My host mom has a bright smile on her face as I sit down at the kitchen table at 9:30 p.m. with the family. I look forward to dinner because it is the one time during the day when the whole family gathers together. In the corner of the kitchen we have a small television that provides us with the daily news. We always start dinner as the news cycle begins. The murmuring in the background reminds me a lot of my own home, as my parents had a television in our kitchen set up in a similar fashion when I was a child. During dinner we listen to the anchors and tend to talk over them but will occasionally pause for a major news update.
The television helps when there is silence in the room and ensures there is always a topic of conversation at the dinner table. One of the most intriguing news updates I have heard related to the influx of migrants in Spain and the European Union. The anchor provided us with statistics on the influx of migrants entering from the North of Africa and the increasing number of Venezuelan migrants. Before I arrived in Spain, I knew Europe was experiencing an increase in migration. However, I was not fully aware of the internal sociopolitical situation and the impact it could have on the integration of migrant communities.
As soon as the report ended, I asked my host mom, “How are Venezuelan migrants treated in Spain, and does it differ from other immigrant communities from Latin America?” After thinking for a bit, my host mom responded, “With the influx of Venezuelan migrants, the Spanish see this exodus as an unfortunate event. The Venezuelan community, however, tends to hold higher degrees of education and integrate fairly easily.” In that moment, it made more sense to me that the individuals with greater education could integrate because they hold higher paying jobs, which in turn, provide for a higher standard of living. Those with service jobs tend to be overlooked. Much like in the United States, there is a perception in Spain that service workers are uneducated and a burden on society due to their perceived usage of social programs.
As a son of immigrants in the United States, I know too well the stereotypes which involve the Latino community being uneducated and a nuisance to society. In a way, I was expecting this to be the same perception of Mexicans in Spain. However, this group along with Venezuelans hold a higher level of privilege in society because of the limited number of Mexicans and Venezuelans that can afford to live in Spain. If the Spanish tend to only receive the elites from one country, then the general perception is that these individuals are providing skilled services and are paying into the social welfare programs.
Socioeconomic status can often make the biggest difference because it affects levels of education, standard of living, factors of respectability, and how one may be treated by others. In the United States, many people believe that immigrant communities must assimilate if they wish to integrate. Assimilation is not the solution, because it implies taking cultural aspects away from the individual and following generations, whether it be through language, traditions, or holidays. To fully integrate individuals, we must be accepting of difference and engage in greater dialogue.
Zeke Gutierrez (SFS'19) graduated with a degree in international politics and a minor in Spanish. Gutierrez studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, for the fall 2018 semester, where he contributed to the Junior Year Abroad Network, after first blogging during his fall 2017 semester in Brazil.
