Immigration to the United States
This particular study is based on examining the immigrant’s perception of acculturation to the United States. I interviewed a decent African immigrant from Ghana. My interviewee was a twenty-seven-year-old man by the name Amos from Accra, Ghana. Amos had acquired a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance at the University of Ghana. He proceeded to a Master’s degree in Business Management at the same University. Currently, he lives in California and is pursuing another Master’s degree in the San Francisco State University. As it is common for most African students, Amos started learning English at a tender age and has more so improved his skills in communicating the language at the university level, despite that he has not specified to learn English as a core subject. Back in his home country Ghana, Amos has also been a college teacher in Accra college.
His decision to come into the United States was inspired by a scholarship he was offered, and his interest in entering the American culture, which was very enthusiastic to him. Additionally, he has not yet decided on a permanent stay in the United States but also visits Ghana with a certainty of returning to the US. Besides, he has maintained the existing link with his fellow Ghanaians in the United States to ensure that his ties with the native civilians remain firm. His class and societal status are regarded as to have been perilous in his transition life in the United States (Adjepong and Anima 248-266).
However, Amos’ narration and his development of identity as a Ghanaian- American are slightly different from the norm that Ghanaians who live in the United States are living below the United Nations’ poverty level since he is educated and pursuing a Master’s degree. It is believed that most Africans fly their home countries to the United States due to pressures of hunger, poverty, and more so for the search for jobs. This case is different for Amos since he entered the United States mainly for educational purposes under a Scholarship.
Amos’ verdict of immigration was more a personal goal since it happened due to his effort to study in the United States through the application of a scholarship. According to research, uncontrolled immigration makes the acculturation to a new culture a challenge for immigrants since they are forced to change status, assimilation, which is against their will. This leads to marginalization, which causes discrimination and social subordination. Conversely, intended migration entails a lower reaction to cultural preservation.
I also inquired Amos on the challenges or struggles he faced on arrival to the United States. He mentioned that big expectations of the kind of lifestyle he would emulate in the United States were a big challenge based on the perception that living in the United States requires a lot of money since the life there is very luxurious. He added that the language was not a problem to him since he had trained or learned English since her childhood with the inspiration of his mother. Again, he explained that from the start of his motivation to migrate to the United States, he could access the Americans’ lifestyles in the internet or media. Still, on reaching the country, the reality was quite different from what he knew (Osei-Kwasi et al., 190-196).
Additionally, the culture shock was another big challenge since he had to transform faster and emulate the American culture, which is a long process indeed. Another problem is that he came from a small town to a developed city and thus he expected to find towns with build-up areas. This was different since he lives in a small town. Language proficiency was another challenge. Despite Amos’ fluency in English, he finds it difficult to speak with natives mainly due to accent.
However, Amos had some knowledge and experience of the American culture, which he acquired from the media, particularly movies, and again he was somehow fluent in English. Thus he had a dynamic perception of fitting the American culture. Still, the increasing number of Ghanaians in American society helped him enjoy the privilege of riding his Ghanaian heritage. His education and English language proficiency helped him assimilate into society quickly (Kumi-Yeboah et al., 434-455). It can, therefore, be concluded that his experience in American Culture and lifestyle helped him develop a sense of shared identity between America and Ghana