Introduction
THE IDEA BEHIND THIS BOOK
I HAVE WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE LIVING AS A resident alien in America for many years. I believe my story has the potential to inspire other “aliens” like myself to successfully navigate the demands of life in America while, at the same time, encourage Americans to believe that the people of the world who have landed on our shores are not bad people who can all be thrown into a convenient and misguided category of “bad hombres.”
The manuscript for this book was finished in the spring of 2017. Having witnessed the chaos that resulted in the unlikely election of Donald Trump to the Presidency, I knew then, as I know now, that my story had to be told. The anxiety I felt in early 2017 has turned into a real sense of alarm like the ones that dispatch fire trucks, with sirens blaring and lights flashing, as they speed resolutely to the scene of an emergency. Such is the picture of what is happening in our nation today, thus my sense of urgency to get my story out.
My story, at least in part, explains why the issues of racism and discrimination persist, despite many efforts to eradicate them from our society. But I believe my story also offers hope for a future in which people will be respected for who they are and not what they look like.
This book was designed in such a way that, in addition to reading about my story, by the end, you will also feel like you completed a college-level introductory course on cross-cultural communication and the history and implications of racism.
My idea is a very modest one. This book has no pretense of being a manual for intercultural studies, nor is it a full autobiography of someone who has experienced more than three decades of life as an alien in America. But you will find material covering both topics here. You will also find practical tips about cross-cultural issues (
Chapter 11) and a tribute to some of my friends who have helped me make the journey through the U.S. a success (
Chapter 16).
The chapters are divided prepensely, alternating between personal stories, “didactical” material about the burden of crossing cultures, and historical discussions. At times, the topics will be interwoven within the same chapter, but overall the chapters will focus on a specific topic. As you read, you will get a glimpse of the joys and peri