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...

Week Four: Psychosocial Experiences

Contrary to how it appears,
Jose was happy to see me.

This week Jose seemed extremely excited to see me. He rushed up with a huge smile on his face and told me all about his visit to the circus on Sunday. This reminded me of Vaughn's section about happiness in which she states that forty percent of our happiness levels are controlled by personal actions and attitudes. Jose’s trip to the circus was enough to make him happy for days; Jose allows himself to be happy and seems to approach day-to-day life with a positive attitude, which I am sure has helped him to adjust and grow in a healthy manner.

Cultural Distance

I would tend to say that I am pretty even-keeled. I obviously get excited about things and have both good and bad days, but things never tend to get me down. I guess this more constricted range of emotion can serve as both a detriment and an advantage. While I may not be excited for days by a happy experience, I also tend not to allow things to get to me as easily.

This week was also the first time that I saw Jose working on school tasks. Helping him with an English worksheet and reading an Arthur book with him showed me that he still does have a few difficulties in school. Once when he misspelled a word and I corrected him, he explained to me that he used the incorrect vowel because they are pronounced differently in Spanish. It does seem that being a part of an immigrant family that speaks Spanish at home. Vaughn also talks bout the importance of language in the same chapter and notes that it is an important component of culture. I would imagine that it is hard for Jose to feel completely “American” while he is still learning the intricacies of the English language.

Week 4, Pyschosocial Experience of Immigration : Sarah Arriola

I can't imagine having to immigrate to another country. When I was 10, I moved from Utah to Ohio, which was stressful enough for me. I had to leave my old friends and make new ones, as well as adjust to smaller town living and the general differences between Ohio and Utah. Kids would ask me all sorts of questions, because I "talked funny." This didn't bother me too much, but it did get tiring having to always explain why it was that I didn't talk like everyone else. But at least I spoke the same language as everyone else in my class and therefore was able to understand their questions and answer them in a way that they understood. If I'd have had to learn a new language when I moved, I think the move would have been much more difficult. Also, because I was only moving within the United States, I had to adjust a little bit to the differences in the culture between the two states, but not to differences between two counties, which is obviously much more extreme. I am so proud of my mentee just because I know that she has been through the process of immigration and seems to have come out fairly well on the other side.

My mentee, Hawa, was actually born in the United States, which she didn't know until she was eight years old. She was under the impression that she was born in Africa, because both of her parents are from Africa and she moved to Africa from the United States when she was only four. Hawa, her mother and her twin brother, moved back to the United States when she was seven. She left her father, several siblings, and other extended family in Africa. So, even though Hawa is not technically a foreign-born immigrant, she has still had to experience many of the same things that foreign-born immigrants have to go through. Also, although she was born here, in her mind, she is an immigrant.

All of us are different, just because these kids are immigrants or children of immigrants doesn't mean they're not still valuable human beings.

Hawa speaks both French and English. I think it would be really cool to speak multiple languages, although I unfortunately do not. Although, I think it would be very stressful to have to learn to speak another language just so that you could speak to some of your classmates and other people in the world around you. It can benefit immigrants to learn to speak the language of their new country because, as Vaughn says in her book, "Language is thought to be a direct reflection of culture, reinforcing our world views and cultural thoughts, values, and behaviors" (86). Therefore, if an immigrant can learn to speak the language of their new country, they can more easily understand the new culture that they live in and can adjust better to their new home.

Another thing I found interesting was in Vaughn, when it was discussed whether or not being multilingual is harmful to people, particularly children. When I first read that, I was concerned about Hawa, because she already speaks two languages, French and English, and because she is so amazing, also desires to learn how to speak Spanish. I was relieved when I read that studies have been done that say that "being multilingual has no negative effects on intelligence and in fact, may improve cognitive flexibility" (86). I have always been taught that being multilingual was a positive thing as far as intelligence goes, so it was nice to see that backed up in Vaughn's book.

Another issue that Hawa has had to deal with because of her immigration situation is the separation and unification that Suarez-Orozco (2x) discuss in chapter 3 of their book. Like I explained earlier, Hawa currently lives with her mother and twin brother here in Cincinnati. Her father and other siblings still live in Africa. She is not part of the 20 percent that Suarez-Orozco (2x) discusses which "came to the United States as a family unit" (66). Rather she is in the 15 percent that "comes to the U.S. with one parent" (67). Thankfully though, even though she doesn't live with her father, she has told me that usually during the summer, she gets to go to Africa to visit her father and other family members. This probably means that, although I can imagine it is difficult for her to not see her father every day, she is not as affected by it as other immigrant children who never get to see the parent that they left behind in their home country.

Hawa and I, after homework and coloring!

Hawa has already had to deal with a lot in the first 10 years of her life, a lot more than I have had to deal with in the first 20 years of my life, and, if we are being honest, probably will ever have to deal with. Despite that, she still acts like what I expect any U.S.-born 10-year-old child to act like. She fights with her brother, likes to play video games, struggles with some subjects in school, and likes to color (which we did together on Monday after she finished her homework). I can't wait to get to know Hawa even better, because I really do think she is an amazing little girl.

Week 4, Psychosocial Experience of Immigration; Allison Miller

We finally took a picture!

This week I met with my mentee, Lizbeth, and helped her with her homework.  When we were finished with that, we made small talk as I asked her how her week had been going.  She mentioned playing with her siblings and neighbors over the weekend, which is something I’m sure most kids did with they were younger for fun.  After our talk, I focused on answering the questions assigned for this week’s photo journal entry, the first being “what kind of developmental changes did Lizbeth probably experience due to immigration?”  Since this isn’t something I can really ask her about, I’m just going to have to make assumptions based on what I do know about her as well as what I’ve learned from the reading assignments.

Lizbeth and her family came to America from Mexico when she was around 4 or 5 years old.  This move more than likely disrupted and changed most (if not all) of the ecological systems that Bronfenbrenner describes (Vaughn, p.47).  Since Lizbeth was just entering the stage of childhood when she immigrated, she was probably more affected by the move than her parents, who already have developed their self-concepts.  Her macrosystem was undoubtedly affected—she went from the only society that she’s ever known to a foreign one, and her family’s economic status probably changed due to the move.  While her immediate family may not have changed, Lizbeth has told me that many of her family members still reside in Mexico.  Her peer group changed from children that look and speak like she does to children who may not look like her or speak her language.  I believe it was in Suarez-Orozco (x2) that I read about how many immigrants who had esteemed careers in their native land (doctors, lawyers, etc.) come to America and are forced into lower-status jobs like restaurant workers.  This goes along with the changes Lizbeth most likely experienced in her exosystem, which includes her parents’ workplaces.  

I feel as though her mesosystem was greatly impacted by her family’s move.  This system includes the connection between immediate environments.  Seeing as how Lizbeth speaks Spanish at home and more English at the schools she has attended, there has to be some gaps in this connection.  She has told me that her mother speaks no English at all, thus Lizbeth had to get used to going from English to Spanish depending on the situation and her environment.  The innermost layer of Bronfenbrenner’s figure is the microsystem, or the individual’s immediate environment.  This would include Lizbeth’s relationships as well as interactions.  Since “each system contains roles, norms, and rules that are powerful shapers of development,” (Vaughn, p. 47) I think it’s safe to say that immigration has had a huge impact on Lizbeth’s development.  She went from growing up beginning to learn her roles, norms and rules for each of her environments, to having her world flipped upside down, entering situations where everything that she was used to was now entirely different.  

I think that immigration affects everyone in different ways, depending upon the reasons for immigrating, the method, and the overall experience.  People who immigrant because they honestly want to do better for themselves and see more opportunity in a country other than their native one would be affected by immigration differently  than those that leave due to persecution.  People who drive or fly over will have different experiences and reactions to immigration than those who choose less luxurious/more dangerous means.  Immigrants would also experience immigration differently depending on who is traveling with them, who they will be living with, and who they have left behind.  Suarez-Orozco (x2) talks about separation and reunification, the role reversal that children and their parents experience, and the many stresses that immigrants face before, during, and after their journey.

Culture has many ways of socializing people.  Every culture has its own particular norms, rules, and roles, and in order to fit in with the mainstream, most people subconsciously follow these rules and adhere to these norms and roles.  People are taught growing up how to act in the many roles that they take on, and each generation passes on these rules to their children.  Since culture is different across the world, many immigrants experience culture shock upon their arrival into the new land.  All the norms that they’re used to are now changed, and they have no longer have any guidance on how to act in society.  Thus they may be perceived as weird or different, probably causing them to feel excluded from their new environment.

Week 4-Psychosocial Experience of Immigration; Maureen Rooney

          

       I believe culture is a very important element in our world today. This is because there are so many different aspects that can define one’s culture and I think that it is the combination of all of these aspects that makes a culture unique. The world is fortunate to have so many different cultures living on earth because it allows individuals to experience many different ways of living. When people share a culture, it allows them to connect over the same topics and ways of living. For example, culture can include our religion, language, food and ways of interaction which we have learning from the readings in Professor Vaughn’s novel. People in a culture will see each other at the same church and share recipes on their traditional meals. These interactions socialize people because they have the same interests.

It is difficult for many cultures to come together because not everyone is always open to adapting to a new way of living. However, with the increase of immigration in America, people are learning to adjust and become more welcoming to new cultures. I feel that I am becoming more open to trying new things too. Since I did not attend a diverse grade school and high school, I was not exposed to other ways of living and different types of beliefs. However, at college, I can see many different ethnicities and practices just from walking through campus. I was open to new cultures before I came to college but I just did not experience them in my everyday life. Now that I have seen many different types of living, I feel that I am more open to new ideas, foods and topics which allows me to socialize more with diverse groups of people.

        Vivianna must have experienced many changes already in her short life due to immigrating to a new country. First, I can look at her emotions which are “universal or culture specific or [can be] a combination” of the two (Vaughn 80). Immigrant children can be confused on what is culturally acceptable for their display of emotion. People in Mexico can display their emotions often and do not mind having little personal space, where people in the United States might prefer to have more personal space when communicating with another person. Therefore, Vivianna may be confused on how to talk and react to a situation when it is presented to her because she does not know what is socially acceptable. Then, Vivianna is learning english because some people think “that without understanding the language of a culture, the culture itself cannot be fully understood” (Vaughn 86). Vivianna, like other immigrant children and adults, has to learn to adapt to the culture in the United States and learn a new language so that they can communicate with others in their new culture. On the other hand, people in the United States need to adapt to immigrants’ culture because they need to be patient and understanding when trying to communicate with an immigrant to is attempting to learn english for the first time. However, even though immigrants introduce their culture to the people already living in the United States, they can also connect with other immigrants who have moved here from their same home country. The connection can be created because their similar interest in music, food and language. Vivianna connects with the other students in her school because they are immigrants too and they can relate to each other. Another problem Vivianna might experience it her rate of adaptation to her new culture in relation to her parents. Her parents, who have lived in their past culture for a long time, may have trouble adapting to their new way of living. Vivianna, on the other hand, has only experienced her previous culture for a few years so she will be able to adapt faster than her parents because she does not maintain as strong of bonds to her home country. All in all, I think Vivianna and her family will be able to adapt and teach many American’s new ways of living.