Eve Dean: Immigrant Stories

My name is Ev Dean and I am a citizen of the U.S. and France. Today I'd like to share the story of how my family has traveled back and forth between the U.S. and Europe for the past century. This is my grandfather, Gramps. His name was Billy Rodean and he was born and raised in Chicago, one of seven siblings. His father was an Irish immigrant who came to work on the railroads. His mother was a farm girl from Indiana. His father died when he was 15, so Gramps worked a lot of odd jobs to help support his family. He eventually enlisted in the Marines where he worked in radio and communication. After serving in the Marine Corps and attending university, he worked at the Radio Corporation of America. Gramps moved to Europe in the 1950s for work. He spent time in France where he met my grandmother, Yvonne Louise Alphonsine Rozan. We call her Baba. Gramps and Baba moved around a lot. Once they were married, they kept moving around for work. They lived in the U.S., in France, and eventually they bought a farmhouse outside Geneva, Switzerland where my dad grew up. They were all very fortunate. Having both French and American citizenship, they were able to travel back and forth between the U.S. and France with ease. My dad and his older sister both moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to attend Colorado State University in the 1980s. My dad lived in the U.S. until 2009 when he moved back to Geneva. My sister and I moved to France to live with my dad a year later. I was nine years old. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't speak any French and I didn't know anything about the culture. I was very fortunate to have my dad and all his family nearby to support me. I had all the help in the world in my transition, but it was still terrifying despite my advantages. I struggled a lot with making friends. My friends were British, American, or related to me. I was always the American and I really struggled with being othered while I was there. Being able to live abroad and travel was a really difficult time in my life, but it broadened my worldview and shaped the person who I am today. Today, I have the privilege of having dual citizenship in countries that provide me with lots of advantages. My family has a long history of moving around, but we've always had the stability of family and citizenship and we never stay anywhere too long.