Week 4 : Psychosocial Experience of Immigration - Emma Shreve

Mentor Post:

Immigration is everywhere. Each and every place that we go, we are bound to meet someone who was born in another country or may be a second- or third-generation citizen. I am a fourth generation citizen, so my family's immigration is pretty distant from me. I do, however, come into contact with Hispanic immigrants a lot. At the restaurant where I used work, there were lots of Hispanic workers with whom I interacted with on a daily basis. Almost all of them were men who worked in the kitchen, prepping food or doing dishes. There were two servers from Peru, who were brother and sister. All of my Latino co-workers spoke Spanish and very broken English, but the two servers spoke fluent English. I had so much fun talking and working with the kitchen guys. They would teach me Spanish and I would help them with the English terms, sometimes employing a version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" to teach them the terms for body parts. I still remember a few years ago when I had attended Ash Wednesday mass at school and still had an ashy cross on my forehead. Hugo kept asking me if I was catolico, but I had no idea what he was talking about until he finally pointed at my forehead and did the Sign of the Cross. Despite the barriers that it sometimes poses, immigration presents us with an opportunity to learn about other cultures and ways of life. It is up to us to decide whether we are going to embrace that opportunity or let it pass us by...

Mentee Post:

Immigrating to the United States is probably one of biggest changes Dayana will ever experience. She moved from a place where everyone spoke the same language and, probably, looked somewhat alike to a place where different languages can be heard everyday and looks are much more diverse. Our country has been referred to as the 'great melting pot' where different cultures blend together to create a big pot of American-ness. I like to think that each person brings a little something to the pot and that all the flavors complement each other, while staying distinct. Dayana and her family bring their own heritage and culture to Cincinnati and that will only the melting pot richer. Even though she has lived here for only a year, Dayana has already been influenced by American culture. I am glad that she is able to go to school at AMIS, where she can learn English and learn about our culture without being thrown into a typical public school where she will be lost in a sea of people who do not understand her. She gets to experience American life but keep in touch with her Hispanic roots at a place where people will understand her, regardless of the language she is speaking. The school you attend will shape who you are and all the students at AMIS are lucky that they go to a school that fosters acceptance and openness in such a normal way...