There is a common opinion that firsthand experience and knowledge about different cultures and traditions are more valuable than ordinary research and reading. The goal of this paper is to obtain firsthand knowledge about other cultures from another person. The paper covers one interview with a person that experienced the process of moving to the U.S. and analyzes the answers. In the interviewing process, the author found differences and commonalities between the interviewer and the interviewee.
The main subject of the research is the author’s interview with Juanra. Juanra is originally from the Dominican Republic but moved to the United States seeking more opportunities and qualified education. Upon questioning why he moved to the U.S., Juanra also noted that some of his family already lives in the U.S. In the question of what is more different about the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, Juanra responded that the most striking difference is the weather. He emphasizes that he dislikes the cold weather as he is more familiar with the tropical weather in the Dominican Republic, where the weather is usually pleasant, even during winter and spring.
However, the weather is the only thing that Juanra does not like in the United States. In other aspects of living in the United States, Juanra noted the rich cultural diversity and well-developed and large infrastructure. Judging by how Juanra emphasized the vast options of good food choices, increased opportunities, and extensive scale of infrastructure in the U.S., one could say that Juanra achieved his goal of seeking more life opportunities.
Although the process of getting comfortable in the new place and environment could be troublesome for immigrants, Juanra says that he mainly adjusted by simply learning to speak and write in English. As it was mentioned before, some of Juanra’s family already live in the U.S., and the main reason for his moving was to have more school and work opportunities. Immigrants with higher proficiency in English tend to have more earning opportunities, so the fact that Juanra learned the language and adjusted to the environment emphasizes his determination and willingness to learn (Larsen 574). However, the interviewee also pointed that in his experience, the law in the U.S. is far more enforced than in the Dominican Republic. In particular, Juanra states that the culture in the U.S. now is modernized and civilized. Learning that information provides a new perspective on the law enforcement system in the U.S. and the severities that the immigrants experience with the need to learn a new language to adjust to the environment.
When the author asked Juanra about the most challenging part of living in the U.S., Juanra said that the hardest thing for him is being away from his family left in the Dominican Republic. Juanra also added that another hard thing is having the responsibilities of an American adult. Although the author is unfamiliar with living in different counties with the family, the hardships of being an adult and having adult responsibilities resonated with the author. Despite having different backgrounds of culture and traditions, all young people face the same problems in becoming adults and in that aspect young people from all countries would always be similar.
In conclusion, this paper analyzed answers from an interview with Juanra, who moved to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. Based on the analysis of Juanra’s answers, one could say that he is determined and hard-working and achieved his goal of getting more life opportunities by moving to the U.S. The author understood that although people from various cultures are different, some of the problems, like becoming an adult with responsibilities, are similar across the world.
Work Cited
Larsen, Nicholas, and Barry R. Chiswick. “The Impact of Exposure to Missionaries on the English Language Proficiency and Earnings of Immigrants in the USA”, International Journal of Manpower, vol. 40, no. 4, 2019, pp. 574-590.