015, that's basically one of the few guaranteed ways of getting a job. 

Also, you need to work. It's not like Italy, sorry, where if you're 15-23 years old, you can practically get away with going to school and counting on your parent's money. Well, you can, if your parents are willing to pay for your high amount of needs and more importantly, wants, during your schooling. And, if you decide not to work, during this particular number of years, people will decide that you simply are lazy, not that you cannot find a job, which actually, no matter how old you are, being unemployed will deem you a lazy person, moreover, a lazy citizen with zero contribution the world you live in. 

Don't forget to know what you want to retire from by the age of 18! And if you don't go to college, you're going to work, a lot, and a majority of people will look down on you for not choosing college. Ideally, you'll need to get a job that does not pay minimum wage, which is going to be difficult because you'll need experience, and many employers randomly expect that you already have that, as if it's an attribute you're born with. And then you'll need to afford transportation to get there, and assuming it's a car rather than bus, make sure you have enough money for insurance. Then, if you wanted to move out of our house, or let's say you came here with your parents, you need money for rent when you eventually move out because society think it's weird when you live with your parents for a long time. 

After you experience a bit of conflict from living here, the longing for your hometown may start to come. But that's not because Italy doesn't have the same problems with living, because of course, it does, but remember that you're Italian. I want you to remember you're Italian when a restaurant tries to serve you food that is "Italian" but doesn't really make any connections...to anything...anything you've ever known. Remember you're Italian when people try to tell you the stereotypes of an Italian, like being loud, hairy, big-headed. Remember that you're Italian when people start to tell you how much you're supposed to love cheese, everywhere, including your seafood. Try not to lose it when people butcher and make fun of your language. Remember that you're Italian when you wake up each day and try to fight through another day of people not understanding your accent, taking advantage of your accent by presuming you are stupid, and remember that you are Italian when people try to assume that "foreigner" only applies to people who aren't from America. Remember they would be a foreigner if they entered your hometown, too. 

Remember that you're Italian and that has nothing to do with you moving here. Remember that this isn't the greatest country in the world, but you have the ability to be the greatest person you can be despite where you live, and despite who tries to control it due to ethnicity or race or any other bothering accessory society tries to pin on you.