Moving to a new country and settling in is not as smooth and easy for many people. It becomes more difficult when there are many barriers that exist between immigrants and the citizens of the new country. In the context of Rachel and her family, it was not easy settling in the United States of America in the year 1999. In order to fit in, people have to learn the language of the locals. This fact boils down to the ability of the persons in question to acquire a second language. Perhaps this explains why Rachel’s mother is not as proficient as her father when it comes to English language speaking. But then again, there is also the age and gender factor to be considered when learning a new language.
Having migrated from a Spanish speaking country to an English speaking one they had to form mechanics of learning English outside of the school system. It, therefore, means that they had to use both BICS and CALP as duly seen through the mother, father and children. The mothers basic interests center on BICS whereas he father’s center on CALP just like the children’s.
Immigrants get immense pressure to when getting accustomed to their new environments (Bhugra & Matthew 23). In an effort to become socially accepted, this immigrant family had to assimilate into the American culture. In order to feel accepted, it becomes easier to assimilate rather than acculturate. In the context of acculturation, it may become difficult to retain ones culture considering the pressures they go through in trying to fit in and feel acceptable by the wider society. In the context of this family, they felt safer and better in Miami than Iowa because they had a bigger Spanish community that made them feel at home. In Iowa, they were more prone to Assimilation but in Miami, they acculturated.
Work Cited
Bhugra, Dinesh, & Matthew, Becker. Migration, Cultural Bereavement and Cultural Identity. World Psychiatry 4:1 (2005): 18-24.
