Engaging with my Latinx culture has been a perennial challenge for me. For the longest time, I assumed that being Puerto Rican was a burden, or somehow inherently made me less capable. With this assumption, I lost my desire to speak Spanish and as a third generation Puerto Rican, for most of my life I only knew simple commands (and a couple of curse words, but you would never catch me using those around the house).
For the longest time, I assumed that being Puerto Rican was a burden, or made me inherently less capable.
Posing for a photo in Rincon, PR in June 2021
I say all of this because the passion for study abroad came to me when I finally realized the beauty of my own culture and identity through the National Hispanic Institute. Through exploring my own culture, I grew excited to learn about other peoples. In this way, my schooling for the past five years in Spanish has led to this moment. It is now that I embark on a journey which one quarter of my twenty-year life has built to.
the passion for study abroad came to me when I finally realized the beauty of my own culture and identity
My friends and I in Tampa during a National Hispanic Institute Program Excursion in June 2018
Surprisingly, I do not feel so much pressure. Wofford has helped me to find opportunity after opportunity to study abroad, whether in Mexico or Ireland, and I could not feel more prepared for my three months away.
Looking forward, I fully believe the rest of this year will change my life, with the sole requirement that I be present. I am awfully scared of the changes Covid-19 will make to my trip. I am worried that my peers and I may not get along. I am not sure how friendly Ecuadorian cuisine will be to my vegetarian diet. But the chance to travel is such a privilege, especially in 2021 and I am so excited to get going. Next stop… Quito, Ecuador!