When Worlds Collide

A contact zone can be described in many different ways.  The technical definition is; social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power.  Simple and sweet, this means when cultures overlap.  A perfect example of a local contact one would be our school, Sunset High School.  We have a variety of students from many different cultural backgrounds.  The United States is a melting pot of different cultures and backgrounds.  This is what makes it such an exciting place to live.    To get a better understanding of these contact zones I decided to interview someone from a different cultural background and then compare my experiences to hers.

I interviewed Diana Ugrai who is Hungarian.  She originally lived in Hungary with her family for two years.  When she was two, they moved to Germany and from there they were allowed into the United States.  Apparently, you are not allowed into the United States directly from Hungary.  When she was growing up she gradually started factoring out all her Hungarian and only using English.  Her parents were not happy about this, so her and her brother moved back to Hungary with their mom for the three years of middle school to get reacquainted with their roots.  Now, they probably speak ninety-five percent Hungarian in their house and try to stay as traditional as possible even when surrounded by so many different cultures trying to change them.  However, they have adopted some American customs to compromise with school and society.  Hungarian tradition makes lunch the main meal of the day, but because of the American set up of its schooling system they have adopted tradition to fit.  Lunch is basic sandwiches like most kids then they sit down to an extravagant dinner together every night and  at home they speak a mixed language.  She told me that they can’t speak one hundred percent english at home because their mom would not be able to understand them.  This reminded me of Rodriguez in a way.  His family did not know english well and therefore could not help him with homework.  However, Diana’s family is different in that she has accepted her family’s native culture and embraces her language at home instead of scorning it like Rodriguez did. Their family is a product of acculturation.  They have maintained many of their original customs from Hungary yet, they have adopted many new customs too.  When I asked her if she had ever experienced discrimination here she had to think for a while.  She then responded with an uncertain yes.  The most discrimination she has ever felt is at school, some of her “friends” have told her she isn’t an American simply because she was not born here.  Except, she is a legal citizen of the United States of America.  She is not hurt by this and simply accepts that some people just don’t care to understand.

Growing up Jewish, and part of a minority group, has made me very accepting of other peoples’ differences.  Even though I am part of a minority in the whole world, I have only once experienced blatant discrimination.  This was at a summer camp in elementary school.  It was a horseback riding camp but it had a religious affiliation with the Christian church.  I was told that it was not a strong bible camp and that all religions were welcome.  So, I decided to go anyway.  Ignorant to what was to follow, I was extremely excited for the week to come.  I was told to bring along a bible, so naturally I brought along my bible, the Jewish bible, which is the old testament.  Everything was going wonderfully until the second day, when we had our first bible session.  Each cabin gathered in a circle on the floor of their cabin with their bibles and were told to introduce themselves with their names and religious affiliation.  I was in the middle and was observing everyone else waiting for my turn to speak.  I was the only Jewish girl in the cabin, but I felt no different then all the others, at least not yet.  My counselor was questioning everyone about where they were from and their interests. When she got around to me, I told them all my name and that I was Jewish.  The next girl in the circle waited assuming I would have further questioning but, none came.   This was simply the start of the long week to come.

The following day they started regular bible study sessions for each cabin.  I was dreading this boring ritual but, I was trying to keep my hopes up.  Again, we all sat in a circle in the middle of the cabin with our bibles out.  As my counselor was looking around to make sure everyone was there her eyes fell upon my bible.  Automatically she spoke up, “Ashley, you have the wrong bible,” she said in a serious tone.  I didn’t know what to do, I just sat there.  Then, she told me I could go read a book on my bed during bible study sessions for the rest of the week.  I did not need to participate in this part of the camp.  This was the first tinge of discrimination I had ever endured.  I knew I was being treated differently then the other children but, I was too young to think much of it.  I was simply glad I didn’t have to sit through the bible session. Later, they would tell me that my religion was wrong and they would preach their beliefs to me as facts.  One statement that sticks clearly in my mind is the moment when they told me flat out that the Jewish people were to blame for the death of Jesus.  Even with the verbal battery I received throughout that week, I managed to enjoy myself.  I didn’t understand the gravity of it all until years later.  This camp is where I experienced my first contact zone.  Of course, I had been in a contact zone before in school but, this time I was the minority. This leaves a much larger impression upon you, the tension is greatly intensified.  Here is where I had first found that special place where two varying cultures clash.  It is unfortunate that I had to experience this first hand but, I believe I am all the better for it.  A small dose of discrimination at a young age can improve your outlook on society in the future.  This is so with the experiment Mrs. Elliott conducted with her second grade class.

Interviewing Diana has showed me how different someone's life can be from yours, behind the scenes.  She acts exactly like the rest of us at school but, after only a few minutes with this interview she had taken me into her world, her culture.  If everyone had an opportunity to talk to someone so ethnically different from themselves, the world would be a much better place for all. There would be a major drop in discrimination and an increase in understanding.