Vanessa has moved many times in her life, only the people who experience moving to a different country knows the difficulties. Vanessa has lived in Colombia and in the United States. The struggle to adapt to a new culture is extremely hard. Culture is the vision of the people, and when you experience new culture, your visions are challenged. An immigrant has to face many challenges as they arrive in a different country such as stereotypes, different culture, being away from loved ones, learning a new language, and more.
STEREOTYPE
Vanessa is Colombian and as she live in the United States, consequently, she surfers stereotypes constantly. Colombians women have a stereotype that they are really easy. Another thought that people make, as they think about Colombians, is that everyone lives in poverty and don’t have houses or hospitals to go to. Those stereotypes are not true are just oversimplified ideas. Surely, there are several easy women and poor citizens, however not everyone apply in those categories including Vanessa. To deal with stereotypes it is really hard because people judge you by where you from, making it harder to interact and socialize with people that are not open minded.
HOMESICK
The hardest thing about moving to another country is because you are away from your family. Vanessa values family a lot, and being away from them it is extremely heartbreaking for her. IMAGE SOURCE HERE She loves to spend time with her grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles; however, she only sees them once a year. The program Skype and Whatsapp helps Vanessa to keep in contact with those family members that live far away. She sees them through a web camera and texts them when she can. The feeling of being far from those you love, is like you left a piece of you there. Not having your family around, attracts the feeling of homesick.
CULTURE
The culture between countries varies, consequently the music, the food, and their activities change. In Columbia people listen to three kind of Spanish songs; salsa, reggaeton and merengue and in the United States they don’t have the idea of what those kind of songs are. Therefore, not having friends that you can relate with the same music taste makes the life in the different country more unpleasant. Another aspect that interferes the living in a foreign country is the difference of alimentation. For example, in Colombia people tend to have more healthy food habits, they prefer to eat food that is not artificial. Their diet evolves around vegetables, chicken, rice, bean, fish, and mainly natural food. In the United States the food is mainly industrialized and unhealthy. Vanessa prefers the Colombian cuisine and tends to eat natural and healthy food. Another difference in culture is how people spend their weekends. In Colombia Vanessa used to spend most of her weekend with her whole family and on Sunday she would go to church. In the United States considering the fact that she is away from all her relatives, she can’t spend her weekends with them.
DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
Communication in a foreign country can be really hard not only because of the difference in culture and perspective but also in the difference in languages. To learn a new language takes time, dedication, motivation and a lot of effort. Colombia and The United States have different languages, making even more difficult the transition to the other country. When Vanessa moved to the United States she struggled in learning the language, but as years passed by she learned and fully understood English. Not knowing the language is really hard, because you can’t communicate with other people and understand the situation around you. Also, it makes the person in danger as they are unaware of the happenings.
STEREOTYPE
Vanessa is Colombian and as she live in the United States, consequently, she surfers stereotypes constantly. Colombians women have a stereotype that they are really easy. Another thought that people make, as they think about Colombians, is that everyone lives in poverty and don’t have houses or hospitals to go to. Those stereotypes are not true are just oversimplified ideas. Surely, there are several easy women and poor citizens, however not everyone apply in those categories including Vanessa. To deal with stereotypes it is really hard because people judge you by where you from, making it harder to interact and socialize with people that are not open minded.
HOMESICK
The hardest thing about moving to another country is because you are away from your family. Vanessa values family a lot, and being away from them it is extremely heartbreaking for her. IMAGE SOURCE HERE She loves to spend time with her grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles; however, she only sees them once a year. The program Skype and Whatsapp helps Vanessa to keep in contact with those family members that live far away. She sees them through a web camera and texts them when she can. The feeling of being far from those you love, is like you left a piece of you there. Not having your family around, attracts the feeling of homesick.
CULTURE
The culture between countries varies, consequently the music, the food, and their activities change. In Columbia people listen to three kind of Spanish songs; salsa, reggaeton and merengue and in the United States they don’t have the idea of what those kind of songs are. Therefore, not having friends that you can relate with the same music taste makes the life in the different country more unpleasant. Another aspect that interferes the living in a foreign country is the difference of alimentation. For example, in Colombia people tend to have more healthy food habits, they prefer to eat food that is not artificial. Their diet evolves around vegetables, chicken, rice, bean, fish, and mainly natural food. In the United States the food is mainly industrialized and unhealthy. Vanessa prefers the Colombian cuisine and tends to eat natural and healthy food. Another difference in culture is how people spend their weekends. In Colombia Vanessa used to spend most of her weekend with her whole family and on Sunday she would go to church. In the United States considering the fact that she is away from all her relatives, she can’t spend her weekends with them.
DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
Communication in a foreign country can be really hard not only because of the difference in culture and perspective but also in the difference in languages. To learn a new language takes time, dedication, motivation and a lot of effort. Colombia and The United States have different languages, making even more difficult the transition to the other country. When Vanessa moved to the United States she struggled in learning the language, but as years passed by she learned and fully understood English. Not knowing the language is really hard, because you can’t communicate with other people and understand the situation around you. Also, it makes the person in danger as they are unaware of the happenings.