Image Source: Freepik | A woman with a map and a passport, reflecting on how immigration affects self-identity.
In her poetic masterpiece "Echoes of the Tides," Adelina C. da Silva captures the subtle but powerful shifts that happen within a person when they leave one home to build another. Through verses that entangle Cabo Verdean Creole and English, she gives voice to a deeply personal journey. It is one that underlines how immigration affects self-identity in ways both seen and unseen.
Between Two Worlds: Living in Translation
Immigration often begins with logistics, particularly involving documents, housing, jobs. But the real transformation happens beneath the surface. Identity isn’t something we usually think about until it starts to shift. When you leave the culture, language, and community you’ve always known, who you are begins to change in unexpected ways.
One of the first things immigrants experience is a sense of cultural in-betweenness. You’re no longer fully part of the country you left, but you’re not quite at home in the new one either. It can feel like standing with one foot on each side of a growing river, trying to hold both identities without falling into the gap between.
Ingrained within Echoes of the Tides, Adelina C. da Silva doesn’t stay underside to merely write about this experience. In fact, she lives it. With a combination of Cabo Verdean Creole and English, she grasps what it feels like to see the world through two sets of eyes and speak from two different places at once. Her words show us exactly how moving abroad affects everyday life in small, deeply personal ways.
One day, you know exactly how to be in the world. The next, you're re-learning how to say what you mean, how to belong, how to be seen. That constant translation of thoughts, of feelings, of memories starts to shape who you are. This book goes beyond what it depicts itself as a poetry book.
It is a witness to powerful transformation. It’s a story of survival, resilience, and finding yourself all over again.
The Silence of Misunderstanding
Language carries emotion, memory, and history. When immigrants learn a new language, they are prompted to find a new way to express themselves.
There can be a real sense of loss when someone can't fully express their thoughts, humor, or personality in a new language. On the flip side, mastering that language can bring pride, confidence, and a powerful sense of integration. But often, there's a tension: do I speak the language of my new home to fit in, or do I keep using my native tongue to stay connected to who I was?
Further, a recurring theme in da Silva’s work is social awkwardness. Basically, the pauses, the hesitations, the missed cues. These moments express to how immigration affects self-identity, particularly when immigrants must steer through unfamiliar cultural landscapes. What once came naturally now requires effort and self-awareness. Humor, sarcasm, even affection - all that can get lost in translation.
These small misfires can leave immigrants feeling like they’re living half a life, always reaching but never fully arriving. And yet, da Silva does not dwell in pity. Rather, she invites us to understand what it means to stand in that in-between space, to redefine what it means to belong.
Wearing the Label of “The Other”
One of the hardest parts of immigration is being seen primarily as an outsider. Regardless of how long you’ve lived somewhere or how much you’ve adapted, many immigrants find that people still treat them as “other.”
This external labeling can weigh heavily on self-esteem. It’s tough to build a strong, confident identity when society repeatedly reminds you that you don’t quite belong. And when stereotypes, racism, or exclusion enter the picture, the emotional impact can be lasting.
Between Two Worlds: Living in Translation
Immigration often begins with logistics, particularly involving documents, housing, jobs. But the real transformation happens beneath the surface. Identity isn’t something we usually think about until it starts to shift. When you leave the culture, language, and community you’ve always known, who you are begins to change in unexpected ways.
One of the first things immigrants experience is a sense of cultural in-betweenness. You’re no longer fully part of the country you left, but you’re not quite at home in the new one either. It can feel like standing with one foot on each side of a growing river, trying to hold both identities without falling into the gap between.
Ingrained within Echoes of the Tides, Adelina C. da Silva doesn’t stay underside to merely write about this experience. In fact, she lives it. With a combination of Cabo Verdean Creole and English, she grasps what it feels like to see the world through two sets of eyes and speak from two different places at once. Her words show us exactly how moving abroad affects everyday life in small, deeply personal ways.
One day, you know exactly how to be in the world. The next, you're re-learning how to say what you mean, how to belong, how to be seen. That constant translation of thoughts, of feelings, of memories starts to shape who you are. This book goes beyond what it depicts itself as a poetry book.
It is a witness to powerful transformation. It’s a story of survival, resilience, and finding yourself all over again.
The Silence of Misunderstanding
Language carries emotion, memory, and history. When immigrants learn a new language, they are prompted to find a new way to express themselves.
There can be a real sense of loss when someone can't fully express their thoughts, humor, or personality in a new language. On the flip side, mastering that language can bring pride, confidence, and a powerful sense of integration. But often, there's a tension: do I speak the language of my new home to fit in, or do I keep using my native tongue to stay connected to who I was?
Further, a recurring theme in da Silva’s work is social awkwardness. Basically, the pauses, the hesitations, the missed cues. These moments express to how immigration affects self-identity, particularly when immigrants must steer through unfamiliar cultural landscapes. What once came naturally now requires effort and self-awareness. Humor, sarcasm, even affection - all that can get lost in translation.
These small misfires can leave immigrants feeling like they’re living half a life, always reaching but never fully arriving. And yet, da Silva does not dwell in pity. Rather, she invites us to understand what it means to stand in that in-between space, to redefine what it means to belong.
Wearing the Label of “The Other”
One of the hardest parts of immigration is being seen primarily as an outsider. Regardless of how long you’ve lived somewhere or how much you’ve adapted, many immigrants find that people still treat them as “other.”
This external labeling can weigh heavily on self-esteem. It’s tough to build a strong, confident identity when society repeatedly reminds you that you don’t quite belong. And when stereotypes, racism, or exclusion enter the picture, the emotional impact can be lasting.
Image Source: Freepik | A woman at a desk holding a passport.
Culture, Language, and the Quiet Fight for Integrity
What does it mean to hold on to your roots while trying to grow new ones?
Adelina C. da Silva imparts poems that answer this question with direct truths. Her use of Cabo Verdean Creole is a statement in itself: that identity is not something to be muted or reshaped to fit. It is something to be preserved, spoken, and celebrated even when the world around you doesn’t understand it.
This is the impact of immigration on self-identity. It is the push to change and the pull to remain. And da Silva’s poetry doesn’t offer easy resolutions. It holds both truths at once.
Why Echoes of the Tides Matters
"Echoes of the Tides" stands as a mirror for many and an eye-opener for others. For those who have lived through immigration, it affirms that your inner conflict is real and valid. For those who haven’t, it offers a bridge to empathy and understanding.
Da Silva shows us five different ways how immigration affects self-identity through language, memory, emotion, belonging, and silence.
How Immigration Affects Self-Identity: Reflect on ItIf you’ve ever wondered how immigration affects self-identity, or if you’re simply drawn to honest, reflective poetry, "Echoes of the Tides" is worth your time. Adelina C. da Silva's work resonates with anyone who has ever felt caught between where they came from and where they’re going.
Grab a copy of "Echoes of the Tides" today and delve into the worthwhile strength of a voice that refuses to forget where it came from.
What does it mean to hold on to your roots while trying to grow new ones?
Adelina C. da Silva imparts poems that answer this question with direct truths. Her use of Cabo Verdean Creole is a statement in itself: that identity is not something to be muted or reshaped to fit. It is something to be preserved, spoken, and celebrated even when the world around you doesn’t understand it.
This is the impact of immigration on self-identity. It is the push to change and the pull to remain. And da Silva’s poetry doesn’t offer easy resolutions. It holds both truths at once.
Why Echoes of the Tides Matters
"Echoes of the Tides" stands as a mirror for many and an eye-opener for others. For those who have lived through immigration, it affirms that your inner conflict is real and valid. For those who haven’t, it offers a bridge to empathy and understanding.
Da Silva shows us five different ways how immigration affects self-identity through language, memory, emotion, belonging, and silence.
How Immigration Affects Self-Identity: Reflect on ItIf you’ve ever wondered how immigration affects self-identity, or if you’re simply drawn to honest, reflective poetry, "Echoes of the Tides" is worth your time. Adelina C. da Silva's work resonates with anyone who has ever felt caught between where they came from and where they’re going.
Grab a copy of "Echoes of the Tides" today and delve into the worthwhile strength of a voice that refuses to forget where it came from.
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