As I sit at home in Miami writing this, I am filled with shock and excitement. Never in a million years did I think that studying abroad was a possibility for me. I come from a low-income, immigrant family. Growing up, we would move from house to house as rents got higher and wages got lower. I had lived in Spain as a toddler, but that was because we had family there. Other than that, I’ve never left Florida.
When I got to Rollins, I thought my life would be the same as it was at home. I’m paying my way through college on my own, so I assumed I would have time for nothing but work and school. Luckily, I’ve gotten more scholarships throughout my almost three years here at Rollins which have made my distant dreams of wanderlust not only a possibility but a reality.
It’s been a lot for my family to take in. My mom is a single parent and she works so hard to provide for me and my three brothers. She’s always wanted to travel so she’s overjoyed to get to pass that dream on to me. I’m nervous to be so far away from home, especially as one of my little brothers has joined me at Rollins and I’ve loved getting to spend so much time with him this past semester. But I know I have my family’s support on this and I’m so excited to make a new found family in London.
Every new piece of information I get about my semester in London fills my heart with butterflies. My classes (one about witchcraft and another about queer history) seem so interesting, my internship (with an independent theatre company) lines up perfectly with my professional interests and my neighborhood (Camden) is full of life and diversity. For the first time in my life I’m going to be living right in the heart of a city. I’ve wanted this all my life and it seems unbelievable that it’s actually going to happen.
I’m most excited to connect with the history in London. As someone who has never really had any roots anywhere, I love how old London is and how rich its history is. I’ve always felt I was in-between Cuban culture and American culture, so I am excited to immerse myself in a completely new culture with a blank connection to me. I’m going to get to create my own connection to England.