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What language barrier? Summary
The impact of cultural assimilation
Assimilation into the USA
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Recommended: What language barrier? Summary
The more time passes by in my life, the more aware I am of the person I have become and the choices made on behalf of my family and I, which have shaped my life. I was born in small town of Sylhet in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a third world country where dreams of having a better future are nothing more than a hope especially living in a rural area. It is like wishing for a miracle to happen. After a few years, a miracle took place that changed my life. My uncle from my mother’s side applied for us to migrate to America. Three years after a long journey and critical paperwork, we migrated to America in search of the American dream in 2011. My parent’s decision to be immigrants affected most aspects of my life, especially my education. After …show more content…
Here in America, I had to switch classes for different lessons. In Bangladesh I did not have to switch classes, instead, different teachers had to come to the class for different lessons, while I stayed in the same class. In high school, I experienced various challenging tasks but the most prevalent was my language barrier. My poor understanding of English hindered my level of communication with the teachers and other students. Making friends was another challenge that forced me to take lunch all by myself for a few days during the beginning of high school. Soon, I made some friends who spoke the same language as me and they were trying to help me get accustomed to this new culture and lifestyle. According to Mills, people who migrated to a new culture often faced cultural shocks based on language barriers, culture, and lifestyle. They would go through four stages of cultural shock before completely assimilating to the new country (2000). Similarly, I was going through one of the four stage of cultural shock. I experienced the phase of negotiation as the differences between my old culture and the new culture became apparent. Therefore, causing anxiety and poor adjustment to the new culture. Moreover, I always felt left out,
Before you begin reading the main narrative of my essay, I want to let you in on some details about my life and myself. I was born in Manhattan, New York and when I was about twenty two days old, I boarded a plane with my parents on a journey across the United States to the city of San Francisco, then to the town of Grass Valley. This is where my grandmother and grandfather resided. They had been telling my parents that the city of Manhattan was no place to raise a child and that we should move to California and live with them. Before making this life changing decision of leaving most of their friends and loved ones in New York to come to California, my parents sent me off to live in India with my uncle. Keep in mind, I was about the age of two when this all happened. The opportunity of leaving me with my uncle gave my parents about a year to think things over and pull themselves together, in efforts to properly raise a child in a country that was so
This was back in November 2007, in India. I was 12 years old. I was enjoying my normal life. But I didn’t know that my life will change surprisingly. One day I came home from the school and my parents made decision of moving to the United States. I was totally amazed at that moment. My parents wanted move so that me and my sister can have a better life, education, and opportunity.
As a daughter of immigrants and being an immigrant myself, I knew I had to work hard to become somebody in life to prove that my parents’ struggles were worth every second. My journey began at the age of eight years old, I had to pick up everything and leave my life behind in El Salvador to begin a new one in California. The transition was not easy though what made it possible was learning English and being able to adapt. The idea to continue my education after high school involved my role models who planted in me the importance of education and encouraged me to go through the enrollment process; although there were financial challenges, I have found my way into college.
When one first moves to a completely new and unfamiliar cultural environment, assuredly he or she will experience cultural shock and disorientation. Culture shock can be from many different aspects, for examples, climate, foods, language, custom, social etiquette, environment and etc. Culture shock might cause depression, homesickness, confusion, sadness, frustration, in which one has to overcome when arrived in a new country. Personally, I had experienced culture shock when I first arrived in America from FuZhou, China; I felt lost and confused. Similarly, Tanya, who is from Kharkiv, Ukraine had experienced cultural shock and had felt unsuitable because of foods, school, and living habits when she came to America one and a half years ago.
Change 4 Life is a campaign that is set up to promote health and it also helps a range of individuals change their lifestyles by:
When my family and I got in the plane that would take us to the U.S., I was very excited. It was as if I had butterflies in my stomach. I was also nervous because I had heard of people that were turned away when they got to America because the government was not letting as many immigrants into the U.S as they had in the past. Therefore, my whole family was a little anxious. Two things could happen when we arrived at the Washington, D.C., airport. We could either come to the United States to chase after “the American dream”, or we could be turned away which meant that we would have to return to our country of origin.
As stated above, in some cases, the course of one’s life can be altered in a matter of moments. With this in mind, the United States is known as the land of an immigrant's dream because a variety of them come to the United States seeking for a better life, in the land of opportunity. In fact, the United States is made by millions of immigrants, who have helped increase the economic growth by building successful businesses. For many years, the United States opened its doors to welcome those seeking freedom, to practice their religion freely, to escape poverty or oppression, to escape conflict or violence, and to make better lives for themselves and their children. In fact, many of these immigrants who came from another country, wanted to pursue
After reviewing my life, I have decided my life defining moment was when my family and I moved to Texas from Oklahoma. I consider this move my life changing moment because it changed so many things in my life. This move set the stage for an entirely new life for me. Moving six hours away from the only home I knew certainly called for many changes.
Sociocultural adaptation can be understood as a process of social learning and is associated with the length of time, the existing cultural distance and the amount of contact with members of the host culture. These could make it more or less difficult to adapt to a new culture (Zlobina, Paez 2004). Foreigners who leave their culture of origin and are immersed in a new culture with norms, values and customs that they do not recognize as their own, have to make an effort to adapt. The above process of adaptation or adjustment involves three basic aspects: 1) Psychological adaptation, including acceptance and the degree of satisfaction in the new cultural environment. 2) Cultural learning, which is the acquisition of social skills that enable the sojourner to adapt the host culture, and establish links with members of the host culture and, finally, 3) Learning behavior appropriate for the resolution of social tasks. Sociocultural adaptation involves social and cultural learning. The three dimensions are linked, but have some independence between them (Moghaddam, Taylor , Wright, 1993). Ward ( 2004) showed that international students, who were culturally adapted, adopted elements of both cultures and tried to achieve a bicultural identity. It is important to note that any sojourner has gone through a series of grieving process after migration due to the loss of two important elements such as: firstly, the extended family and friends, who constitute the soc...
It is through the events in the journey of life that shapes and molds who we are as people. As for me, immigrating to America was one of those milestones that have shaped who I am. Those who have had the opportunity of moving from a different country to America know what a privilege it is. I felt the same honor to know that I would be journeying to the land of opportunity. Without hesitance, I spent the last two months packing and making the final preparations before moving to a new continent. Although it was a bittersweet time, leaving my beloved family behind, I knew that I couldn’t resist the treasure that waited for me in the new land. Coming from a developing nation the high level of sophistication that greeted me on arrival to America made feel like I was in paradise.
An event that changed my life was the first year of middle school. I was around eleven or twelve at the time.
There are many things that can cause a significant change in someone’s life. Things can change someone’s life in an instant, while some will slowly change someone’s life over time. Some changes are for the better, and some can be for the worse. In stories like the Outsiders and A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, we had seen the characters’ lives change throughout the story. Some of the main things that can change someone’s life are moving, a close person to you dying, the people around you, and the events that happen.
Life is a strange mixture of events. Today you are in high spirits and the next day you are miserable. However, some events are more significant than others, significant enough that they can change your life. When I was sixteen years old, I received a phone call that changed my life. I was staying at one of my relative’s home when my father called and asked to speak to me. My father told me that my mother passed away; she died of heart problems. It was sudden and totally unexpected. I remember being enveloped by this overwhelming desire to just scream. I don’t think any of us can truly prepare for such a devastating event of so great an extent or degree to happen.
This is the story of the day and the days following that changed my life forever. But first we have to go back to the day I came home from camp. On this day my parents informed me that we would be going to Montana the following weekend for a job interview. It wasn’t just the job interview that changed that day but my relationship with my friend Garret.
I have a very fulfilling feeling about what I have been able to accomplish in my life so far. I want the absolute best for myself and those close to me. I often go above and beyond to help those around me succeed and be the best version of themselves that they can possibly be.