Your Next Language: Spanish or Chinese

After speaking with and listening to Steve Vetter, I have been presented with some striking stories and career path proposals regarding immigrant and international development. Experientially, Steve has worked extensively with the immigrant population from Latin America in Annapolis, Maryland and he shared a disheartening story of an immigrant man he works closely with at home. To make a long story short, the man came to America for hope for his family back home, sent $.85 of every $1 he made back to his family, and returned home with $1,700. By the time he reached his home, his $1,700 had reduced to $200 by whom he referred to as “his own people.” Mexican citizens had bribed him $1,500 to return home. He then made the decision to enter back into America, in which he was beat and forced into indentured servitude before miraculously returning to Maryland. When asked about immigration reform, Steve gave a surprising response: he did not explicitly advocate for it. He takes the practical approach that immigrant reform is unlikely in the next 4 years regardless of the party elected, and he also advises that the visitor’s proposition creates a second-class citizen and is somewhat counterproductive.

He instead proposes international action in the places these immigrants are coming from, something I’m specifically interested in. He engages with specific communities in Latin America to build life skills through interests, such as soccer. Instead of placing people back in dysfunctional schools and job opportunities, he emphasizes building up soft skills and creating capability. By focusing on this type of international action, we do not solve the issue of immigration, but we lessen the need for family members (particularly husbands) to move to the United States in order to simply provide food for their families.

            On a slightly different note, when I met with him individually, he emphasized the importance of international development in Latin America specifically. This is undoubtedly his region of expertise, and he is passionate about this life skills approach that we should take to Latin America. However, in addition, he told me that I do not only need to learn Spanish, but Chinese as well. Yet again, the archrival of the US has entered into discussions of international development. He emphasized the importance of China in current development strategies, something Collier speaks of, and as do authors we have read for IPE. Asia (well parts of it) took advantage of globalization in the 1980’s and is now vitally important in development ventures. As we continue to invest in Latin America, Africa, and other underdeveloped areas, mediators are needed that can communicate in Chinese. China’s presence cannot be underestimated, and when talking of different languages critical to know in our current global undertakings, Chinese has become prominent.