The longer a person remains in a specific neighborhood setting, the less he is an observer, who merely views the community objectively, and the more he is an insider, who understands the dynamics of that neighborhood and partakes in its development. But even so, the experience of recording immigration of a New York City community is so specific to a certain time frame— while a one city may contain a large percentage of immigrants of a particular ethnicity, the numbers do not always stay constant. Instead, they fluctuate according to the amount of people who arrive and leave. And the existence of “Spanish Harlem” attests to the flow of different immigrants into a new community. Therefore, it is not only the actual numbers that change, but also the physical make-up of the current population. So while Jose and Lucille may get a better understanding of the growth of their community due to the amount of time they lived there, Maria and Mohammed get more of a flash of life once they arrive. Their minds have already developed to a certain degree, and they are capable of making judgments on East Harlem based on their previous knowledge and experience. Generalizing this scenario to the present, I think that immigrants who arrive as older children may have a greater appreciation of what New York has to offer but, at the same time, also come with a critical eye because they have in their minds what to compare life to—that is, a previous life in a distant country, devoid of similar opportunities and risks.
I found it interesting to focus on immigration and its implications from a child/adolescent’s point of view. Susan’s experience adapting to American culture, specifically the food industry, is very real. A child of immigrants or a child who is an immigrant can be exposed to two (or possibly more!) completely different cultures simultaneously. There is a struggle to reconcile the diversity, or perhaps completely forgo the old, and pursue the new. Unfortunately, sometimes, neither option works and the child grows up confused, misunderstood, and engaged in acts of physical violence and personal abuse. I found it amazing how environment can have such an enormous impact on one’s behavior, development, and attitudes.
