Home vs. the Homeland

My grandmother recently returned from a 3 week trip to San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico to visit her remaining family on the island. For my grandmother, this trip has been yearly, and--to her--can't come soon enough. While she acts as my family's babysitter when it comes to the multiple cousins I have under the age of 12, and she enjoys it since it gives her a sense of purpose, she has been encouraging my grandfather to move back to Puerto Rico for several years.

She has lived in NJ for over 50 years now, but since she arrived--she says--she has wanted to return. And who could blame her? The inclement NJ weather--too hot and humid in the summer and too cold in the winter--leaves much to be desired. Not to mention, that in Puerto Rico, she's the reigning matriarch of the family. There, she says, she can spend her nights playing dominos on the porch and be with her remaining family members. Though all her children live in NJ, she says that she finds that she has more purpose in Puerto Rico--where they appreciate her value more, she says--than in NJ. 

It is not uncommon for the elderly to want to return to their homeland--to relive the good old days, to retire among familiar settings, friends, and family. In fact, a study attempted to investigate elderly Germans who were living in places other than Germany.  A substantial chunk--31%--wanted to return to Germany to live the last years of the life. One site even names the desire in elderly to return home: acculturation.

Many of the elderly wish to be buried in their homeland especially. The genocide has killed and displaced millions of Sudanese people. A recent article investigated the survived and elderly that wish to be buried in Darfur once the turmoil has subsided. 

Home is never far from the heart, and apparently there can be a discrepancy between home and the homeland.

Elderly Latinos & Speaking English

These is a lot of this going around... 

But it begs the question: since America is known as the great melting-pot, and almost every city has its cultural hotspots (Chinatown, Little Italy, etc.), why is it that people get really upset when there are language barriers? It's not as if the person is speaking another language to intentionally upset you or because they are consciously deciding to speak another language and completely disregard the native tongue. The issue is one of comfort, culture, and convenience. 

My grandmother--a main focal point and point of reference of this blog--came to the mainland from Puerto Rico when she was in her early twenties, and learned English at the insistence of my grandfather, who tutored himself religiously. Ultimately, my grandmother learned the language by becoming both a factory-worker (she had animated conversations with other women in her line who spoke English) and by becoming a hair-washer at a salon and interacting with her clients. Not to mention, when she had my mom, aunt, and uncle and they become natural English speakers at public school, she felt the need to become more proactive in learning the language. Through a unique set of circumstances she was able to learn the language during a time when the anti-Latino immigration movement wasn't so spiteful or heated. But many people don't have the same unique opportunities. 

Now, my great aunt Lulu, is moving to the mainland from Puerto Rico since she can no longer live alone. She--at almost 80--speaks only Spanish and refuses to interact with anyone in any other language. My mom thinks this could simply be her attempt at maintaining stability in her changing world, a refusal to give up the past, or the feeling that it's too late in life to learn anything different. The first two reasons could be true for anyone entering the U.S. who speaks a different language. Many time, immigrants create their own bubble of family and friends who are all from the same country and who speak the same language, and who understand the same culture and traditions. Is it that hard to fathom that during a tumultuous time in their life (moving to another country, perhaps?) there is a desire to cling to what is comfortable. But, if you look around, you'll notice that many Spanish-speaking immigrants (of all ages) truly make an effort to assimilate. In fact, most of them are crazy about America and its culture, and that explains their desire to get it here. I think most people would find that some of the most patriotic, idealistic Americans are those who are immigrants--they appreciate and hope for what they believe the U.S. to stand for: opportunity, freedom, and equality.