Upon arriving in the United States my Abuelita quickly learned English and assimilated into the American culture. It was easier for her to do this because she had a small network of friends in San Diego that had already been in the United States for a couple of years. They were able to be her support group and guide her into her new life. My Abuelita was greatly admired by those who knew her because she was always there to assist others that were in need. She was able to pick up the English language very quickly and use it to her advantage. She helped people learn English, practice for job interviews, helped them fill out paperwork to obtain U.S. citizenship and practice for the exam. Although she accustomed quickly she did face barriers that shaped her experience in the United States.

When my Abuelita came to the United States she vowed to never lose her culture. She wanted her children to be able to speak Spanish and know where they came from. She did not want her children to not be able to communicate with their own family. The factors in the context of exit and reception initially shaped her experiences in the United States. Upon leaving Guatemala she brought her language, skill, and social class. In Guatemala, these factors placed her in the middle class of the hierarchy because she had a stable job and decent income. However, when arriving into the United States these factors were no longer to her advantage. Her skill level and social class was no longer middle class. She would now be considered low-income because she had no job and her education was not enough to be able to work as a nurse again. While her small community did accept her, the larger society would not. The receiving society (United States) would look at her undocumented status and see her as a criminal for breaking the law.

My father recounts a time that they were in the grocery store waiting in line to pay for their food. Two white women were behind my Abuelita were speaking about the way she looked and dressed. They assumed that she did not know English and continued to talk bad about her. However, my Abuelita being the type of women who would not accept anyone’s criticism quickly turned around and confronted them in English. She said that she could speak English and she did not appreciate them speaking to her in a degrading manner because she looked different.

My Abuelita assimilated very well into the American culture after a couple of years. She was able to pick up the English language fairly quickly and use it to her advantage. Having come to the U.S. at a very young age my father and uncle grew up all their lives here. They spoke English, played football, went camping and did other aspects that were considered “American”. My Abuelita also went on to have two other children in the U.S. giving them birthright citizenship to the United States. Overall, they were immersed in American culture but also knew their Guatemalan culture and traditions. My Abuelita raised her children so they would be bi-lingual, speaking only Spanish at home and letting them learn English at school. She cooked mainly Guatemalan food at home but also was open to learning how to make American food. She not only passed down the language and food but also stories and old wives’ tales specific to Hispanic culture.

Due to these factors, my family experienced more of an upward assimilation combined with bi-culturalism. They assimilated to American culture but also kept their own culture. However, they did try and keep both cultures separate with accepting Guatemalan culture within the home and with family and American culture related more towards school and with friends. Since my family did accept both cultures and were involved with both I think it was beneficial for them in their lives. My father grew up bi-lingual and understood that family was important but so was a strong work ethic. Therefore, he was able to learn how to intertwine both factors into his life and be accepted in both societies. The factors of exit and reception also played a role in this pathway. Although, coming into the U.S. they may have not been accepted due to legality, language, and social class. Eventually, they became a U.S. citizen, learned English and became a middle-class family and these factors gave them an advantage in life.

Guatemalan Identity

Today, if someone were to ask my family how do they identify themselves a majority of my family would respond with “Guatemalan.” Since my grandma has passed away I do not know how she identified herself, but I would assume she would say Guatemalan because that is how she grew up and where she learned her values, cultures, and traditions. However, my father, my brothers and myself often find ourselves with two responses depending on who we are speaking to and where we are. If we are in Guatemala, our family will say that we are American and if someone were to ask us we would also respond with American. However, here in the states if someone were to ask we would say Guatemalan. On formal documentation, however, it tends to become confusing. Ethnically we mark the box that says Hispanic/Latino. Racially it becomes a question of whether we mark white or other. Based on the color of our skin, we fall closer to white than any other race listed but we know we are not necessarily white. However, if we mark other we do not know what that “other” is and so we resort to just writing our ethnicity. My mom on the other hand only responds with Guatemalan because she grew up there and knows the culture very well. The reason we all identify differently is that unlike my mother and Abuelita we did not grow up in Guatemala. We have not been fully immersed in the culture and traditions, but we have been introduced to them and taken them as another part of our lives and identity.

Based on my own family’s confusion about how to racially and ethnically identify ourselves I think it shows that for the United States grouping people into certain categories is important to them. However, I also think it goes to show how important it is for people who migrate to the United States to keep their culture and to be able to pass it down to their children. Although, as the generations continue this seems to become more of an issue because children are adapting to the norms of American culture and forgetting where their family’s roots are actually from.