HARD Revise.

Julian Moreno

ENGL 1302

Professor Belz

23 June 2022

Expanding One’s Horizons

Life in America isn’t always the easiest to adjust to for foreigners. People here are harsh, straight to the point, and self-centered compared to other countries. Compared to Jhumpa Lahiri’s journey in America, mine has proved to be simple and privileged.

Throughout Lahiri’s time in America, there were many hardships and obstacles to overcome. “We lived three or four to a room, shared a single, icy toilet, and took turns cooking pots of egg curry, which we ate with our hands on a table covered with newspapers”(Lahiri). This quote from Lahiri shows just a glimpse of what his life was like when he first moved to America. Lahiri goes on to make egg curry every day and follows a schedule with other Bengalis. For quite a while, the only people he communicated with were other Bengalis which made it difficult for him to start adjusting to this new culture. His first living situation after this one was at the Y.M.C.A, in a bed small enough for a child. “In a week I had adjusted, more or less. I ate cornflakes and milk morning and night, and bought some bananas for variety, slicing them into the bowl with the edge of my spoon” (Lahiri). This quote is from when he was staying in the small Y.M.C.A room as he began to adjust to the American culture. Now that Lahiri has begun to surround himself with American culture, he continues to adjust and learn everything he can to help himself fit in.

Furthermore, Lahiri still has a lot to adjust to in the United States. “In a week I had adjusted, more or less. I ate cornflakes and milk morning and night, and bought some bananas for variety, slicing them into the bowl with the edge of my spoon” (Lahiri). In this quote, he describes one of his morning routine activities which proves to be very American; slowly but surely, he is adjusting to this completely new lifestyle. Later on, he finds himself looking for a room for rent in order to save money and have a nicer place to stay. When doing this he is struck by the sternness and directness of the landlord. “"Lock up!" she commanded. She shouted even though I stood only a few feet away. "Fasten the chain and firmly press that button on the knob! This is the first thing you shall do when you enter, is that clear?"” (Lahiri). This quote from Lahiri’s story shows the extreme demands of his landlord. He was caught off guard by this old woman showing much demand. After deciding to move into the small room of the old woman’s house, Lahiri continues to adapt to the American culture and realizes that people here do not treat others as they would in India. Later on, his arranged wife from India, Mala, arrived in America and moved into a new house with just the two of them. Since she was not yet used to American customs, Lahiri showed her around and filled her in on the customs that he has made on his own American cultural journey. Eventually, the couple moved twenty miles from Boston and became American citizens. Slowly but surely, both Lahiri and Mala adapted to the American culture while keeping a part of their own culture within themselves.

In my own life, I have experienced many different cultures but the one that has become a part of me is the Jewish culture. Learning about this culture was simpler and I had much more privilege compared to Lahiri since I learned about it from people that I call family. This culture is comprised of overprotective parents, kosher foods, and even arguing. Learning about these parts of Jewish culture first proved to be very overwhelming and different compared to what I was used to. Being born into a Tex-Mex culture taught me Catholicism, Spanish, and to eat what is given to you. Mainly, I was not used to overprotective parenting. It proved to be annoying and at most times, overwhelming; however, after learning the truth behind it all I began to open up to the idea of being overly parented. The truth behind this overprotective trait in the Jewish culture is actually overcaring. Many Jewish parents are overprotective of their children in fear of them being lost or hurt; this may be a cause of generational trauma or anxiety. In learning more about this culture and its reasoning behind certain beliefs, I have grown into the culture myself as it has truly transformed me. Many positive traits have engrained into me and taught me more about this culture that I knew nothing about before. Another way that this culture has changed me is the use of silliness and positive reinforcement. In the culture that I was born into, it is common to be negative and see the glass as half-empty, but in the Jewish culture, many see the glass as half-full and look at things in a more positive light. This transformation was something that I never thought that I would go through and has taught me many life lessons that I would not have learned without becoming a part of this culture.

Overall, adapting to a new culture can be very difficult and strange in the beginning but in the end, it will all be worth it. Learning about a new culture not only expands your horizons but also teaches you many different points of view and ways of life. In comparison to Lahiri’s journey into a new culture, mine has proved to be smoother and easier since it was in the comfort of people that I already loved.