Una Voz / One Voice
As part of Bloomberg’s celebration of Hispanic History month, I took part on an interview about my experience as a Hispanic woman and immigrant during my times in London and New York.
Q: As a Hispanic and immigrant, how has your experience differed in the US versus the UK?
A: Weirdly enough, the political events surrounding 2016 have brought the US and the UK close when it comes to immigration.
I moved to the UK from Spain in 2010 when London was getting ready for the Olympics. The UK was opening up to the world. I landed in an area of East London called Hackney — a truly exciting place to be at a time in a country that was open and welcoming to all.
All my friends were from somewhere else — Brazil, Chile, Japan, Germany, Nepal… We all gathered in my living room to follow the FIFA World Cup final and rejoiced watching Danny Boyle’s rendition of the Opening Ceremony. It felt a little homesick at times, but it also felt like we were being propelled into a more inclusive future, straight to an awesome time of true community.
It’s rather ironic that the man behind London’s 2012 open strategy is the same man that is pushing for a no-deal Brexit nowadays.
I signed my relocation papers to move to the US on the exact same day as Theresa May was signing Article 50 in 2016. I was very excited about what there was to come, but a little nostalgic thinking that the days of openness and exchange felt really far away already.
Coming to the US, things felt a little different. It is interesting to see how people’s definitions of you change depending on the part of the world that you are at. Here, I am no longer ‘Mediterranean’. People don’t talk to me about my weird ‘siesta’ habits or their second home in Mallorca.
Here I have been welcomed as a member of the Hispanic community. This makes me hugely proud and makes me feel culturally understood, connected with people that share my same language and culture. In a way, I feel the same excitement in New York that I felt in London back in 2012. This city feels warm and welcoming — curious about foreign visitors, open to difference.
Of course, I hear the horrors from down South in the border with Mexico. The despotic definitions that politicians come up to distinguish between ‘legal or illegal aliens’, and the disturbing air that populism is bringing to nations around the world. From my bubble in Loisaida however, these hostile echoes seem far away still.
I guess that is the real irony of the world we live in. We are more interconnected and inter-reliant than ever, yet we insist in bringing back some weird XIXth Century politics that push us back, preventing us from charging ahead.
Q: What does Hispanic Heritage month mean to you?
It means interconnection and cohabiting.
It makes me feel proud of my heritage. Proud of our cultures and sharing a language.
It makes me want to celebrate. Some stereotypes are true — we really know like to party like no other culture.
It means letting aside conflicts and reflecting on elements of our culture that makes us unique, yet brings us together with a few million people worldwide.
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This interview was published on the newsletter of the LartinX Community at Bloomberg, one of Bloomberg Diversity and Inclusion corporate groups.
You can find out more about Bloomberg’s efforts around Diversity and Inclusion here.
