For The Herald Bulletin

Imagine being in a land where you don’t speak the language, you don’t know or understand the customs of the people, and you have trouble with everyday tasks that others handle as a matter of routine.

“(Hispanics) struggle with the basics,” said Tanya Navarro-Gonzalez, volunteer coordinator and programs director for the Floricanto Latino Center, a non-profit advocacy group for Latino affairs in Anderson. Gonzalez said it can be a challenge for Hispanics to fill out job applications, enroll their children in school, find hospital locations and schedule medical appointments .

No one knows exactly how many Hispanics live in the area, but estimates range from 1,500 to 6,000, depending on the season and who’s doing the estimating, according to Katherine Goar, former director of community development and long-term planning for the City of Anderson.

She added that the city “has worked toward addressing many of the issues which plague the Hispanic community.” Many organizations and businesses have translated documents and brochures to accommodate Hispanics. Others have hired translators or bilingual employees.

Gonzalez said she has seen the city respond to the influx over the past few years.

“Local businesses and government have made an effort to hire people who are bilingual,” she commented. “Now they are better equipped and able to do translations instead of relying on volunteers from Floricanto.”

Gonzalez understands the struggle many Hispanics are facing. She and her family immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1993, but when they arrived in Anderson, there were very few Hispanic families, she said.

“I felt alone and like I didn’t fit in,” recalls Gonzalez. “The community has changed a lot since we first moved to Anderson.”

Gonzalez said the hail storm of 1998 was a turning point, as many Hispanics flooded into Anderson looking for roofing and construction jobs that they had heard were available via word-of-mouth.

That same word-of-mouth has brought many others here to join their families. According to Gonzalez, many people have come from the small village of Oaxaca, Mexico, in particular.

One immigrant to Anderson said, “Life is so much easier here than it was in my village in Mexico.”

The woman and her family have moved multiple times and had car trouble, a leaky roof and little income, but she still feels blessed to be here.

The woman also mentioned how St. Mary’s Parish has helped with the transition into Anderson.

“Father Bob translated documents for me, and many of the members have   reached out to my family and me, inviting us to dinner and helping us when money gets tight,” she said.