‘Polite racism’ experienced
Coming to New Zealand to get his PHD, Mario Alayon-marichal always thought he would return home once he finished his studies.
But after things changed in his homeland of Venezuela, he knew that wasn’t going to be possible.
Alayon-marichal, 49, came to New Zealand nine years ago to study at Victoria University.
He wanted to do a specific topic for his PHD in chemistry and he found the opportunity to do that in Wellington.
Now, Alayon-marichal works at Massey University in Palmerston North as a development engineer for food and ingredient processing at The New Zealand Institute,
Research.
When he arrived, Alayonmarichal said the cultural differences were massive.
In the Latin community, he said human contact and touching was a big part of greeting people, but in New Zealand it was not the case.
‘‘For us a kiss for the woman, hug for the man, that kind of thing, that was hard to get used to.’’
Although he had always planned on returning home at the completion of his study, the political and economic situation in Venezuela meant that wasn’t practical for his family.
‘‘You have to balance the feeling with the reality and I had to go with the reality.
‘‘It was a very hard decision, Plant and Food especially for us, as family is a very, very important thing.
‘‘The problem is if I was back I wouldn’t be able to help my family.
‘‘If I was there my monthly salary would be US $10 per month.’’
Choosing to stay meant he could send money back to his family and support them from afar.
In New Zealand, he said he had experienced a small amount of discrimination, but not in a direct way like he had experienced in other countries.
Alayon-marichal will be speaking at the Manawatu¯ Standard event What’s Happening at Home, held in conjunction with the Palmerston North City Library during the Festival of Cultures, at the library today, from 7-8pm.