Life in America
and Cultural Differences
"I had this idea of Americans as Cowboys and Indians"
A New Home
Sylvia and her mother and brother lived in a small apartment in a San Diego Neighborhood. This was a stark contrast to her previous home- a large house.
Sylvia also described San Diego, at the time, as a bit segregated and noted that "certain neighborhoods were definitely Spanish," for example, Chula Vista.
Sylvia lived in a predominantly white, "wonderbread" neighborhood.
School Adjustment
For Sylvia, elementary school started only four days after her initial arrival.
This left little time for Sylvia to adjust to her new surroundings. However, her elementary school welcomed her in. On her first day of Elementary School, Sylvia remembered recess, explaining that,
"Everybody got up. I had no idea where they were going, and I [was] looking around, and a little boy - his name was Jim- ran back to the class, and took my hand, and showed me how to go to recess."
Overall the new adjustment to Elementary school was good, and the children were very kind.
Sylvia suspects that one of the reasons many were so kids were so kind, was that she was a phenomenon- She didn't look Hispanic, yet spoke Spanish.
She also attributes her smooth transition to America with her easygoing, humorous personality.
For example, when a classmate asked Sylvia if she "had llamas when she lived in Peru," Sylvia responded, "Yeah, we would park our llamas in the garage, and I would ride mine to school."
Language Barrier
Despite having an English teacher for a mother, Sylvia knew no English when she arrived.
During our interview, Sylvia recalled arriving in America and not understanding the word "Hi."
Although she was able to eventually learn English, sometimes lack of communication contributed to scary situations:
A few months after she arrived in the US, Sylvia recalls walking home during a thunderstorm with a few friends. In Peru, lightning was uncommon, and she had never heard thunder. For Sylvia, thunder was new and terrifying. Her friends tried to explain what was happening, however, the language barrier and panic made it impossible for Sylvia to understand.
Discrimination
Sylvia didn't face much discrimination from her peers, this may be because she learned English well at a young age.
However, when she was preparing to apply to college, Sylvia recalled,
"My [school] counselor said, 'I'm not sure college is the best option for you because you have a 10% chance of succeeding given that you come from a single parent home and are Spanish speaking'"
This was said to her, despite both her parents having college degrees, and having a brother currently attending UC Berkeley.
Proving the counselor wrong, Sylvia continued her education getting a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree.
The Value of Individual
In America, there is a much stronger focus on each person as an individual, rather than the collective community. This difference can be difficult to navigate.
In Peru, there is less focus on the individual and more on the community.
Sylvia used the following anecdote to describe the difference between American culture and South American culture. In Peru, people would come to your house without announcement and were always welcome. Meanwhile in America, showing up uninvited and unexpectedly is not common or celebrated.
Sometimes the individualistic focus of America can create a lonely environment. Over the years Sylvia has tried to prevent this by spending time with her family.
Now
After many decades of living on the West Coast, Sylvia moved to Massachusetts for work.
Currently, Sylvia lives in Needham with her husband, Keith, and daughter, Isabel.
She hasn't visited Peru recently but reflects fondly on the country.
