Interview with Reinier Santana
While the taste of discontent spreads across the United States and becomes a normality for many Americans, only fourteen percent of the country’s population obtain the firsthand realities and perspectives of a struggling nation. In this report, an analysis of an oral interview with Reinier Santanam, who describes his experiences and courageous journey from Cuba to the United States, will be documented to help provide valuable perspectives into the realities of immigrants and their transitions into U.S society.
Reinier’s story begins in the city of Cienfuegos, Cuba, where he was born and resided for twenty-one years prior to him immigrating to America. Reinier grew up living with his father and sister, after his mother had unfortunately passed away when he was younger, in a lower to middle-lower class household. While expressed that this ultimately made things “different and a little more difficult at times…,” Reinier’s family learned how to adapt and continue their journeys together despite their joint hardships. Unfortunately, Cuba has been suffering from an economic instability for quite some time which has impacted thousands of individuals lives continuously due to their significantly low economic stability and a lack of opportunities. These socioeconomic struggles create significant “push” factors for citizens to seek immigration pathways to other countries in hopes of a more stable economy and better future for themselves and their family.
Photo of Reinier before immigrating to the U.S.
Reinier highlights the influence of the economic struggle throughout the course of the interview, one prominent example being his sister’s experience as a lawyer in Cuba. Despite working for seven years in law, Reinier expressed his sister’s salary reached around 20 dollars per month; a significantly lower income than compared to the United States. This significant barrier ultimately became one of the main reasons Reinier and his family decided to start their process of immigrating to the U.S. Unfortunately, due to the United States and Cuba’s historical disputes, this tense relationship makes the process of receiving travel papers more difficult and time costly, sometimes taking several years to be processed. Fortunately, Reinier’s family are Spanish descended from his grandfather, so in effort to maneuver around the unfair challenges, his father, uncle, and himself would eventually obtain Spanish citizenship. This title would allow them to purchase a plane ticket to the U.S. and leave through a Spanish island to avoid any problematic circumstances. However, while Reinier was able to obtain Spanish citizenship because he was under eighteen, his travel documents still took around three years to finalize, so he was not able to leave with his father and uncle at that time. Instead, Reinier remained in Cuba with his sister, who unfortunately was over the age to quickly receive Spanish citizenship, until his documentation was established. These political barriers can connect to significant course themes, such as the impact of immigration policies or “theories of migration” frameworks, further highlighting how their influence had ultimately shaped Reinier’s journey.
Once received his finalized documents, Reinier was finally able to achieve his goal of immigrating to the United States, with the continuous support from his father who purchased Reinier’s plane ticket over. The next course of action after arriving in the U.S, following the footsteps of his father’s and uncle’s process, was to replace his Spanish citizenship with his Cuban citizenship, leaving him as a refugee in American due to Cuba’s political and economic instability. This method would ultimately speed up Reinier’s United States documentation process and decrease the difficulty of the steps of assimilation in American society. Reinier’s clever strategy to enhance his transition process is an important example of how immigrants must take complex courses of action that reflect to their individual experiences to achieve residency in America. These strategies are greatly shaped by “push/pull factors” and political barriers that leave immigrants no choice but to take actions of their own if they want to ever obtain a better life in their new country.
Reinier decided to temporarily join his father and uncle in Florida during his initial months in the United States, arriving with only ten dollars in his pockets and his “American dream” that has only partially been completed. His integration into U.S. society was influenced greatly by cultural and societal adaptations. Upon arriving in the United States, Reinier described notable culture shocks surrounding the commonality of cars, societal norms regarding personal space, and the sheer amount and affordability of food. He also identified social differences in comparison to Cuba upon meeting with U.S. born individuals as well, specifically in social greetings or interactions, to which he made the choice to adapt to these societal norms in the United States. As an example, Reinier states how kissing individuals on the cheek upon greeting was a commonality within Cuba but soon learned that is not the preferred method of greetings in the U.S.
Quick to find employment, after a month in the U.S. Reinier found himself working in a Chinese restaurant for about three months until he transitioned to a local poultry plant, to which he recalls his time employed rather content. Reinier stated “People are mostly helpful and friendly…and I was just happy to have a job,” emphasizing his gratitude of simply being employed and not focusing on the title. His experiences at the poultry plant connect to the frameworks of the “network theory of migration,” as poultry plants typically target immigrant workers for their work ethic and desire for employment in a country where U.S. born individuals typically turn their head up at due to their undesirable work conditions. Reinier recalls working with other immigrants at the plant, which significantly helped his language transition and able to work more comfortably, in addition to his fortunate lack of workplace discrimination. However, Reinier recognized his English would not continue to improve if he did not involve himself with more U.S. speakers and real-life situations.
Due to his language barrier, his persistent accent and the color of his skin, Reinier exclaimed how these factors could sometimes make him feel like an outsider amongst U.S. individuals. Rather than letting these hold him back, Reinier made an effort to put himself into situations outside of his comfort zone so he could become more immersed in U.S. societal and cultural normalities and find his place in his new country. Reinier’s process of integrating reflects the “segmented assimilation” theory as he seeks out strategies to help him find his belonging, methods being actively attending ESL (English-Second Language) classes to enhance his English, listen to English-spoken music and movies, engaged with English speakers to learn more casual dialect, and even utilize public literacy facilities strictly meant to help immigrants’ transition into the U.S.
Reinier’s persistence to learn English, partake in local education and employment opportunities, and emerging himself into situations to enhance his overall sense of belonging all connects to the “Context of Reception” concept, which displays the multiple societal influence that significantly shape how immigrants adapt and integrate into their new lives. In addition, Reinier could recall the growing “Immigrant Harrisonburg” with his surprise of Harrisonburg’s multicultural, inclusive community. When asked, Reinier exclaimed “I thought it was going to be just white people and a few Spanish people,” however he did not anticipate that to necessarily be a bad thing regardless and continued his desire to assimilate himself into U.S. society. His ability to adapt to his surroundings and accept the contrasting societal norms highlights Reinier’s want of a bigger and better life compared to what he envisioned if he remained in Cuba.
His perspective of integrating into U.S. society shows itself in his sense of self and belonging in his new home, as reflected in his statement, “…home is here (the U.S.).” Reinier expressed, while he does identify as Cuban American, “I don’t see myself as a Cuban anymore… I feel like 80 percent American, 20 percent Cuban.” His more favored identity of being American but still acknowledging his Cuban heritage reflects cultural hybridization and his process of assimilating into American society. Despite having no desire to return to Cuban residency or stay strictly Cuban, Reinier maintains familial connections through “transnational ties,” making an effort to call and even visit from time to time.
Reinier visiting family in Cuba from 2017.
Reinier’s combination of embracing his new identify while maintaining contact with his family in Cuba is another significant example of the “segmented assimilation” theory of migration, being mindful of his assimilation into the U.S. while also retaining connections to his family roots. This ability to navigate his sense of identity in America while balancing ties to his cultural heritage display the multifaceted process of immigrants’ adaptation and transition into U.S. society.
When reflecting on his journey to the United States, Renier’s recalls a rather positive transition process, marked from his achieved goals of reaching economic stability and self-integrating himself to become an American. Renier considers that his initial and primary goals have been succeeded, stating, “My dream was coming to the United States, have a job and a house… that part of my dream was 100 percent accomplished.” His contentment of his success emphasizes achieving the American Dream as a common motivator amongst other immigrants and their desire of attaining a better life for themselves and family. Renier’s gratitude for his success is also rooted in his firsthand experiences of the hardships he faced and knew in Cuba, such as economic instability and limited opportunities, which he compares to the diverse accessibility achievable in the U.S. In addition, Reinier’s states he prefers the age he was when he migrated as opposed to being younger as this allowed him to fully experience and acknowledge the hardships in Cuba, which in return gave him more of an appreciation towards his achievements in the United States.
Due to this firsthand experience, Reinier developed a valuable perspective towards American attitudes, specifically towards individuals’ complacency and common American grievances. While he does not deny or undermine current American hardships and struggles, he expresses often time people in American do not realize the privileges and opportunities at hand in comparison to a developing country, such as Cuba. Whether regarding American born citizens or other migrating immigrants, Reinier’s perspective of wearing both sides’ shoes demonstrates his resilience and gratitude for where he came from and his privileges to a better life in comparison of what he would be experiencing if he never left Cuba. A significant example of this privilege was when he recalls the time when the entire country of Cuba went without electricity for three days, stating if that situation were to happen in the United States, “… it would be like Madmax.” These internal reflections from Reinier encourage American individuals to reevaluate their situation through a global perspective and learn to appreciate the opportunities available. Barriers and challenges happen in almost every country to some scale, but once put into perspective, what matters is how an individual chooses to adapt and overcome struggles to seek a better life.
Reinier’s immigrational journey connects to additional course themes, such as the concept of “new destination” regarding the transition of “Immigrant Harrisonburg.” These notable patterns display the growing settlement and migrant networks of immigrants outside of traditional “gateway cities” in American that historically have large populations of immigrants. This expansion of migrant settlements highlights a shift in relocation for immigrants to settle in smaller cities and towns, which in response plays a significant role in the future of migrant networks and immigrants’ journeys. These societal shifts of immigration demonstrate the social and cultural impacts that play a major role in an individual’s migration and how they go about properly assimilating into their new home.
The significant of Reinier’s story goes beyond just his firsthand experience; rather, his experiences become valuable insights to the realities and complexities of the immigration process and how factors such as social, political, financial, and so forth all play a critical role in the development of immigrants’ integration into the U.S. As immigration continues to grow and shape the context of American society, Reinier’s experience serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of an inclusive community, cultural understanding, and adaptivity of those who seek a better life for not only themselves but family and friends alike. With his connections to segmented assimilation, global migrant networks, and the first-generation experience, Reinier’s story remains a vital example of the multifaceted complexion of the immigration process and its lasting impression on an individual’s sense of identity and belonging in their new home.
Interview Project Transcript
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[00:00:00] Chloe: First, I would like to thank you for your time and participating for this interview. I appreciate it. This project aims to document and share the growing diverse experiences of immigrants within our local community. Your story will help provide valuable insights into the realities of immigrants and the transitions into U. S. society. All information collected will be uploaded to a public academic website created to highlight these unique stories. Fostering a broader understanding of the immigrant experience first hand and ultimately becoming a valuable tool for the future studies. Um, before we start, we get started, is there any questions that you had prior that you wanted to ask or anything?
Okay. Well first things first, uh, may you tell me how your life was like before you came to the United States?
[00:00:50] Reinier: My life was, um, I can’t say very normal to what living in Cuba was. I was born there. I lived in Cuba for 21 years. Um, yeah, my family was like a middle class.
I would say not, because there are like different classes in Cuba similar to here. So my family was like a middle class, like I would say like lower middle class. Ah. Even though it was a little different because, it was just my dad, my mom had passed away when I was younger, so it was just my dad, providing for my sister and me.
So it was a little more difficult than, than the other, but, um, middle, middle class, went through regular school, high school. And then I went to college in Cuba. Um, you know, I didn’t have anything, extra, but I didn’t need anything either. So, yeah.
[00:01:51] Chloe: Was it like community college? Or was it a university?
[00:01:53] Reinier: No, like regular college, yeah.
[00:01:54] Chloe: Oh, perfect.
Where did you get your degree in?
[00:01:55] Reinier: Well, I didn’t finish it.
[00:01:57] Chloe: Oh, oh, I’m sorry. I might have missed that. Yeah,
[00:01:59] Reinier: I went, uh, for two years, because college in Cuba is five years. Oh, okay. So I went for two years. My sister did finish her, um, school in Cuba. She, she’s a lawyer in Cuba, and she was a lawyer for seven years.
[00:02:12] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:02:13] Reinier: before she came here. Um, but I didn’t finish because I dropped to come over here.
[00:02:18] Chloe: Oh, okay. Um, that’s very interesting . Um, may you describe your family life and any of your surrounding neighborhood or community?
[00:02:26] Reinier: It, uh, I would say, eh, like a lot of, Spanish cultures, like we are really close to our family.
[00:02:33] Chloe: Mm-Hmm. ,
[00:02:33] Reinier: uh, we do a lot of like, um, like parties or like get together. Uh, really, um, you know, really close together, like always help each other. And also the thing is, um, in Cuba, as for like another, um, Spanish, countries, when our family stay together for longer, like here, I have noticed that once you are 18 or once, you know, Over 18, you can’t move out of the house in Cuba because of the economic situation.
Most of the people stay together in the same family.
[00:03:07] Chloe: Very close knit.
[00:03:08] Reinier: Um, because the economy doesn’t allow you just to rent a house. It doesn’t allow you to buy a house.
So, the family grows a lot because, um, uh, you stay within family. So you bring your, your partner to live with you and your family and then you have kids. Yeah, you don’t experience our, um, The grandparents are pretty close to the kids because they are in the same house. Very different to here.
[00:03:33] Chloe: How did you feel about that closeness? Did you like it personally?
[00:03:38] Reinier: Yeah, yeah. Most of the people like
it. Most of the people like it there. But, uh, Sometimes it could be a little more, you know, like, overwhelming having so many people in the same house.
[00:03:50] Chloe: Makes sense.
[00:03:51] Reinier: But, it is good because you always have somebody there to help you. Always there to, you know, somebody there that has a little more experience with kids than you. And something that my sister and I have kind of like missed from Cuba.
[00:04:05] Chloe: . I’ve always kind of admired that closeness of Spanish families.
Um, did you have any goals for when you were living in Cuba for like your future? Whether you wanted to, uh, if you already knew that you wanted to leave or if you Maybe another country.
[00:04:22] Reinier: Yes. Uh, well, I always wanted to learn English when I was there. So I was always keeping that in the back of my head. I wanted to learn English.
So I’ll kind of be like, you know, a little bit off ahead when I get there. But also I wanted to pursue a degree that I could use here. Um, but I’ll actually, I’m glad that I didn’t end my degree there because I had some. People that I know that have like a engineer and degree there and they actually can’t use it here.
[00:04:53] Chloe: Yeah. I’ve heard of people that with like doctors in other countries. Yeah. It’s pretty unfortunate.
[00:04:57] Reinier: Very unfortunate. And like my friend, he’s a electrical engineer, in Cuba and he can’t use his degree. Yeah. So would it be a good thing because it was free? Mm-Hmm. . And then, I mean, you get the knowledge and the knowledge is always with you.
[00:05:12] Chloe: Oh yeah.
[00:05:12] Reinier: But um. You don’t get to use it here. I think you have to go through the whole course. It’s kind of like So, yeah. But that was my goal, like, you know, Always prepare to come over here.
[00:05:27] Chloe: Did your partial credits, did they transfer? No, you just completely restart. Okay. Um, that makes sense, but I wasn’t sure.
Um, what were the main factors that What made you want to migrate to the U. S.?
[00:05:41] Reinier: Well, main factor, probably the main factor, was the economy.
Yeah, and, like I said, my sister was a lawyer, and
she was a lawyer for seven years. Um, she couldn’t live by herself. Yeah, no, she couldn’t leave, buy a house.
[00:05:59] Chloe: Oh, I understand.
[00:05:59] Reinier: She couldn’t rent a house because it was it was not enough money, even though you are a lawyer.
[00:06:05] Chloe: Mm hmm.
[00:06:05] Reinier: Which here, if you are a lawyer, you, you know, you at least. You can live. Yeah. I mean, at least you can’t buy a house. Or at least you can rent a house. Here, you can’t even rent a house with the salary that you get as a lawyer. It is barely enough to buy food.
[00:06:23] Chloe: Oh goodness.
[00:06:23] Reinier: Barely. Like
[00:06:25] Chloe: is it like very expensive over there?
[00:06:28] Reinier: It just It’s not very expensive. The salary are very low.
[00:06:31] Chloe: Oh okay, that was next question.
[00:06:32] Reinier: Say back then. Yeah, it had probably changed, but when I was there, my sister was there too. . , her salary was around $20 a month.
[00:06:40] Chloe: Oh, a month.
[00:06:41] Reinier: Wow. And the prices are kind of similar to here. . So to buy a pair of shoes is like. $15. So you have to like, if I’m buying a pair of shoes I don’t get to eat for the rest of the month. But like I only have $5 to eat so.
[00:06:56] Chloe: Oh wow, I wasn’t aware.
[00:06:57] Reinier: So a lot of the doctors, lawyers, uh, , and you know, that they get a lot of gifts from their customers.
[00:07:06] Chloe: Oh, that’s very nice.
[00:07:06] Reinier: And that’s kind of how they survive. And then other people just do kind of the same, just get another, um, source of income, like legal or not legal.
[00:07:18] Chloe: Um, we’re getting degrees, a kind of a common thing in Cuba if it was so low.
[00:07:22] Reinier: Yeah. It is, not low.
[00:07:26] Chloe: Uh, well, salary.
[00:07:28] Reinier: Yeah. Salary. Yeah. Um, it is very common even though some people don’t do it. Mm-Hmm. , some people get like, like, uh, two years they get because they just didn’t want to go to college, even though it’s free. But, um, yeah, a lot of people go to college. Yeah, my sister went to college, I went to college, a lot of people that I know went to college.
[00:07:47] Chloe: Um, were there any other circumstances that pushed you out of your country, aside from the economy? .
[00:07:54] Reinier: Uh, not me. No, I know other people did.
Um, because like I said, I was probably in the middle, um, in the lower middle, you know. Uh, but there were probably people that were worse than me and then they felt like a lot of their issues were coming from the government.
[00:08:14] Chloe: Oh, okay. Yeah.
[00:08:14] Reinier: Um, uh, I don’t know. So I know like people that have, that were in the, again, the higher end, you know, like, their work. Any more money for, you know, like being in something The government didn’t really like that. So the government was really strict with um businesses and that those people were a little more like Didn’t like the government but for my family wasn’t that bad because we were kind of in the middle class like lower middle class And for us the government was kind of like helpful.
[00:08:47] Chloe: Oh, so you were getting, like, help from the government?
[00:08:50] Reinier: Yeah,
[00:08:50] Chloe: Okay,
[00:08:50] Reinier: yeah but if you are, um, you know, like, , somebody that earned a lot of money, and the government probably won’t help you that much, then you probably won’t like the government as much.
[00:09:01] Chloe: Yeah, they typically just help the lower class.
[00:09:03] Reinier: Yeah, yeah.
[00:09:03] Chloe: Okay. Um, did you have any family or friend connections in the U. S. prior to you moving?
[00:09:12] Reinier: Um, yes, yes, I have, I have friends that went to school with me and then they moved to the United States when they were younger and like, you know, , there were like 10, 12, and I stay in contact with him, um, um, my dad was able to come to United States before me.
[00:09:32] Chloe: Oh, okay.
[00:09:32] Reinier: So I had an idea what, um, what United States was going to be.
[00:09:39] Chloe: Did your dad go over by himself or did he go over with any of your other family?
[00:09:44] Reinier: Um, with my uncle. They got them, , they were able to get the paperwork fixed and they came to United States together.
My uncle stayed in Florida. My dad lived in Florida with my uncle for a few months.
[00:10:00] Chloe: Mm hmm.
[00:10:01] Reinier: But, uh, it was really expensive, and that’s why my dad decided to come to here. It was cheaper, easier to find jobs, and stuff.
[00:10:09] Chloe: Um, is there any reasons why you didn’t come with them when they came?
[00:10:13] Reinier: Because my papers weren’t fixed.
You know, it takes a lot of time.
[00:10:19] Chloe: Yeah, oh yeah.
[00:10:21] Reinier: It takes a lot of time for the Cuban government to release you so you can go, and it’s like, you know, the passport takes.
Month, maybe years. So long. Yeah, so, um, so theirs was fixed before and then they came and then my dad make some money so he Paid for my, for my flight here.
[00:10:42] Chloe: That’s, that’s nice. I’m sure probably helped a lot having that connection over here Um, you mentioned that he paid for your flight. Um, is that how Basically, I’m going into the explaining your journey to the United States. So how did you specifically Um, travel from Cuba to the United States.
[00:10:59] Reinier: So, the way, and because Cuba doesn’t let you come to the United States just like that.
[00:11:04] Chloe: Oh, okay.
[00:11:05] Reinier: And the United States doesn’t let you, if you’re Cuban, doesn’t let you just come like that. So, the way that my family did it, uh, no, not my family, my uncle, my dad and me. Okay. So, my family is, uh, descended from the Spanish. Okay. Like, from Spain. So, my grandfather was, um, My grandfather was from Spain and moved to Cuba.
[00:11:29] Chloe: Oh, okay.
[00:11:30] Reinier: So, my dad and my uncle were able to get Spanish citizenship.
[00:11:38] Chloe: Oh, okay, so they got that first.
[00:11:40] Reinier: Yeah, and then that way you could leave Cuba. So, they can’t get a ticket straight from Cuba to the United States, so they went to another island. Oh, okay. And then from that island to here. So, but theirs was done before, then I got it because I was under 18, and my dad got it, so it kind of like transferred, but that’s why it took a little longer.
My sister wasn’t, she was over 18, so she couldn’t get it.
[00:12:09] Chloe: Oh, okay. I thought, so you moved, or you, Immigrated to the United States when you were under 18?
[00:12:16] Reinier: No, no, I got the citizenship.
[00:12:17] Chloe: Oh, citizenship. Okay. Okay I got it now.
[00:12:19] Reinier: The spanish citizenship when I was under 18. Took so long to get all their paperwork, but I was already a spanish citizen, but um, it took so long for me to get the All the paper fakes and it’s like three years.
[00:12:32] Chloe: Oh goodness um, what were
[00:12:36] Reinier: Oh, yeah, I am now in the way because I am Because I was also a Spanish citizen, I was able to leave the country to another country and from that country come here.
[00:12:45] Chloe: Oh, okay. Um, is there a specific reason why the transportation from Cuba in the United States is like that? I, it might, probably is common sense.
[00:12:55] Reinier: Uh, well, Cuba and the United States never, they never had like a good relationship. . Um, back in the 1970s and 1860s. Mm hmm. Uh, Spain was the one with, um, Cuba was part of Spain.
[00:13:13] Chloe: Okay.
[00:13:14] Reinier: But, uh, United States kind of like intervened. And, um, so they got the president from Cuba. There was a Cuban was uh, kind of like, uh, this is how they call it.
It was like a power from United States. So it was kind of like, not really looking for the Cuban, um, benefit. It was more like, , um, looking for United States benefit. And then Cuban people rebel. That’s what they do during the revolution in 1959. And so it wasn’t really against United States, but it was from people that were, um, helped from United States.
Um, that’s another view. Like they, they, um. The Bay Bay Pig Pig. Yeah.
[00:14:00] Chloe: Oh yeah. Yeah.
[00:14:01] Reinier: So that’s, uh, the CIA was helping Cubans. fight the other Cubans there. Okay. And so, so that, that’s why United States and Cuban never had like a good relationship.
[00:14:14] Chloe: Okay. I probably should have known that, but I assumed you would have had a better knowledge.
[00:14:20] Reinier: So, uh, but the good thing that came out of that was that we were able to come to the United States as refugees.
[00:14:28] Chloe: Oh, okay.
[00:14:28] Reinier: Because supposedly Cuba was like a dictatorship. So that can help us when we came to the United States. We were able to get our paper and our like citizenship and a lot more. quicker than, like quicker than other Spanish countries.
[00:14:48] Chloe: So you, um, when you came over you were considered a refugee? Yes.
[00:14:53] Reinier: So I came with a Spanish passport. But I had to get rid of the Spanish passport. Yes. And they only showed my Cuban passport, so I can’t say Cuban. Meaning, so they, uh, they take me as a Cuban, not as a Spanish person. Okay. Uh, from Spain. And the Spanish is kind of like
[00:15:12] Chloe: Yes, yes, yes.
[00:15:13] Reinier: Uh, uh, . . So, uh, I came in United as a Cuban, so I was, I was able to get all the process faster.
[00:15:20] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:15:20] Reinier: citizen ship and the, mm-Hmm. .
[00:15:22] Chloe: It’s pretty interesting how you have to have something different to even get in here, and then once you are in here, you don’t even need that. Yeah. . Um, did your dad and uncle when they got here, were they considered refugees?
[00:15:33] Reinier: Yes. .They, they were the same.
[00:15:34] Chloe: Okay.
[00:15:34] Reinier: Mm-Hmm. ,
[00:15:35] Chloe: um. So, I know you had your father and your uncle, um, and friends in the United States already, but did you have any other external, um, support from your travels from Cuba to the United States?
[00:15:48] Reinier: No, no, no. So, I actually came here with $10.
[00:15:52] Chloe: Oh!
[00:15:53] Reinier: And then I just went to buy pizza.
[00:15:55] Chloe: , that’s excellent for sure. So, is that it? Was that the first time you had gotten it, or?
[00:16:00] Reinier: No, no. I mean, we have like a Cuban pizza, which is a different style. It’s a little more like a deep dish pizza. Yeah, it seems like. And here, it’s like a different style pizza.
Just a thin. So that was my first time having that one, yeah.
[00:16:13] Chloe: How was it?
[00:16:13] Reinier: It was pretty good. Pretty good? Yeah, it was pretty good.
[00:16:16] Chloe: Was that like the first ever United States food you ever had?
[00:16:19] Reinier: Uh, no. I, well, this is funny. Okay. The first food that I ever had was Cuban food. So they took me to a place that made Cuban food.
Really good though, but, I’m like, well, it’s not what I was expecting. It’s like American food, like steak.
[00:16:38] Chloe: Oh yeah, steak, burgers, all that stuff.
[00:16:42] Reinier: So they took me to get food in a Cuban place. It was good.
[00:16:48] Chloe: How did it compare to Cuba?
[00:16:49] Reinier: Well, um, The flavor was the same, but much more, you know, different, different dishes.
Compared to like, you know, you can only eat one dish in Cuba. You know, two dishes maybe. You know, you can pick any type of meat, any type of rice, any type of vegetable, any type of whatever you want, yeah. In Cuba you couldn’t do that.
[00:17:15] Chloe: That’s pretty interesting. Um. What were your first impressions once you arrived here?
[00:17:22] Reinier: Uh, the cars. Cars really surprised me. Oh yeah? Like, how many cars are That was like
[00:17:30] Chloe: Were cars, um, Kind of like a luxury item, I’m assuming. Exactly. Were they, were they even there?
[00:17:35] Reinier: They are, there are some cars. They’re,, but it’s like, it’s like a luxury.
[00:17:38] Chloe: Yeah.
[00:17:38] Reinier: Uh, it’s like, cars are more valuable than houses in Cuba. So you can buy a house for like 10, 000 in Cuba, cars could be up to 30, 000.
[00:17:49] Chloe: Oh goodness. Even for like the lower end stuff?
[00:17:52] Reinier: The low end, yeah.
[00:17:53] Chloe: Oh wow.
[00:17:54] Reinier: So, yeah, and then, uh, that was surprising like how everybody had, had a car. , that’s, you know, that’s really bad feeling, but people don’t see it here.
People see like a car, like an only, but, uh, a lot, like probably 5% of people in Cuba have car.
[00:18:13] Chloe: Yeah. Um, what was, what was one of like the cars that kind of stood out to you?
[00:18:19] Reinier: Hmm?
[00:18:19] Chloe: What was one of the cars that kind of stood out to you?
[00:18:20] Reinier: Um, you know, like sport cards.
[00:18:23] Chloe: Sport cards. Yeah.
[00:18:24] Reinier: Yeah. That, that’s, uh, that’s always like, I thing that. Like, you know, like Mustangs
[00:18:29] Chloe: Is the Tesla yours?
[00:18:30] Reinier: Yeah, yeah.
[00:18:31] Chloe: That’s, pretty nice.
[00:18:31] Reinier: Yeah, I have changed a little bit. Yeah, I already had like Mustangs and all that, like sports cars, V8, but I have changed a little bit.
[00:18:41] Chloe: Have you, did you ever get a sports car before the Tesla?
[00:18:44] Reinier: Uh, yeah. I was, I was really big into BMWs, so I had a few BMWs before the, um, Before the Tesla, I didn’t have like, you know, not as good as cars before that.
[00:18:59] Chloe: The electric cars?
[00:19:01] Reinier: Uh, no, before the two BWI had like, um, 2000 cars.
[00:19:05] Chloe: Oh, okay. Yeah.
[00:19:06] Reinier: No, not that, not that good.
[00:19:08] Chloe: You gotta start somewhere.
[00:19:09] Reinier: But I guess I didn’t have um, I never had, a sport car.
[00:19:13] Chloe: I mean, hey, the Tesla’s a pretty good. I think you got, you got to a pretty good, ending, um, how did you decide where you wanted to settle down? Did you have any, like, outside barriers that kind of shaped to where you
[00:19:27] Reinier: Well, I haven’t decided yet. Um, see, I came over here, but my goal was, Once I’m like a little more like financially stable, I want to move back to Florida.
[00:19:41] Chloe: Oh, okay.
[00:19:41] Reinier: That was always my idea. And then after that, I was like, well, let me just finish school. And then after that, I go back to Florida. And then I bought a house.
I’m like, well, let me just live in the house for a few years. And then it never really, the opportunity never came up like easy to move to Florida. Um, No, my wife doesn’t like Florida because it’s too hot. So I guess we won’t move to Florida. But yeah, I have changed a little bit too, but you know, because the pricing in Florida, you know, it’s a little more crazy and it’s not as safe, uh, probably like where I live now.
So I think I have come to like it more than what I liked before. It’s kind of um, I like the weather, I like the people. It’s a little small to what I’m used to. Because even though I live in Cuba, the place I live in Cuba was very night and life active. So like nightclubs and restaurants and it was much more active.
[00:20:44] Chloe: Oh.
[00:20:44] Reinier: So that’s why I always wanted to move back to a place that had more,
[00:20:49] Chloe: Mm hmm. I was gonna ask what, um, what makes you, uh, like Florida so much?
[00:20:55] Reinier: Uh, it’s very similar, it’s very similar, closer to Cuba.
The weather is very similar, the culture, a lot of Cubans there. And I feel more like home, than here.
[00:21:07] Chloe: That makes sense.
[00:21:07] Reinier: Um, yeah. One thing that really struck me was like, I came to here and then somebody took me to a nightclub. And when I saw the nightclub, I was like, uh, this is not a nightclub.
[00:21:19] Chloe: I was gonna say, how did, um
[00:21:21] Reinier: First, I saw people in cowboy boots and pants and belt buckle like, wow.
That’s We came to the wrong place. So, because, you know, um, even in Cuba, people dress up like, Really, really nice, you know, like, um, like name brands like Prada, Dolce Gabbana, like really nice clothes. That’s cool. Even though most of them can’t afford it.
[00:21:46] Chloe: Yeah.
[00:21:47] Reinier: Um, or, you know, some of those people were like getting, get money from people that live here. So they get kind of like help from them. Or some of the people just have good businesses. So, um, I would say it is a minority, but, uh, people, even though they’re not, they’ll have a lot of money. They dress really, really well.
[00:22:08] Chloe: What do you think, um, people in Cuba like to splurge for on outfits, like for nightclubs , and parties and stuff
[00:22:15] Reinier: um, what do they like to spend on that?
[00:22:20] Chloe: Or, um, like. Why do they, um, spend their money on nice clothes just to make sure, like, you said they had like name brands and really high end stuff. Um, I was wondering like, why do you think for clubs, that’s like something that they like to spend a lot of money on?
[00:22:36] Reinier: It’s just like, uh, I mean, it could be multiple reasons, but I think one is like, um, the way to distract themselves from what is going on in their life. Um, you know, like It’s like a Saturday night to like help you forget about all the struggles that you have. And then the name brings you like, you know, something that first give you like, um, make you feel a little more, I think it’s similar to here.
Some people do that to here and, um, make you feel , and like you look better than, you know, you have more self esteem to go talk to somebody else and make you feel like you are a little better than somebody else. Yeah.
[00:23:17] Chloe: It’s interesting. Um, did you have any like places already lined up for where you wanted to like stay or were you just coming, did you stay with your father when you first got here?
[00:23:29] Reinier: Uh, so I came here and I lived with my dad for Six months. Um, while I was getting all my paperwork and a job and this and that, so I lived with him for six months. , I think that I moved by myself and I already had a job. I didn’t have a car, but I had a moped. So that was, I was able to move around with that. Yeah, so I lived with my dad for six months.
[00:23:59] Chloe: Um, Just because this is something that we’ve talked about, how have, have you kind of noticed the change in Harrisonburg from when you first moved here to like now, kind of how it’s becoming more integrated? Um, have you noticed a change?
[00:24:14] Reinier: Integrated with?
[00:24:15] Chloe: With, um, like, other, other races, or like, it’s not just, all white people, like, we’re getting a lot more, um, Cultures in here.
Uh, we have like the poultry plant brings in a lot of workers.
[00:24:29] Reinier: Um, I think from the beginning I already saw that it was a lot of um, Cultural difference. I mean a lot of like people from different culture like uh, I never before coming here and there is so uh, and I mean I’ve seen probably like a handful of Asians and here there are a lot of, a lot of Asian
[00:24:54] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:24:54] Reinier: so yeah, I think for me it was more, more than what I thought it was gonna be. I thought it was gonna be just, just white people. Yeah. . And a few Spanish people.
[00:25:03] Chloe: was it a little bit of a relief to see that?
[00:25:05] Reinier: Um, no. I never thought about that.
I never thought it was gonna be, um. And I thought it was going to be like bad. If they weren’t more Hispanic people.
[00:25:18] Chloe: Yeah. Okay. Um, what were your initial thoughts of the community? Uh, your neighbors that were you first lived with your father?
[00:25:29] Reinier: Um, in here?
[00:25:32] Chloe: Yeah, just wherever.
[00:25:33] Reinier: Um, Well, like in Cuba or
[00:25:35] Chloe: in the United States?
[00:25:36] Reinier: . Well, yeah. Here neighbors don’t really talk to each other much.
[00:25:39] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:25:40] Reinier: , which is also very, very different to, from cuba because our neighbors were, were like more like , a part of the family.
They were always, you know, they didn’t have like knock on the door to come in.
There was just like a part of family. Just come into the house. Most of the house there are, the doors are open most of the time.
[00:25:57] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:25:58] Reinier: . So you don’t have to leave if you are a neighbor, like a closed neighbor. You have to knock. Um, and here it was so much different. You know, you having, I have probably talked to my neighbors three or four times
[00:26:09] Chloe: do you kind of prefer to have a little more peace from neighbors?
[00:26:13] Reinier: No, I like, I like to be friendly with my neighbor, but, um, turns out that, you know, , people haven’t had, well we had some, um. Some stuff going on with neighbors that we don’t talk to that much.
[00:26:27] Chloe: Um, aside from the amount of cars, what were some other culture shocks that surprised you when you got here?
[00:26:35] Reinier: Um, the food was another big one. Like how cheap is the food here? Oh, how like you can, um, because even now, it’s not as cheap as in Cuba in our, um, our salary compared to our food, to the food that we buy is, in Cuba was very, very close, like, you know, the salary is only, only for food, you know, you have nothing else, and here, you know, it’s not as expensive if you buy food, and in the restaurants sometimes are, you know, cheap, you don’t have to, you Yeah, depending on where you’re going.
It’s, it’s much more, easier to eat here, I’d say.
[00:27:20] Chloe: Um, did that kind of help you when you were transitioning, um, from the Cuban lifestyle to in the United States?
[00:27:28] Reinier: Well, that, a lot of people when they come from Cuba, they just gain a lot of weight.
[00:27:33] Chloe: Oh, yeah.
[00:27:33] Reinier: Just because of that, because they’ve never been used to, they’ve never used to have that, like that much food available and then they just buy a lot of food and eat a lot of food for their first three to six months and then they kind of like settle down.
[00:27:46] Chloe: That’s kind of awesome.
[00:27:47] Reinier: Yeah.
[00:27:47] Chloe: Um, how did you, how did you go about, um, supporting yourself financially?
[00:27:54] Reinier: Um, I got a job probably the first month.
Um, I work in a Chinese restaurant for a few months and after that I went to work in a poultry plant.
[00:28:08] Chloe: You did, okay. Yeah,
[00:28:09] Reinier: so yeah, I got a job fairly quick after I came in.
[00:28:14] Chloe: Um, how were your experiences at the poultry plant?
[00:28:18] Reinier: Um, pretty good. People are mostly helpful and friendly. Um, Um, and I was just happy to have a job.
[00:28:29] Chloe: Um, did you happen to face any discrimination or anything when trying to find jobs?
[00:28:33] Reinier: No, uh, I think I’m lucky that I have never had that happen to me.
[00:28:41] Chloe: Like, ever?
[00:28:41] Reinier: Ever. Um, that’s probably, and I know I have friends that they say that they have had it happen to them.
[00:28:46] Chloe: Mm hmm.
[00:28:47] Reinier: I have never had that happen to me.
[00:28:51] Chloe: Yeah. That’s pretty fortunate. Um, when you were at the poultry plants, did you happen to see like, um, a lot of immigrants workers in there? Yeah,
[00:29:01] Reinier: I did work with a few immigrants there. Um, and it was good because, you know, I was, I was able to, I wasn’t very fluent in English, so I was able to, you know, to speak in Spanish and communicate with other people and learn about the job without having to, to speak in English or to understand what they were saying in English.
That was part of the help, um, but I also wanted to learn English, so I was, uh, I needed to put myself in a situation where I had to speak English so I could, like, understand what they were saying and get better at it.
[00:29:35] Chloe: Yeah, makes sense. Um, were there any, like, workplace normalities of the United States that were kind of, like, different from how it was in Cuba?
[00:29:47] Reinier: Uh, yes, mm. Well, we, we are used to like a little, being a little more informal than here be a little more like yourself. You know, kind of like you are with your close friend. That’s how kind you are in, in your job too. Okay. And that, and the other thing that also was like, um, in Cuba we kiss, uh, the opposite, sex on the face.
Like one, like one kiss in the check . So I did a few times and I realized that people are not okay with that .
[00:30:26] Chloe: Yeah.
[00:30:27] Reinier: They were kind of shocked with that. And then, yeah, that was another one. That was a big change because I’m, because it was just like a thing, like when, when I met somebody.
[00:30:36] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:30:37] Reinier: And my wife , had to go through that because I have. introduce her to other Cubans and they, and I told her they’re going to get you in your face, you know, don’t get shocked with that. But yeah, that was another one that was different.
[00:30:53] Chloe: Um, describe your sense of place in your new community.
Did you feel welcomed by your neighbors? Uh, when you first moved here?
[00:31:03] Reinier: Like I said, uh, we never had a lot of interaction with the neighbors. Uh, but I did, um, with the one that I had interaction was very pleasant. Um, never had any issues. Uh, I mean I had issues with my neighbor, but it’s like, I think issues that you were gonna have either, doesn’t matter what.
[00:31:22] Chloe: Just neighbor issues, not, yeah.
[00:31:24] Reinier: Yeah. Um, you know, with like, don’t park your car in my parking lot or in my parking space.
[00:31:30] Chloe: Just petty stuff.
[00:31:32] Reinier: But you know, never had any issues with respect to my race or where I was from. Yeah.
[00:31:37] Chloe: Um, I know you mentioned that you never really have experienced any, um, discriminate, discrimination towards you, but how were your interactions with, um, U. S. born individuals and how did that interaction compare to, um, when you were. Speaking with people over in Cuba.
[00:31:55] Reinier: Um, In terms of normal, you know, uh, some people sometimes, because I know I don’t have an accent, and then it can be a little more difficult to understand me, too, if somebody doesn’t understand a native speaker.
That kind of, um, frustrates me a little bit, but most of the time I didn’t care. If they don’t understand, I would just say it again. Uh, that’s, you know, like different, main, different, you know, talking to somebody that I know is going to understand me because they speak Spanish and I speak Spanish because it was my first language.
[00:32:32] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:32:32] Reinier: It is my first language then that speaking in English. And I always have that in my head that, you know, they might not understand because of my accent. Or because I don’t say at work the way, same way that they say. But all other than that, it was mainly the same, and just different culture.
Like, you know, like for example, like don’t kiss in the face because now they don’t like that. Don’t hug people because people sometimes don’t like that. And we are much closer, you know, hugging and shaking hands.
[00:33:02] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:33:03] Reinier: and kissing the face. And we are a little more like more interactive thing.
[00:33:07] Chloe: Yeah, I can definitely see that there are a lot of people that are just like You need to keep your space.
Um, kind of going more into, uh, you learning English. Um, can you describe more, uh, about the language barrier and how did you just start going about to learn English?
[00:33:27] Reinier: Uh, I, when I came here, I started going to my school. Um, so I was working every day, like, like six days a week. And I was going to school three times Before work, I used to work in a restaurant from like 10 to 10, like 12 hours.
And then I would go to school from like 8 to 9:30, something like that.
[00:33:51] Chloe: Oh, was it online school?
[00:33:53] Reinier: No, it was in um, in a school really close to here. Now it’s part of JMU.
[00:33:58] Chloe: Oh, okay.
[00:33:59] Reinier: Like on Main Street, uh, um.
[00:34:04] Chloe: Was it meant to teach?
[00:34:06] Reinier: Yeah, it was. It was meant for, um, to teach English to like a second, second language.
[00:34:12] Chloe: Oh, okay, that’s awesome.
[00:34:13] Reinier: Uh, so I went there for a few months, um, and then I think I dated a few people that were native speakers.
[00:34:23] Chloe: Mm hmm.
[00:34:23] Reinier: Uh, so that kind of also helped me to, uh, improve my English. To be more like a, how to speak like a day to day because in school, sometimes they just teach you like, so they’re not really, I mean, they’re useful, but sometimes people in the street don’t speak like that.
[00:34:39] Chloe: Yeah. Yeah. I get what you’re saying.
[00:34:41] Reinier: So that also helped me. And then listening to the TV in English. And I, I think I still put like the subtitles in English too, so I can read what they’re saying and they can also hear. So that was another, um, another tool that I use that really helped me. And then listening to music with subtitles, radio, that’s another thing that I use.
Um, and then going to school, you know, kind of like that was like something that I had to learn. Yeah.
[00:35:11] Chloe: Um, asides from the one school to help you speak English. Did use any other, um, Facilities that were meant to help teach, um, people who have migrated to the United States.
[00:35:26] Reinier: Uh, I think that one was, well, when I went and when I started going to college, I had to take, um, a few English classes, like a few ESLs.
And I saw English for second language speakers, so, um, that also helped me a lot helped me a little more to relate. Because I knew grammar from English in Cuba, but this was a little more deeper into like, you know, grammar, and then how to write, how to like, um, comprehend, and so that also helped me a lot.
Um, but I came with some knowledge, but the main difficulty for me was understanding people. I could, you know, I could say what I wanted, but if I couldn’t understand it was difficult. Nothing, because I didn’t know what I was saying. And that’s kind of what I like, listening to music and movies help, help a lot.
[00:36:25] Chloe: That’s nice that you’ve kind of found some outlets to help you with music and such. Props to you, because I have learned that learning English from a second language is very hard. Um, kind of navigating towards your sense of self now, um, how did you move about your sense of belonging in the United States?
[00:36:47] Reinier: Yeah, somebody asked me, like, some people have asked me, where is home for you, and I’m like, home is here.
[00:36:54] Chloe: In the United states?,
[00:36:56] Reinier: I don’t see myself as a Cuban anymore, even though I’m still Cuban, but if I don’t see myself ever going back to Cuba and living in Cuba, I could, you know, but I’m not saying that I feel like my culture is a little more American than Cuban, I mean, I have lived here for a third of my life, so.
And it’s kind of what I have lived the most, , that I remember, as long as that makes sense, because I don’t remember, you know, from 0 to 10 years. Like, I’ll remember from 0 to 8, something like that. Um, , but yeah, I think home is here,
yeah.
[00:37:36] Chloe: So, um, if someone were to ask you how you identify, would you say that you’re an American, or would you say Cuban American?
[00:37:44] Reinier: I would say Cuban American.
[00:37:45] Chloe: Cuban American? Okay. Um Do you still feel tied to your home country at all?
[00:37:51] Reinier: No, no. I feel more tied to people that live there.
Yeah, not to the country.
[00:37:59] Chloe: Um, do you, do you plan to visit Cuba?
[00:38:03] Reinier: Yeah, yeah. I have visited, uh, three times now.
[00:38:06] Chloe: Okay.
[00:38:06] Reinier: So, and I haven’t visited more because I’m going to be in school or work.
And money is another thing that, you know, hasn’t helped me to visit, but, uh, yeah. I would like to visit every year if it would be possible.
[00:38:20] Chloe: That’s nice. Um, so, I’m assuming you still maintain close contact with your, um, family.
[00:38:25] Reinier: Yeah, yeah.
[00:38:26] Chloe: Um, who all still lives in Cuba, if you don’t mind me asking?
[00:38:29] Reinier: Uh, I have, I have a few cousins, and
uncles, and my brother still lives there.
[00:38:36] Chloe: Has your sister moved here now?
[00:38:38] Reinier: My sister moved in three years.
[00:38:41] Chloe: Oh, okay. That’s nice. Um, do you keep in contact with her, or is she
[00:38:46] Reinier: No, no, she lives here. She lives in the same city. Um, we, we see each other almost every day.
[00:38:51] Chloe: Oh, that’s awesome um, does your father still live here?
[00:38:54] Reinier: Yeah, he also live here, yeah. Mm hmm.
[00:38:57] Chloe: Um, do you, would you consider that you feel fully integrated into the United States?
[00:39:04] Reinier: I do, yeah, I do feel like that. Um, yeah.
[00:39:09] Chloe: Um, going off of that, what factors do you think helped or challenged this?
[00:39:14] Reinier: That I, uh, that I wanted, I think, uh, a factor was like, I always wanted to be seen by other people as, um, Immigrant, but you know, that was adapted more like an I’m American.
I didn’t want other people to see me , as a Cuban living here. More like, I want other people to see me as an American. Even though I speak very differently, I look different, but I want other people to see me as an American. That, and then you know, kind of like the stuff that I like to do.
I don’t eat Spanish food as much. I just don’t like it. I mean, I do like it, but I’d rather eat other stuff. And the music that I listen to is not Spanish music most of the time. Maybe 90 percent of the time I don’t listen to Spanish music. And, yeah, those are some of the factors.
[00:40:08] Chloe: Um, I know you said that you would consider yourself a Cuban American, but are there any of your cultural roots that you still kind of stick to?
[00:40:21] Reinier: Yeah, yeah.
[00:40:21] Chloe: Or have you kind of just transitioned all the way into this?
[00:40:24] Reinier: Yeah, like I said, I think I feel like 80 percent American, 20 percent Cuban. I still, I still like the way that Cubans act, I still like that. culture, and like, still like the food, the music, all that. But I think it’s like, um, in my day to day, I’m more like an American.
I don’t speak much English in my day to day because my wife doesn’t, sorry, much Spanish. Uh, and my wife doesn’t speak Spanish, nobody at work speaks Spanish, so I speak Spanish when I see my family, like my sister or my dad, um. So, yeah, I think I feel like more like an 80, 80 percent American, 20 Cuban.
[00:41:08] Chloe: But you’re kind of okay with that fact that you’re not, okay, that’s nice. Um, did you ever experience feeling like an outsider when you moved here?
[00:41:20] Reinier: Um,
[00:41:21] Chloe: or were you pretty welcomed and going with the flow?
[00:41:24] Reinier: Well, I still feel like an outsider in some cases.
[00:41:28] Chloe: You still do?
[00:41:29] Reinier: Yeah, I think, um. And the fact that, you know, that I always want to have an accent and people are going to know that I’m not from here, being that, one of the factors that make me feel like that.
[00:41:44] Chloe: Unfortunately, yeah. Um, are there any others that just kind of go in the back of your mind?
[00:41:50] Reinier: No, I think that might be the only one.
[00:41:54] Chloe: That’s it? Okay. So I know you’ve kind of touched on this, but how have your, um, like, cultural traditions changed, throughout your life in the U. S.?
[00:42:03] Reinier: Um, well, mainly the way that I dress, uh, has changed a lot.
Uh, the stuff that I eat, the food that I eat. And how you know, places that I used to, like, enjoy, now I enjoy different things that I enjoy, eh, what I used to enjoy before. And that has probably come with the age, too. Uh, but I think something, some of the stuff I just come because I just enjoy all the stuff now that I have seen then, um, rather than what I used to enjoy.
[00:42:36] Chloe: Are there any like holidays or traditions that you still celebrate or is it just kind of mixed with just when you’re with your family?
[00:42:43] Reinier: It is, no, we, we usually have a very similar tradition to American. So, well, yeah, I think my, my whole family has adapted to like the American culture too.
Um, because we were more like, we didn’t, they aren’t really, um, Celebrate Christmas or nothing like that. And now we have, you know, we have started to like doing Christmas similar to the American style, like the American tradition. Um, yeah.
[00:43:19] Chloe: Um, did you ever attempt to try to balance out like Cuban traditions and U.
S. traditions, or were you just trying to focus on integrating yourself to the U.S?
[00:43:30] Reinier: I felt like integrating was, uh, uh, was easier and it wasn’t forced.
[00:43:37] Chloe: Oh, okay.
[00:43:38] Reinier: It was something that we liked. You wanted to. Yeah. Okay.
[00:43:40] Chloe: What’s your favorite holiday?
[00:43:42] Reinier: Uh, Christmas. Christmas? Yeah. Yeah.
[00:43:44] Chloe: That’s a good choice. Do you like snow whenever we get it?
[00:43:47] Reinier: Yeah, I do like snow.
[00:43:48] Chloe: Mm hmm. What was your first reaction when you saw Snow?
[00:43:51] Reinier: Uh, well, I mean, it was cold. But, you know, nothing crazy. And then I have enjoyed it even more because I started skiing.
[00:44:00] Chloe: Oh, that’s nice.
[00:44:01] Reinier: So I have come to like it even more now. That’s nice.
[00:44:06] Chloe: Um, well, now we’re going to kind of go into some reflections.
Um, Considering your journey and transition, is there any part of your process that you would have done differently, um, when migrating from Cuba to the U. S.?
[00:44:23] Reinier: No, I think, uh, I feel, I feel pretty good where I am. I feel accomplished. You know, my, my dream was coming to the United States have a job, have a house.
So I, and I have that, so I think most of my dreams have been accomplished. Or like, that part of my dream was 100 percent accomplished, and I feel accomplished in that. And, yeah, I don’t think it would have been anything differently. Probably I started learning English a little sooner. But, um.
[00:44:56] Chloe: Did you like the age that you came over here?
[00:44:58] Reinier: Would you? Oh yeah, no. If I would have, well, For some reason, for some time, I wouldn’t have liked to come younger.
[00:45:09] Chloe: You wouldn’t have liked?
[00:45:09] Reinier: Yeah, I wouldn’t have liked to come, like, I don’t know, maybe like 10 years younger. Because, in a way, I would have a better cultural integration to the United States. And also I would have probably learned English sooner.
Probably not have an accent. Probably go to high school here. Having more friends that are from here.
[00:45:33] Chloe: So you would have preferred.
[00:45:34] Reinier: Yes, but in other cases, I see some kids that are like, you know, came younger, like, that are, that were born here and then they don’t realize, realize how much, um, they have in their hands, like, how much opportunity they have and they waste their, you know, they waste their life doing nothing.
[00:45:57] Chloe: I understand.
[00:45:58] Reinier: And I think that just comes from me being an outsider, like, you know, like, coming from another country. There were no opportunities for you to, like, grow up or , grow as a person, like, you know, business or going to school.
For that part, I am happy with the age that I came in because I was able to see. To have a knowledge what is really bad or how bad could get it.
[00:46:24] Chloe: Yeah
[00:46:25] Reinier: But yeah, so it’s like, you know if if I would have picked um, I would have come out a little younger but not much younger because Coming to that age. I know how hard is how hard could be in another country or how it could be Yeah
[00:46:42] Chloe: Yeah, that’s I say you appreciate where you come from and how Difficult it is to get there.
Um, what was the most surprising aspect of, your transition, if anything?
[00:46:56] Reinier: Uh, surprising to be honest, is, uh, that I was never felt like oppressed or like, never felt like I was, uh, I, well, at least never, it was never happened in my face. Maybe some, somebody, . Somebody didn’t like me, but they never told me, I don’t like you because you are Hispanic.
A lot of people say that they didn’t like me, but yeah, that’s understandable. Other people that sometime I think, um, and I don’t want to put myself, I don’t want to like tell them how to feel for some, but sometimes I feel like people that are a different race. And get offended because some other people from different races say, Hey, I don’t like you.
But it might be because it’s just the way that you are. Just the way, the action that you have done. It’s nothing to do with where you are from. Because some people say that they don’t like me, but You know, I probably did something that, you know, for them not to like me. It had nothing to do with where I’m from.
[00:48:00] Chloe: That’s nice that you’re not quick to assume
[00:48:03] Reinier: Yeah, that is just the race, yeah. And I know other people do it, and I always tell them, , just think about it. Like, I have a few, I have a friend that, he complains, like, Oh, I applied for the job and I didn’t get it. That’s because im hispanic.
You know, there are a thousand reasons.
[00:48:21] Chloe: Yeah.
[00:48:21] Reinier: Or a thousand reasons that it could be, like, somebody was better than you. Interviewed better than you, had more experience. And, like, Don’t go to that as excuse.
[00:48:30] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
I’m sure that’s a good mindset to have to kind of keep your morale up and not probably make you feel more like an outsider.
[00:48:38] Reinier: Mm-Hmm. .
[00:48:39] Chloe: Um, do you have any other goals for yourself in the future? I know you mentioned that you possibly wanted to go to Florida . But
[00:48:47] Reinier: yeah, that has probably ended, um, we, we have talked about moving to a different city in the future. But, um, probably the way the economy is not, you know, anytime soon.
[00:48:59] Chloe: Yeah.
[00:49:00] Reinier: Um, but yeah, in the future if something comes up and it works for me and for my wife and it makes sense for our economy, we’ll probably move to a bigger city. But it is, you know, less likely than before. Before it was just myself and it’s easier to find a job just for me, but now that I’m married.
. I have to even count on my wife, my wife’s job, something like that.
[00:49:25] Chloe: Um, I know you said that you consider, um, America as home, but how do you think the experience of, uh, you immigrating to the U. S. has influenced, influenced that meaning?
[00:49:40] Reinier: I mean, if I wouldn’t have come to the U. S. A., I wouldn’t be at home, uh, but, uh, um, yeah, I feel like, you know, like it’s home because I have lived here a lot.
Because my culture has changed a lot too. Um, I just feel like I’m just used to the culture here. And I’m used to like, you know, I don’t know if it is the state or if it’s the whole country, but I feel like really happy here, really, um, safe, you know, that I know how people act. Yeah. I know what to do and what not to do to not, you know, get reactions from people that I don’t want.
Yeah.
[00:50:21] Chloe: Okay, well, I believe that’s all that I have. Um, are there any other questions or stories that you’d like to just throw in there just for the heck of it?
[00:50:32] Reinier: No, I don’t think so. Um, No, I feel like, um, , one of the main reasons, So like, yeah, even though the United States is not perfect and for a lot of people that live here, but some people, uh, you know, a lot of people that live here complain about the United States, but they just haven’t been outside of the United States.
They haven’t grown up in other places that is much worse. And then that it doesn’t make me mad, but it’s not like, Sometimes it does make me mad, yeah, because like, yeah , like we have, and I was talking to a friend at the same, like now I have little problems that it might be big, but compared to what I could have been going through in Cuba, it’s like much different.
Like people that I know that live in Cuba, they didn’t have electricity for three days.
[00:51:28] Chloe: Did it have what? Oh, electricity. Oh, goodness.
[00:51:30] Reinier: Electricity. And then just think about not having electricity. What would the country be like? The, the whole country was like that.
[00:51:37] Chloe: Oh goodness. Yeah. The whole country was Oh, I thought it was just a community.
Yeah. No, no. It probably would’ve turned into, um,
[00:51:43] Reinier: like Mad Max
[00:51:44] Chloe: yeah.
[00:51:45] Reinier: Like people going into the store. That’s what, what it turned it. And then, you know. People complain about, like, oh, um, I don’t know, a lot of complaints that we have in the, I don’t know how they call it, like, first world country, like, for Americans that live here, it might be a big problem, but, like, when you put it in perspective to other countries, other people, like, It’s not that big of a deal. Like, I’m gonna say it’s great for most parts.
Because, like I said, I have been living here for 13 years. And I’ve never had an issue with, you know, violence or discrimination. And I know other people have.
[00:52:21] Chloe: Yeah.
[00:52:22] Reinier: But for me, I’ve had an issue with discrimination, violence, or anything like that. And it could be luck, you know, but I know if I be in Cuba, I wouldn’t have had that
[00:52:36] Chloe: Mm-Hmm.
[00:52:36] Reinier: but I wouldn’t have other issues that people have there.
[00:52:42] Chloe: That’s a valuable perspective, even for me, just because, I mean, I also kind of fall into the, oh, I, this place is crap, blah, blah, blah. But when you sit back and think about it, and I learn a lot from in classes too, that, it’s not great anywhere, you know?
No, it’s not. Yeah. But it’s, I definitely can see how it’s. Coming from someplace like that, it’s probably, um, I understand how that could be frustrating seeing people just not appreciate it.
[00:53:09] Reinier: No, not appreciating how good it is. I know, because it’s just like a human thing to see only their bad things.
Like, even in Cuba, people only see the bad things, but you know, also Cuba has free college, free health, which is great.
[00:53:27] Chloe: Mhm.
[00:53:28] Reinier: But you know, if you put in a balance, there are more bad stuff than good . And I think United say, you know, I think it’s a even balance would probably more good than bad, but of course we always look at the vaccine.
[00:53:41] Chloe: Mm-Hmm. . Well, I would like to thank you again for um, sharing your experiences. It was, I really enjoyed hearing, um, your insights and stories. Um after the interview process, um, the next part is to just get up the transcript, which I will send that over to you. That way you can look through it. And if there’s anything you’d like to add or take away, um, I can do that, but the whole transcript will be edited before it is submitted. Um, Pictures, if you have any pictures. Um, you Yeah,
[00:54:14] Reinier: I, I’ll, I, I I can, I can send you some pictures. That I have. Uh, um, probably from the, uh, from when I was there
[00:54:21] Chloe: . And any, any of them are appreciated.
[00:54:23] Reinier: Yeah.
[00:54:23] Chloe: Um, thank you again and I will be in touch.
[00:54:28] Reinier: Thank you.
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