Another defining aspect of the immigration process is cultural integration. Culture is a daily part of life, and affects how people interact with each other, go about their daily routine, and establish their values and priorities. However some aspects of culture can he harder to adjust to than others, and immigrants may have to adjust to doing things in a way that is completely different than how they’ve been living their lives. Cultural integration is defined as “when people from a culture adopt the essence of another culture, while maintaining their own culture.” (Study.com). Cultural integration can be a journey, and it may take time to figure out how to take part in the culture around you while also keeping your own. To research more about this, I searched for more archives centered around the stories and experiences of immigrants. I used the First Days Project archive as a reference for the next archive I wanted find, since its stories were so rich and genuine. I found a similar archive called The Immigrant Learning Center, which has audio and PDF recordings of immigrants’ experiences with immigration. One interview I read was conducted with Gala Meyerovich, who immigrated to America in 1998. She noted that one of the cultural differences she had to adjust to was the concept of small talk. She noticed that people would talk to her while in line at the grocery store, on the elevator, or give her a complement. “people are smiling and they talk to each other in elevators, or I don’t know, hallways, even if they don’t you.” Gala contrasted this with the culture in Russia, where people don’t engage with strangers as much. Another thing she noticed is that in Russia the typical retirement age is 55, while in America it’s 65. Differences like these can be stressful to an immigrant. While trying to settle in to a new environment, you may be forced to go out of your comfort zone while in public each day, and also rethink what your future looks like according to the standards of new new country.
Another interview I read was that of Monica Geller (pseudonym). Monica immigrated to the Unites States in 1991 from India. One of the cultural differences she noticed was that Indian culture was much more informal than America’s. In India if you wanted to get together with friends or family, you would simply call and say that you’re coming over and then do so. In America, however, most get togethers have to be planned beforehand. “people would just call and say, "Hey we're coming over.” And they would come. Whereas here,… you had to plan like two days out.” This is another prime example of cultural integration, and shows the adjustments immigrants have to make to their daily life and habitual actions as a result of being in a different cultural environment.