I came to America over 16 years ago from Guyana, a country in the Caribbean. I came with the perception that everything is good in America and this is the place to be. After all people who came here painted a rosy picture of this country. Needless to say was I surprised when I saw pot holes in the street. Yes! Something as simple as that caught my attention.
Some differences I observed were: Hugging, saying 'I love you', loud chatter, kids throwing tantrums, women seemed to be controlling their relationships with their men, etc.
The words 'I love you' were never verbally expressed in my family, this was only said to a boyfriend our husband. The words 'I love you' were expressed in cards (I remember making these at school for my parents on Mother's and Father's Day, and other important holidays, like Christmas). In America the words are used commonly or loosely to almost everyone. Hugging was never done in my family in Guyana. Americans and other cultural groups greet each other with hugs and kisses.
Expressing one's self as a child was seen as being rude and often resulted in the rod (bamboo stick, which was also called the wild cane)which left welts on the body.
In this society I admire young children expressing themselves intelligently, and with such confidence. Hence, when I became a mother, I made every effort to change a lot of things in terms of the way I brought up my sons. I spoke to them about almost everything (that was something my parents never did, my father always encouraged us to read. As an adult I came to realize, this was probably his way for me and my siblings to gain knowledge. To date my parents are still not forthcoming with information when asked, and that is very frustrating).
Kids throwing tantrums and hitting their parents, surprised me (my first thoughts were can't these people control their children, how are they allowing these kids to hit them.
Another cultural difference was that the children here could call the cops on their parents, dial 911 and Child Protective Services to report a whipping from a parent. Not in my country, there was no such reprieve.
I came to realize that this service is vital, since there are a lot of children who are ligitimately being abused.
In Guyana, in relationships the man is the dominant figure, making the decision, is the bread winner while the woman take care of the house. In my culture the women are expected to be subservient, I always had a problem with that, and acted contrary, hence my first marriage ended. For the record I was gainfully employed from the time I graduated high school, until I came to this country.
In America the women seem to be in control of their relationships and are very vocal and independent. I have witnessed women talking down and embarrassing their partners in public, shouting at these guys as if they were idiots. Maybe in some situations the roles have changed, women being the breadwinners are now acting like the men used to act! Somthing to think about!!!My family have adapted somewhat to the American culture, but are still holding on to their roots.
Some differences I observed were: Hugging, saying 'I love you', loud chatter, kids throwing tantrums, women seemed to be controlling their relationships with their men, etc.
The words 'I love you' were never verbally expressed in my family, this was only said to a boyfriend our husband. The words 'I love you' were expressed in cards (I remember making these at school for my parents on Mother's and Father's Day, and other important holidays, like Christmas). In America the words are used commonly or loosely to almost everyone. Hugging was never done in my family in Guyana. Americans and other cultural groups greet each other with hugs and kisses.
Expressing one's self as a child was seen as being rude and often resulted in the rod (bamboo stick, which was also called the wild cane)which left welts on the body.
In this society I admire young children expressing themselves intelligently, and with such confidence. Hence, when I became a mother, I made every effort to change a lot of things in terms of the way I brought up my sons. I spoke to them about almost everything (that was something my parents never did, my father always encouraged us to read. As an adult I came to realize, this was probably his way for me and my siblings to gain knowledge. To date my parents are still not forthcoming with information when asked, and that is very frustrating).
Kids throwing tantrums and hitting their parents, surprised me (my first thoughts were can't these people control their children, how are they allowing these kids to hit them.
Another cultural difference was that the children here could call the cops on their parents, dial 911 and Child Protective Services to report a whipping from a parent. Not in my country, there was no such reprieve.
I came to realize that this service is vital, since there are a lot of children who are ligitimately being abused.
In Guyana, in relationships the man is the dominant figure, making the decision, is the bread winner while the woman take care of the house. In my culture the women are expected to be subservient, I always had a problem with that, and acted contrary, hence my first marriage ended. For the record I was gainfully employed from the time I graduated high school, until I came to this country.
In America the women seem to be in control of their relationships and are very vocal and independent. I have witnessed women talking down and embarrassing their partners in public, shouting at these guys as if they were idiots. Maybe in some situations the roles have changed, women being the breadwinners are now acting like the men used to act! Somthing to think about!!!My family have adapted somewhat to the American culture, but are still holding on to their roots.
