Fieldwork ~ Ethnicity and Nationalism
How long has your family lived in this country?
My family started to immigrate to the United States in the 1980’s. My dad’s aunt, Wilfida, came in 1981 and slowly started encouraging my dad and his siblings to come over. My dad emigrated from Honduras in 1997 with his sister-in-law and niece. When he finally made it to Virginia, where the rest of my family settled down, my aunt Wilfida and my dad’s siblings helped him go to trade school and find a job. On my Mom’s side of the family, her father was the first one that planned to immigrate to the United States. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could make his dreams come true. However, my grandfather’s younger brother, Adali, was inspired by him and Immigrated to the United States in 1988. He then paid for the Coyote (a person who smuggles immigrants across the border) who brought my mom’s older sister, Silvia. In 2002, my aunt Silvia and my dad’s brother, Thomas, paid for my mom’s Coyote to bring her to the U.S. from Honduras.
Where did they come from?
Honduras is a Central American country with the Caribbean Sea to the North and the Pacific Ocean to the South. It has a lot of mountain ranges, tropical rainforest and beautiful beaches with clear, blue water. It even contains some ancient Mayan ruins. Both of my parents come from Honduras, but from very different parts of the country. My dad comes from a small town called El Cubulero in the Southern part of Honduras. It’s a small town with few schools and job opportunities, so getting a high education or a well paying job is very difficult. This is the main reason why my dad left for the United States, in order to find better opportunities. My mom comes from San Pedro Sula, the industrial hub of Honduras. This city is known for its export of bananas and coffee and factories of the garment industry. However, it is also the most dangerous city in Honduras due to its high activity of gang violence, drugs and overall poverty. My mom didn’t plan on leaving, but her mother told her she should look for better opportunities in America.
Has your family embraced American Nationalism?
I believe that my family embraces American patriotism rather than American nationalism. My parents love this country because it has given them so many opportunities that they couldn’t have gotten back home. My parents made the journey to the United States before they even turned 21, so they learned how to become independent adults here. They were discovering who they wanted to be at the same time they were learning about a new country. They learned that although the U.S. is a great place to find opportunities and to start a new life, that doesn’t make it the best place. My parents love America for everything it has to offer and because they started a family here, but they will never stop loving Honduras. They grew up in Honduras, so their favorite childhood memories and their favorite teenage adventures are all connected to their homeland. Their customs, traditions and language come from Honduras, which are all things that my siblings and I have grown up with. We were born Americans but were raised Hondurans. Just like my parents, we live between 2 countries, one is where we were born and raised and the other is where we gained our identity and culture from. My Siblings and I share some of our fondest memories when visiting Honduras and getting to live our lives like our parents. We have seen where our parents come from and appreciate everything they have given us by coming to the United States. We have only ever lived in the U.S., so my siblings and I are patriotic but could never be nationalistic because of our connection to Honduras.
If some of your family have migrated from other parts of the world, how do they integrate their American identity with their ethnic identity?
I think that the best way for my family to integrate their ethnicity is through food, language and communal activities. We eat all kinds of Honduran food, from Baleadas, a simple, humble dish made with flour tortillas, refried beans and queso duro, to Seafood Soups, made of fish and shellfish in fish broth and/or coconut milk. At home I eat Honduran food, but outside of my home I eat a lot of American food. However, sometimes they can be blended together. One example I can think of is how I love burgers with encurtido, red onions, jalapenos, and carrots pickled in pineapple vinegar. Language also plays a big role in integrating my American identity with my ethic identity. My first language is Spanish, since that’s what my parents are fluent in, but my primary language is English, since I live in the United States. There are times where I blend the two together and speak Spanglish when talking to my family and Spanish speaking friends. I also tend to think in English but speak in Spanish and vice versa, which can lead to misunderstandings and grammatical errors. One final thing that ties my American identity and ethic identity are the fairs that the Honduran community has during the summer. In Honduras these fairs are held in local communities to raise money for projects or people in need. At these fairs, people watch soccer games while eating Carne Asada, Enchiladas, Honduran tacos, etc. and play games like La Corrida de Cinta. In this game, riders pass under a rope with small ribbons connected to little hoops. The rider uses a small stick in order to pull on the ribbons with the hoops. The ribbon usually has a number on it, which is connected to someone’s name. That person is supposed to give the rider a prize, which is traditionally money. Originally riders would use horses but in the U.S. they use bikes. The fairs in the U.S. are usually held in order to raise money to send back home to help local communities.
