They continued to wear native clothing, to celebrate weddings and funerals through traditional ritual, to observe religious holidays of their homeland and to decorate their homes in traditional fashion. They felt a stronger connection to their homeland than they had experienced while living there. D'Alisera believes the amplified link to Sierra Leone may be a reaction to the adjustment of living among people who do not understand or fully accept them. By exhibiting their culture and values, they shrug the stereotypes that Americans place upon them and regain a sense of their own identity. In addition, it enables them to maintain a psychological connection with the people and places they left behind.
Technology also offers a tool to maintain connections with their homeland.
Telephones, email and the Internet enable instantaneous contact with people living halfway across the world. In a sense, this capability forms virtual social groups that pay no attention to boundaries or oceans. D'Alisera believes anthropologists must take into account new methods of cultural transmission if they are to understand how people form communities and identify themselves. But this is only one example of how globalization is changing anthropology. Many more changes must be made, she said.