“I was fourteen years old when I arrived by airplane in New York City. I did not speak English, I had to learn a new language, a new culture, and adapt to a new environment. I found American culture to be very different from the Dominican Republic – we are more relational. I often asked myself, how do I fit in? How do I relate to this? The place seemed like an emotional desert, and at the same time, there were so many people! I was not accustomed to being surrounded by so many strangers.
Feeling heard and understood was a major challenge. People had misconceptions and made assumptions about me because of the way I looked and my inability to speak the language. Teachers would treat me as illiterate and dumb. That was rather mystifying to me because I came from an environment where I was considered to have great potential for university education. At the time it was important for me as a teenager to create alliances and friendships with similarly aged kids. But we didn’t really talk about what we were going through. We were not developmentally ready to get into reflections and conversations about our experience.
Interestingly, I also did not have much time for teenage defiance. I had to attend to and navigate through pretty basic needs; it was a matter of survival. There weren’t many choices. Like others who migrated at an early age, I was not identifying with this culture, nor did I feel safe to identify fully with the culture I came from. So, it was a challenging experience, but it created flexibility and adaptability in unfamiliar environments for me as an adult.
I have been in the Upper Valley for 41 years, and I love it. New York City challenged me in so many ways! It prepared me to connect with new environments, develop communication skills in a new language and culture, and advocate for myself while also attuning to my surroundings. In New England, folks are protective of their privacy and independence. The Upper Valley has offered me the contrast of privacy and a bit more familiarity and connection.
As I get older, I am falling in love again with the Spanish language and my Dominican culture. So much of it is about the human experience; our communities experience life together. We recognize and embrace our interconnectedness.”–Rita, Norwich, VT.
