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observed, most especially for people who do not speak English. One
mother said she cried because she wanted to go to her next-door
neighbors for a conversation, but she knew she could not. She was
also frustrated because she wanted to express gratitude to her
employer, but she did not know the words. The mother who was studying
English said she was just now beginning to be able to joke with the
other employees at her office. Since she had become more fluent in
English, she was encouraged to travel about the city more than she had
previously. Each of the parents expressed satisfaction or pleasure at
being able to talk about his or her experiences. They felt better
knowing someone in the .S. was interested in them.
In the U.S., the Cubans felt isolated. They did not yet know
the language and the customs of the people around them. They believe
North Americans appear callous and indifferent towards them. Some of
the students expressed the opinion that North Americans considered all
Latin Americans to be criminals. Many Cubans seemed alarmed at the
high crime rate in the U.S., and expressed anxiety about going out
onto the streets. One advised me to always check anything I drank
because it might contain poison. (This conversation occurred before the
Tylenol scare.) The extent to which these feelings of isolation and
fear exist was not known.
Based on the available information from the interviews, some
conclusions can be made. Life in the U.S. is very different from life
in Cuba. Many students and the four parents wanted to make career
choices and social associations based on the freedom of choice, but
they seemed to be overwhelmed by the options and uninformed about the