Growing up, though most of my years have been spent in South Florida, I had always identified as a super hispanic person. I speak spanish at home, most of my friends are from Latin American countries, and my town is scattered with Latin American food restaurants and businesses. Weston, where I grew up, is a town that has so many hispanics because all the young families that wanted to leave the political turmoil of their countries wanted a safe place to live where they could raise their kids. I look at my classmates from home and we all have such similar stories. This community something I have loved being a part of.
Going to school at Rollins was a slight shift, as Winter Park isn’t as hispanic, but I still found comfort in the tequeños at Dave’s, and with the people that understood my Spanglish. When thinking of spending four months in Great Britain, I do worry that I will have a harder time reaching the Latina part of me, and that I’ll feel homesick. The good thing is that London is extremely culturally rich, so I’m sure that finding a place where I can eat some Spanish food will not be too difficult.
That being said, I am looking forward to experiencing a different part of the world and viewing it through the lens of how I was raised, and through my experiences as an immigrant and Latina. I know that I will bring all the things that my parents have instilled in me, all the Latin family values that have continued to help me be successful. I am excited to bring diversity to my workplace, and see how my thinking might differ from my co-workers. I think that there will definitely be an adjustment period, but I look forward to being thrown into such a new place where I will grow and learn so many new things.