Broadening My Educational Experience

For as long as I can remember, I have appreciated different cultures. My father and my maternal grandmother are from Trinidad; so I always wanted to learn and understand a world I was not able to see and experience on an everyday basis. I noticed my experience growing up was different than most of my American peers as a result of my family’s diverse customs and culture. This opened my eyes to the impact culture has on a person and who they are. This fascination grew into self-determination to understand not only my own family’s culture and history but those of others as well. Any opportunity to learn about a country’s traditions, religions, and historical background sparked my attention. This past summer I had the opportunity to study abroad in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (Xela). While in Guatemala I lived with a host family, the Garcias. ... I had to mentally and emotionally adjust to being in a foreign country where I was consistently vulnerable. Once I made the conscious decision to accept my vulnerability and to welcome uncomfortable situations that I would encounter—due mostly to the language barrier—my life changed