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Culture Shock
A lot of things in the US are culture shock for Fernando, lawn mowing, dehumidifiers, vegetarians, etc. I’m not really a vegetarian, but about 90% of my meals are meat free (I still eat fish, some dairy, and eggs). Fernando expressed to my mom at one point that he missed eating meat. I had always encouraged him to get what he wanted at the store (pointing out the health benefits in different choices of course) but I later learned he was afraid eating meat would offend me! We cleared that up and now he hardly eats my vegetable based dinners anymore. Part of the reason for that is because he now gets his own groceries (usually biking to the small local grocery, gas station, or Rite Aid) and he’s quite busy working on projects with one of our friends. Friends and family have been blessing us in many ways, by being kind and welcoming to Fernando, giving him rides, and paying him to help with projects. A generous portion of this money is sent to friends in Mexico, some is for his phone plan, and the rest is either saved or used on necessities or groceries.
Culture Sharing & New Experiences
Fernando has shared some of his culture with us by cooking El Salvadorian meals on a few occasions. It’s often difficult as our grocery stores don’t have a lot of the vegetables or other ingredients he needs. Still, he managed to make us a meal of pupusas with a coleslaw and a delicious salsa. He also made a concoction that’s supposed to have chorizo in it and he graciously used vegan chorizo for me and it tasted fantastic! We’ve also had takeout with friends from Pupusaria El Salvador on 44th street and Division which I highly recommend.
We’ve gone to our church together a few times and he said that he likes it and can understand well enough what’s being said. We have a goal to try out a Spanish speaking church, probably in Holland (feel free to send any suggestions!). But it’s difficult in the summer as we have so many activities we don’t attend church much. Besides the edification of praising God and learning more, a Spanish speaking church would also afford him more opportunities to make friends. I found a local organization that says they normally have English as a second language classes in Grand Haven in the fall. This would also be a place for him to make friends as well as improve his English.
Difficulties We Never Faced
Helping someone navigate different activities with no credit card has opened my eyes to how hard seemingly simple tasks become.
- Fernando can’t drive so we have suggested Uber, Door Dash, and Shipt in different situations however none are possible without a credit card.
- When he needed a new phone or any number of items that are generally cheaper online we have to purchase it for him and he gives us cash.
- He also generously wanted to get a Spotify plan for himself and a friend. He tried to buy a Spotify gift card at the store but of course the fine print said it was for individual plans only.
- If he wants to buy a Visa gift card to make online purchases he has to pay a fee of $5 – $10 depending on the amount of the card. If it’s refillable card he then needs to pay $3 – $5 each time. Also, apparently these cards are very susceptible to scammers. He just purchased one Monday, made a purchase and by morning someone had gotten the number and drained the card. I’m currently in the process of trying to dispute the charges…
- When Fernando wants to send money to friends there are $4 – $15 fees we’ve discovered. Western Union is the worst and Money Gram online transactions where I use my checking account is the least.
It really is a scam of a tax on those who are already struggling. In 2019, migrants sent a record $554 billion home. This is more than the sum of all investments made by foreign companies in such developing countries and over triple the amount of aid governments provide.
We’re currently exploring debit card options which will hopefully help make online purchases easier.
