Modelos para la evaluación del currículum.

Most participants described the acculturation process in Australia as difficult and conflictive, something they had to overcome without the help and support of direct relatives or close friends. Sharing daily struggles with families in Latin America was not possible in many cases, as immigrants did not want to worry their close-ones about their wellbeing. As a result, these women had to overcome most difficulties by themselves, in a though revealing process. Participants described their acculturation process as “hard” and “difficult”, often experiencing “sense of loss”, loneliness and sadness.

Frequently, participants reported that the acculturation process was harder than expected, being very complex to balance gains and losses of the decision to move. In some cases, trying to feel integrated was experienced as a never-ending process. As most participants indicated, the cut from direct sources of family support and affection represented one of the major sources of suffering.

doesn’t worth it for what you gain, do you understand? What you leave behind, the spiritual, what you love, people and neighbours who talk to you and want to see you…that kind of support and connection, I love that and you can’t have it from here, it’s not possible, it’s something lost… (Lucia)

I wanted to know what was going on at the other side of the world. Maybe I was adventurous. But you have to pay the price for those experiences, you have to overcome things and afloat again. I think that maybe life is like this, a bit harder to some people, a bit less to some other…The idea of coming here was an experience, and it still goes on… [she cries] (Laura)

At the same time, many women described immigration to Australia as an opportunity for self-growth and self-discovery, empowering women to experience life as independent and contributing members of the community.

This immigration process…it made me grow so much, it made me feel so much…Sometimes I say… “what a bad luck!” to have to think everything so much to achieve a little! At the same time, I think that if I didn’t have to migrate, I would have been one more in the crowd. But here it seems that my fight is 3 times harder for everything I do, here you are by yourself! And on top of that, you are the pillar of everyone around you. It has been interesting, but very hard… (Elsa)

Immigration made me grow up a lot, all of a sudden. From day to night. Now the impact of the immigration it’s different, now that I am old, sometimes you pass through bad moments, you ask yourself how you are going to do things by yourself. It’s more difficult now. But I am very happy and grateful, I thank everyday that I am in Australia (Dora)

I think we did a positive change. You suffer when you arrive, but later on you see the results…although it’s hard (Alma)

I think I discovered myself thanks to Australia. Because there in Argentina I would have been mum and dad’s girl, and my husband the chief of the family, you know…Argentinean machismo. My ex husband always tells me “you wouldn’t have been able to do all this if we were in Argentina!” But…you know what? We are not! [she laughs] (Rita)

The possibility of having a stable political and financial life in Australia was one of the main factors some participants expected to find when they decided to immigrate. In a country with significant lower levels of unemployment – if compared with many Latin American countries – many working women experienced feelings of independence and self-satisfaction. The positive outcome of joining the labour market renovated expectations and ideals, allowing women to transform values and the way they approach life.

After 31 years here, the immigration process has been a great value to me, it has been great that I came here. I think that my contribution to the community has been bigger thanks to the fact that I am here in Australia. Also the attitude that I have always had is “to feel proud of who I am, I am Argentinean, and to feel proud of being part of the Australian community, because I consider myself as much Argentinean as I feel Australian, maybe more Australian due to the amount of years I’ve lived here. I have accepted the way of life here, the systematic structure of doing things. I am proud of being in Australia, but also proud of being Argentinean (Esther)

The experience I personally found it fantastic. It makes you value what you never valued in your own country. I lived there and I never valued what I had, you don’t consider that. Over here, you also learn to save money, and what means to earn a dollar in another country. Over there, you live the moment, you have to wait for your monthly salary and live the present. My main difference with my relatives back at home, is that I am looking at the present and the future. In Chile, one doesn’t have the chance to look at the future, because you can’t, because you have a salary that only allows you to go just until the end of the month, future isn’t there (Mara)