Immigration: the road of endless challenges.

For most of Hispanics who come to the Unites States, adapting to a different culture is one of their biggest challenges. Going to the supermarket, to a hospital or even driving to work, can be experiences that not only remind Hispanics that they are away from their home and love ones, but from their cultural idiosyncrasies as well. That’s why many who come to the United States looking for a brighter future for their families struggle between two worlds, and adaptation becomes the key for their survival. This is where Acculturation and Assimilation start as an ongoing process that, for many, will be a road of endless challenges.

According to Korzenny & Korzenny, authors of Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective, immigrants experience a loss of identity and social structure that they need to rebuild in the host country. This is the case of Elizabeth Rosario, who came from Puerto Rico 15 years ago. Despite her passion for “arroz blanco, habichuelas coloradas y biftec encebollado con tostones”, her love for salsa dancing and her pride in being Puerto Rican are part of her intrinsic nature, she has adapted to the United States and going back to the island – as Puerto Ricans in the U.S. call it- is not in her plans. Her mother and only bother are also in Florida, thus her attachment to Isla del Encanto is only in her heart and her childhood memories.

One of the biggest differences between the Puerto Rican and the American culture is the way of expressing feelings, she said. “Puerto Ricans are very passionate and affectionate. For example, we like to greet our friends and family with a kiss and we also do it when we are saying goodbye. Americans don’t, their personal space is much bigger than ours”, she pointed out. Although she speaks Spanish to her daughter as a way of teaching her a second language, they always watch TV in English. “I don’t like Spanish channels, I just prefer English programs. Sometimes I watch news in Spanish channels, as a way to compare both editorial lines”, she explained.

Ely, as her friends and family call her, has acculturated herself in order to succeed in the Unites States. She recalls when she just came to Tallahassee and how hard was to adapt to this city where Hispanic communities are few and their influence is quite limited. She admits she had to assimilate the American culture, start making American friends, and somehow change some of her customs. Now, she acknowledges that she has adapted so well that she doesn’t even consider moving to another city or state. This can be explained by the fact that, as part of the immigration process, Hispanics could keep their original culture, add elements of the second culture to their repertoire, or abandon their original culture in favor of the second culture. (Korzenny & Korzenny).

Ely came to Tallahasse to study at Florida State University and stayed in this city after getting her Bachelor’s in Communications. Now she has a promising career, made some real state investments, has a daughter and also a partner, who happens to be an American guy. They are expecting a baby, who will also experience “the best of two worlds”, as she says. “I want my two kids to know my culture, to speak Spanish, and to be proud of their Hispanic background”, she added. Her boyfriend, Jonathan, who is also learning Spanish and loves Puerto Rican food and salsa dancing, is very busy looking for “bilingual names” -as they call it – for the baby. “The other day, I was teaching him how to cook white rice ‘the Puerto Rican way’; and it actually turned out very good”, she explained.

In many ways, Ely and Jon have both adapted to their respective cultures. This is not surprising. The process goes in both directions, for immigrants who need to adjust to their new social situation and for locals who become involved with them in many ways. Immigration has important consequences for the receiving culture, which absorbs new cultural patterns and becomes increasingly diversified (Korzenny & Korzenny).

The story for Hispanics who have come to the United States recently may be very different. Oscar and Alicia Flores, a young Mexican couple who moved recently from Kentucky, are adjusting to live in a second culture, but they still have a strong loyalty to their country and their costumes. While we were having some tacos de carne asada with red salsa, a torta and Jarritos, they confessed that they can adjust here without abandoning what makes them Mexicans and their passion for their culture.

This young couple only watches Spanish channels and eat Mexican food. Oscar, who came to the US ten years ago, knows some English that he had to learn in order to deal with costumers in his growing remodeling business. “Most of my clients are American, so I have to speak to them in English”, he said. As opposed to him, Alicia, who came to the US three years ago, doesn’t speak or understand English. For her, the adaptation has been even more difficult. As an example, he said, they always have to go together to shop or to her medical appointments, now that she is five month pregnant. Before, when they lived in Kentucky, Alicia did not have to know English because there were Hispanics everywhere. Now she knows the importance of knowing the language. As Korzenny & Korzenny indicate, most Hispanics understand very well that their economic and social future depends on being able to succeed in the U.S. culture.

Hispanics in the United States tend to either integrate or remain separate, but few seem to assimilate or to remain marginalized. That is so because they either tend to value their culture of origin, or their enculturation (Korzenny & Korzenny). Both interviewed couples are learning about their cultures and the influences in both directions. For them, enjoying and learning the differences among the many cultures fusing in the Unites States is one of the biggest and powerful assets of this unique nation.

By Lorimar Santo Domingo
Multicultural Marketing Communication
Student
Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication
Florida State University