Hello! My name is Manuel, but I mostly go by Manny. I am supposed to write a pre-departure blog before I head off to London for my internship, so I’ll try my best!
If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I ever thought I would get to travel the world in some capacity, I’d be perplexed that the concept of traveling even existed. I wasn’t raised in a particularly prominent family; in fact I lived in one of the worst slums of Puerto Rico for a good chunk of my life. However, I never complained. Santurce was my home, it’s where my family lived and where I got to eat “luxury” Denny’s dinner every Friday night. I was perfectly happy as a 9 year old considering my circumstances. Then, my dad lost his job and his office got shut down. My mother was a teacher so her income wasn’t nearly enough to support a family, let alone one person. So my dad took the reins and left for Miami to search for job. My life would never be the same after that.
Fast forward 10 years later, and I’ve already lived in at least 3 different countries. I have had the pleasure of visiting most of the Caribbean islands, parts of Mexico, and even Canada! So when I found out Rollins had an international program that went London, I saw it as an opportunity to finally expand my horizons beyond the Western Hemisphere. Granted, the process was very difficult and getting accepted into the program was no easy task considering I only had about a week to turn in all of my application materials! Nevertheless, I saw it as a positive sign of what is to come and the challenges that await. You see, I’m a sucker for a good puzzle so getting the chance to challenge myself in a completely new capacity, in a completely new continent, was like a dream come true.
Now I am three days out until I board a plane in Atlanta and take off on an 8-hour flight to London. The anxiety is building by the moment and my doubts and worries cloud my mind at certain points in the day. However, when I begin to doubt myself and question why I took such a difficult task to handle, I always think back on my parents and their struggle. I think back on the uphill battle they had to face daily in order to survive, let alone care for a child. That alone gives me the strength to power through those thoughts and emotions. And all of a sudden, I feel like a happy little kid again.