Puerto Rico is an island that is governed by America under a colonial agreement.

Since 1898, any person that was born on this island was a citizen of United States. This island comprises of many different ethnic groups ranging from the White to the Asians. Personally, I am a Puerto Rican by originality. I was born in American then my parents migrated from the Island to the States. Transnationalism is the interaction or socialization between people of different nationalities. Now and then, we find people migrating from one country to another due to numerous reasons. When it happens, the people can interact with the residents of the states they have relocated to, and share ideas at a political, social or economic level. An evidence of immigration is that of my parents who immigrated to the states as a result of the weather instabilities that often saw the island hit by strong hurricanes that destroyed properties. Other reasons that have led to people migrating from this island is as a result of globalization. Since the world is growing economically and socially, some people migrate to receive more education in America. Some also migrate to provide professional assistance in fields that require their expertise. Additionally, some people relocated due to the poor state of the economy of the country. However, these immigrants including my parents and I found out that we face many challenges regarding gender, ethnic, racial and national challenges as explained in this essay.

Although immigration may have its positive impacts such as exposure to new cultures, more new ideas and new people to interact with, it also has challenges and difficulties in broad areas of the host’s country. Globalization involves sharing or interconnection of different cultures as a result of transnationalism. Even if I study in an American school, I still uphold the customs of my home group. One of the challenges that we have faced as the Puerto Ricans is the fact that our ethnic group is experiencing threats of destruction. This destruction is as a result of the incorporation of new American cultures. For instance, in my original home, Spanish was the main form of language used. However, the American government is changing this by ensuring that English is the primary language used and taught in most schools. Another factor that determines our ethnic group is the use of socialism mode of wealth gain rather than capitalism. Our ethnic society is changing with the introduction of capitalism as a form of wealth gain.

Transnationalism has also affected my view of my nationality because living in America and having to practice their cultures and practices has made me forget what it was like to be in my own country. When a person states in one place for a long time, they tend to adapt to the area making it harder to familiarize with how it was before then. For instance, in my original home, we used to transact and buy products with a currency referred to as Peso. However, this has changed with the introduction of the US dollar that has taken over the global transaction currency that is used by most of the countries. Additionally, I spoke in Spanish in Puerto Rico. However, after migrating to America, I had to practice speaking in English which was the national language as a way of enabling me to communicate with everyone in the country. Some of the foods that were readily available in Puerto Rico such as the seafood are now hard to find in America. We mostly eat from hotels unlike in Puerto Rico where my mother used to cook food most of the times. Another problem that I have experienced is that even though I am an American citizen of Puerto Rican nationality, I am not allowed to vote in the US which is discrimination and violation of rights. Denying us this right is a way of making us lack the pride of our country and lose our national identity.

When the Puerto Ricans migrate to America, they become American’s citizens. However, this view does not mean that these citizens have a warm welcome. They have experienced class discrimination in all manner. First, through various media sites, we find negative stereotypic comments against us. They say that we are meant to live in rural areas and have no place in the developing society. They see us as a burden to the economy of the country and therefore, are not supposed to belong to their country. These are various negative comments considering that we are still American citizens and deserve equal rights. It affected me emotionally that I was not able to attend school with my usual excitement. Another type of class discrimination that we face is that our parents get jobs that require a lot of labor and too much of their time and yet they receive meager wages.

One aspect that makes our nationality diverse is the fact that our citizenship comprises of different races. They include the blacks, Asians and the whites. The black Puerto Ricans have faced discrimination since the early years. I have come to realize that some of them face discriminations from their classmates. They are bullied and mocked because of their skin color. Also, the grown-ups face discriminations from their superiors. It is hard to find a Puerto Rican that has progressed through in life. In my research, I found out that it was tough to see a black Puerto Rican leading an organization. Regarding gender, the women of this nationality receive low wages as compared to their white counterparts. They are only allowed to lead if their subordinates comprise of the same nationality as them which is a severe form of racial and gender discrimination.

In conclusion, it is correct to note that transnationalism has led to a lot of immigration of Puerto Ricans into America. It has its advantages which include sharing new ideas and getting to learn new cultural practices. However, not everything is as smooth as it seems because as Puerto Rican, I have experienced and observed many adverse occurrences aimed at our ethnic group. These include gender and racial discrimination both in work and school institutions. Other negative impacts include loss of national identity and erosion of ethnic group. Some of these remarks affect us personally where we are unable to carry out our daily activities and also gain the best in our new environments. Globalization is the leading cause of transnationalism due to the increasing development and growth countries.