Thursday, November 1, 2007 12:10 AM CDT
Jerdan has stayed true to her native country while learning US culture
By AMBER WILLIAMS, Staff Writer
awilliams@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — Living in the United States since she was 11 years old, Sylvia Jerdan has learned how to appreciate the American way of life while still celebrating her native culture.
The longtime Mattoon resident moved to the Decatur area from her hometown of Piura, Peru, as a child to join her mother in the United States. Although she did not know how to speak much English when she first arrived in America, Jerdan enrolled in the sixth grade and was fully immersed in the classroom, learning the language as she went along.
“At that age, you acquire language very quickly,” Jerden said.
Less than a year later, Jerdan was not only speaking English but also was winning spelling bees at school.
Some of Jerdan’s early impressions of the United States were how neat and clean it was, and quiet, especially compared to the busy city where she had lived.
“Everything here impressed me,” Jerdan said.
While acclimating to the American customs, Jerdan did not forget about the Peruvian culture she came from, especially living with her mother, who continued to include Peruvian traditions in their daily lives.
“We still had the values of the other culture — you bring the two together,” Jerdan said.
The traditions and culture of Peru are something Jerdan has attempted to pass on to her family and share with people in this community when she has the chance.
Along with 10 other former international students at Eastern Illinois University, Jerdan was recently named a 2007 EIU Global Ambassador. In the Eastern literature on the Global Ambassadors, the recipients were described as global citizens who have excellent reputations in their lives and careers.
After graduating from Mattoon High School, Jerdan attended Eastern, earning a bachelor’s degree in medical technology in 1977.
“I loved Eastern, I really did. I had a great time,” Jerdan said.
Former Eastern foreign student adviser Eulalee Anderson, who nominated Jerdan as a global ambassador, remembers Jerdan as being an enthusiastic member of the Eastern community while she was a student.
“She was very active and took part in anything that was going on,” Anderson said.
Having known Jerdan for many years, Anderson said she knew that Jerdan was an excellent person to represent the international student community at Eastern.
“She is a lovely person and has done so well in this country and she represents the other foreigners well,” Anderson said.
Giving her husband Greg and daughters Brooke, Courtney, Kendra and Kimberly a sense of her life in Peru has been possible for Jerdan in part because of the numerous trips they have taken to the country, usually spanning six weeks at a time in the summer so her daughters can get to know some of their relatives there.
Daughter Brooke Jerdan said being able to go to Peru not only gave her an appreciation of that culture, but of all different cultures. The experience made her more interested in how other people live and gave her a greater understanding of everything she was able to take for granted in the United States, she said.
Of all of the customs and traditions Sylvia Jerdan brought with her to the United States, the one she most wanted to instill in her own family was the closeness of the family members in Peru. When the Jerdan family travels to Peru to visit their family, a group of 40 people would be there to meet them at the airport with a band they had hired to announce the Jerdans’ arrival.
“When we are there, they are very welcoming,” said Brooke Jerdan.
In past years, Jerdan was able to put her Spanish language skills to use in the community by doing translating for Spanish-speaking students who came into the hospital or by tutoring students at local schools.
Jerdan now assists her husband at the family’s business, Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home in Mattoon.
Having received the honor of being named a global ambassador at Eastern, Jerdan said she hopes she has been able to positively represent Peru in the community.
“I just want them to know the people over there are very open-minded and welcoming. It is a beautiful country,” Jerdan said.
Contact Amber Williams at awilliams@jg-tc.com or 238-6858.
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