The process of assimilation takes time, experience, and interaction, whether it’s getting assimilated into a culture, a society, or an idea. To express this, I used my journeys of assimilation into the United States as an example.

I took some dashcam footage as a testament to the hours and days I invested in this process. The traffic signs, other vehicles on the road, and the scenery all represent different directions I took and the actual experiences that were important milestones in the same process.

What’s more, license plates can represent the anticipation and excitement of human interactions I went through to come to know the perks of being part of the new and foreign land. Although it is time-consuming and tedious, the process of assimilation is as important as the end result of being assimilated.

I have looked at license plates from other states in New York City. First, I took a series of pictures of out-of-state license plates encountered on the streets. Through this process, one can take a glimpse of the state it represents and can even make some speculations on the owner of the vehicle through the license plate. The license plate can shed light on the symbols unique to the state. It can also inform the viewer of the disability status or the occupation of the owner. One can even further investigate the car’s past history through online open sources.