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point of view. They may feel more secure with people
of their own kind and not with North Americans, who
they see as strangers. You have to remember that in
Cuba we have had a very strong anti-American campaign.
In the prerevolutionary textbooks there was a pre
dominance of North American influence. The texts now
are totally against North American ideas. Also,
remember these children were taught to be super-
patriotic. They may be feeling very guilty about
having left their home country. The teenagers who
came in 1980 were socialized in Cuba. For all that
they may deny it, they still have many socialist ideas.
For this reason, they may have a strong fear of speaking
English.
I observed a preference for speaking Spanish in other parts of
the school. Two ladies stopped Anita in the hallway to ask directions.
They chatted with her in English and they asked Anita her name.
"Anita Suarez," she replied.
The way she pronounced her name surprised the ladies. One
remarked, "You sound as if you are from New York. Anita, where are
you from?"
"I'm from Cuba."
"Have you been here a long time, Anita?" the woman continued.
"I have been here for almost 2 years."
"That's great! Your accent is very good. Keep it up," the first
woman said as the two women began walking on down the hall.
Anita told her friends standing nearby,
That's the way I hear the people around here
pronounce my name. If I say it correctly, no
one here knows what I am saying. I hate to
have to say my name wrong just so people will
understand me. I almost know how to speak
English well now, but I still don't want to.
I like Spanish. I don't like English. I wish
everyone could speak the same language so we
could all understand each other. The world would
be more peaceful if we spoke the same language.