Bangladeshi Parking Police

What’s the best way for immigrants to make a living in New York City?  Well, if you are like hundreds of newcomers from Bangladesh, the answer is the NYPD, specifically, working in the parking enforcement division.

It stands to reason, in a city with millions of parked cars, many of them have to be parked illegally.  And someone has to give them tickets.

Although they make up less than 1% of New York’s population, Bangladeshis comprise more than 10% of the city’s 3000 parking officers. It turns out it’s a good job for someone with only a high school diploma, with a starting salary of $29k/year, generous pensions, and insurance benefits.

You might ask why so many Bangladeshis in the parking ticket business.  A lot has a lot to do with word of mouth, specifically Showkat Khan, a 53-year-old traffic agent who gives seminars to his countrymen and helps them prepare for the Civil Service exam required for the job.

If you get a ticket in the Big Apple, don’t bother yelling at the ticketing officer, “Go back to your country!”  That sort of thing does not bother veteran agent Jamil Sarwar, who just ignores them because he knows he’s just doing his job. Hey, he says, “I work for the city.”

According to the New York Times, about one-quarter of Bangladeshis who became parking agents have gone on to become police officers in the New York Police Department.  And in a city with such a diversity of citizens, it really makes sense to have officers who represent that same diversity.

Photo credit: New York Times

Oops, Uh-oh, and Other Non-verbal Expressions

Non-verbal expressions

Would you know what I meant if I said “oops!”?  What about “uh-oh!”?  Sometimes Americans use words that aren’t really words to communicate basic thoughts.  Today's video teaches you seven non-verbal expressions that you will hear from your neighbors and co-workers.  If you see them written, they don’t look like words, but I assure you, they have meanings.  Some of them you may already know.

1.     Mmmm! – This is delicious. 

2.     Oops! – I made a mistake.  Maybe: I dropped something.

3.     Psst. – Come here. I have something private to tell you.

4.     Uhh (or: Ummm…) – I don’t know.  I’m not sure what to say.

5.     Uh-uh. – No. 

6.     Uh-huh. – Yes.  Sure.  I agree.

7.     Uh-oh. – Here comes trouble.  Something wrong is happening.

Several of these expressions are spelled similarly, so listen carefully.  There’s a huge difference between answering a question with uh-huh and uh-uh.  To practice saying them, ask a native speaker to help you practice the right intonation.

You can take a quiz on these expressions below.  (Don't peek above!)

Match these expressions with their meanings:

a) Mmmm!

b) Oops!

c) Psst.

d) Uhh/Ummm… 

e) Uh-uh.

f) Uh-huh. 

g) Uh-oh.  

____ I made a mistake.  Maybe: I dropped something.

____ Here comes trouble.  Something wrong is happening.

____ Yes.  Sure.  I agree.

____ No. 

____ This is delicious. 

____ Come here. I have something private to tell you.

____ I don’t know.  I’m not sure.

[To practice your listening skills, re-visit the What's Up? segment for the show with Paulo Saiani.]

Hallowe’en Traditions

The American holiday of Hallowe’en comes on the last day of October.  It is one of those holidays where schools and businesses are not closed, and not everyone celebrates.  However, if you want to join in the fun, I really encourage you.

If you’ve seen Hallowe’en, you think it’s all about costumes and parties.  But where did it come from?

Originally, the holiday is a recognition of November 1 in the Christian church as All Saints Day.  One of the meanings of “saint” is a friend or relative who has died before you.  Hallowe’en comes on the evening before All Saints Day and is spelled with an apostrophe between the two E’s.  “Hallowe’en” is an abbreviation of All Hallows Eve(ning).

In the United States, whether people do or don’t celebrate All Saints Day in church, they don’t usually think of Hallowe’en as a religious holiday.  It is just a day for dressing up in costumes.  Because the theme of the day was inspired by dead people, you will see lots of costumes related to death, for example, ghosts or skeletons.  At school parties and later in the evening, children can be seen dressing up like their favorite superhero.  

Flo (from Progressive Insurance Co.)

Adults often have competitions at parties to see who can dress up most creatively.  Last year, my nephew and niece went to a costume party dressed up as the spokespeople for two national insurance companies, Flo and Mr. Mayhem. (NOTE: Flo is short for Florence. Mayhem means chaos, confusion, complete disorder.)

If you are someone who likes parties or likes to dress up, ask your American friends about what they do to celebrate Hallowe’en.  Maybe they’ll invite you to a party!  

Mayhem (from Allstate Insurance Co.)

For more about Hallowe’en customs, click here.

Here is some advice on how NOT to dress for Hallowe’en.

Finally, here is somewhere to go if you are shopping for costume ideas.

Your Status If You’re Not “From Here”

During our conversation with Tigers catcher Brayan Peña, we learned about his 1999 defection to the United States to pursue his dream of playing Major League Baseball.  It turns out, many others have had this dream over the years since Cuba became a closed society.

Since Fidel Castro took power in 1959 in Cuba, dozens of professional baseball players have defected to the U.S.  Currently, 17 Cubans play baseball for the MLB, including two who defected just this year.  For professional ballplayers, the allure of defecting is to play a sport they love at the highest level—and for the potential of huge salaries.  Coming from a poor country like Cuba, this is a huge incentive.  The downside, as mentioned by Brayan in our interview is the risk of arrest, punishment, and losing all chances to play again.  A bigger risk is the possible harm to their families, or never seeing them again, if they stay behind. So America still remains a symbol of freedom to many, even though we continue on our journey toward a more perfect union. 

One question many of my students ask from this story is: “What is a defector?”  Let’s take a simple look at the ways internationals might come to the United States.

One-way ticket:                    Round-trip ticket:

Defector                                             Expatriate worker

Refugee/Asylee                               Migrant worker

Immigrant

Defectors, asylees, and refugees all move to another country because they are running away from something.  Refugees are escaping life-threatening events like war or famine.  Asylees (people seeking asylum) are escaping persecution because of their political or religious beliefs.  Defectors are escaping a country whose government is trying to keep its citizens locked up inside the country.  

Refugees fleeing Kibati, Democratic Republic of Congo (source: Julien Harneis)

Immigrants choose to move to another country for reasons of work, opportunity, or family.

Expatriates move to another country temporarily—for a few years—because of job training or education. 

source: fotolia.com

 Migrant workers move in and out of an area with regularity, often following seasonal work, with less opportunity to put down roots.