I like to think I'm clever. The Postal Service is a band I quite enjoy and while typing "Post Service", it made me think of them! They have a song called "Such Great Heights" and I think that this project along with the entire course, has brought my cultural competence and awareness to a greater height. And for that I am grateful.
Throughout my journey, I saw a family grow and experience a different culture firsthand. I saw them struggle to learn a new language and jump for joy when they got an answer correct. Overall, I think that Suk Maya's son will help her more than any ESL teacher will. I believe that because of their collectivist nature, they will want to work tightly together in order to achieve success together because if the whole community/family doesn't succeed, then they can't succeed individually. Does that make sense? Based on other experiences with immigrants, it's apparent that the adaptation to a new culture is easier the younger you are. I believe (and hope!) that Suk Maya's son as well as his friends will achieve acculturation in a few years. However, Suk Maya has less exposure to the American culture compared to them. I hope she is also able to acculturate, but my prediction is that she will segregate or separate herself. A common observation in immigrating families I've seen is that the children are proficient in English and go onto higher education while the parents still only know the native language. This is true for my project partner, Amy. Her mother does not know English but Amy does. She serves as a translator for her mother whenever she is home. Amy is enrolled in a higher education institution and is successful. My friend Dorothy is first generation from Poland. Her parents speak very little English and depend on her in many situations. Dorothy loves her Polish heritage and works it into her everyday life. She is studying to be a vet at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Suk Maya's lack of motivation to learn more English is a common theme I saw nearly every time I visited. And yet, the children have been here for the same amount of time and have a better control of the language. During every visit, I saw elements of their collectivistic culture. They all supported and encouraged each other very often. In the future, I will definitely think differently about immigrants. I will look deeper into their past. Why did they choose to move here? How are they adjusting to life here? I simply cannot imagine picking up everything and leaving the country. I have no idea how to live anywhere else. I'm sure I'll earn, but it will be even more difficult if there is a language barrier.
In my future interpersonal interactions, I will take into account that everyone has different experiences and worldviews. This will help me understand others better during intercultural communication. I learned something along the same lines in my lifespan development psychology course last semester. When looking at a person, don't stop at the cover. Yes, it's a cliche, but it's true! You can't determine why someone is acting the way they are based on a few interactions with them. It would be beneficial to know what has happened to them during their entire lifespan because all of these things matter. In the same way, you can't base someone off of prejudgments. If I saw the Tamangs out and about and didn't know them, I would never have guess they were from Nepal. That's how little I knew about their country before this project. It's astounding, isn't it?
Like I said, this project and course has taught me so many new things. It has not only taught me how to effectively communicate but also why it's so dang important to know how! In the future, I hope to keep volunteering with World Relief in order to submerge myself in many other cultures.
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