HOW COMMUNICATION BONDS
RELATIONSHIPS . . .
By: Iran guzman
Just the other day I was sitting at a coffee shop with a colleague, and among the various things that we had discussed, the
topic of relationships came up. He intimated that some of his friends, who have emigrated from different countries are
having difficulties navigating the dating scene in America–– so are my American friends, I thought! And then the
jugular-‘why are relationships so difficult in America?’ He asked? ‘Especially, for immigrants’, he continued. As a fellow
analyst in the field of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, he then asked for my opinion on some of the barriers that
make it difficult for immigrants to form relationships in America.
This is an interesting question granted that dating in general can be tricky. There are so many variables that contribute
to the complexities of relationship building; for example, men and women are two separate species that often view
romance quite differently. To this end, the formation of a romantic relationship can be difficult even for members of the
same culture. Not only that, but based on conversations with American friends, it seems that finding a romantic partner
these days is more complicated than ever before. That said, I can only imagine how much more complex dating may
become for individuals living in a new country altogether. Generally speaking, American culture is commonly viewed as
very “open” and liberal. It is where individuals are always ready to socialize in order to expand their networks. Not only
that, but America is a large nation, it is a melting pot and is more varied than it may seem, so there really is no single rule
to dealing with relationships.
IDEA DIAPORA 17