Here's a link to a story published in the Press Democrat about Fijian caregivers in Sonoma County.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080923/LIFESTYLE/809170266/1034/NEWS?Title=For_Fijians__caregiving_runs_in_family
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This is an interesting article. I think many non citizen immigrants work in the caregiving profession because of limited English and the demands are not as rigourous as they are in other service industries.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you finding about Fijian English Learners?
Hi, great blog! I really enjoyed the information you guys have posted.
ReplyDeleteI think language barrier is definitely one of the most handicapping obstacles for any immigrants, (not just Fijians) when they try to merge into a new society.
With their limited resources and abilities, it's commendable that they strive to achieve what they have had in today's society.
Joe
The first time I read the article I gleaned the information about Fijians creating a community and staying very close to – both physically & mentally – their family & extended family. The second time I read the article I realized I was focusing on what Titilia Cakau was saying about the elderly & aging. She has tremendous respect for those who are older than she is, regardless of their cultural background. This is a rather important tidbit especially as American increasingly distance themselves from their aging relatives by placing them in assisted living arrangements or convalescent homes. It is a very different way of perceiving the world. On the one hand respecting your elders, realizing they have valuable information, experience and understanding of the world that directly benefit you as the recipient. American culture is becoming increasingly focused on youth and newness, we have become a throw-away society. If you own objects (computers, cars, furniture, etc.) that you have had for more than three years it is considered a bad thing, a disgraceful thing, and listening to your elders – definitely a piece of antiquity. Old has become synonymous with broken or useless, when in fact the opposite is true.
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