Ch 8
Juan Guevara
Understanding Intercultural Transitions
The topic of cultural assimilation (Martin 2018, pg. 327) is something I can relate to. Both my parents immigrated from Mexico. My father came from Puebla and my mother from a small village called Ahuatlan, located on the outskirts of gorgeous Guadalajara. My parents met while working in agriculture and had 4 children.
We were raised in a small town called Hollister in California. We were fortunate that Hollister was probably as friendly as it got in regards to immigrants. I still heard racial slurs, mostly in high school, but it was never so egregious that it scarred me. Mostly, I am embarrassed that I did not stand up for my culture more ferociously but I was a child. Regardless, I was fortunate compared to some nightmare experiences that others had.
There was definitely no segregation (Martin 2018, pg. 328), at least, not in the sense that we have seen in our history. Hollister has areas that are reserved for field workers and many seasonal workers live there. These areas are distant from the city, they are in the outskirts. Something about it makes me uncomfortable; however, it doesn't seem that bad. It’s a community. There are often many people playing soccer and sometimes you see a large group of friends walk together to the grocery store for supplies. They seem happy despite probably working seven days a week for minimum wage. Probably because these conditions, as tough as it appears, is still better than the situation in their home neighborhood. It makes me proud to be an American.
Martin, J. (2018). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Understanding Intercultural Transitions
The topic of cultural assimilation (Martin 2018, pg. 327) is something I can relate to. Both my parents immigrated from Mexico. My father came from Puebla and my mother from a small village called Ahuatlan, located on the outskirts of gorgeous Guadalajara. My parents met while working in agriculture and had 4 children.
We were raised in a small town called Hollister in California. We were fortunate that Hollister was probably as friendly as it got in regards to immigrants. I still heard racial slurs, mostly in high school, but it was never so egregious that it scarred me. Mostly, I am embarrassed that I did not stand up for my culture more ferociously but I was a child. Regardless, I was fortunate compared to some nightmare experiences that others had.
There was definitely no segregation (Martin 2018, pg. 328), at least, not in the sense that we have seen in our history. Hollister has areas that are reserved for field workers and many seasonal workers live there. These areas are distant from the city, they are in the outskirts. Something about it makes me uncomfortable; however, it doesn't seem that bad. It’s a community. There are often many people playing soccer and sometimes you see a large group of friends walk together to the grocery store for supplies. They seem happy despite probably working seven days a week for minimum wage. Probably because these conditions, as tough as it appears, is still better than the situation in their home neighborhood. It makes me proud to be an American.
Martin, J. (2018). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
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