I grew up in Richmond, Virginia and as a young person, I always wanted to hurry and leave the city of my birth (mi nacimiento). I started traveling at an early age, making it to California on my own by the time I was fifteen, and throughout high school (el colegio), like most young people, I wanted to spread my wings (mis alas) and travel to new places. This continued into college, and by the time I read Kerouac’s On the Road, I was ready to infuse (infundir) that troubadour spirit and search for new journeys and new locations (los lugares nuevos) in a more extensive and far reaching effort. The road (el camino) would call and I would head out, sometimes with friends (con amigos), some times alone (solo), but always heading out and returning to Richmond, to my family (mi familia) and my home (mi casa).
As I grew older, I had more opportunities to travel (viajar) all around the US, and have to date visited forty-three of the fifty states and have plans to finish my list (mi lista) before I turn fifty years old. I enjoy the freedom (la libertad) that one can get from moving around the US, and also from seeing the ways (las maneras) of living in the south, north, east and west. The diversity of terrain and the people is one of the things that make the US great, with its wide-open spaces (los espacios grandes), beautiful scenes, small towns, large cities and the roots of its inhabitants that extend to every other country around the world.
In addition, I have found that I enjoyed traveling both (ambos) in the US and other countries, and took the time to visit many wonderful locations throughout Mexico and Canada, as well as places in Europe, such as England and Scotland, and even to more exotic and far away places (lugares tan lejos) like Greece and Israel. By the time I made it to South America, to Chile, Argentina and even further south, to Antarctica, I knew that living away (afuera) from the US for a period of time, something that had only been a dream, could in fact be a reality (una realidad). With the five months afforded by the Fulbright US Scholars program, that dream (ese sueno) has indeed become a reality. This experience had also impacted me greatly and this immersion experience has taught me many things (muchas cosas), some good and some I need to change (cambiar), in both my personal and professional life.
The more I traveled, the more I felt connected to the world (el mundo), but also the more I began to understand (comprender) that here was and is not a single solitary way to do things in life. I believe we tend to live a bit sheltered and country-centric in the US, and that we often see our way as the only way, and consequently, somewhat unintentionally I believe, we (nosotros) from the USA try and impose our will and agenda on others, even in their own countries (sus propios países). This can lead to great frustration on both sides of these interactions, especially if there is a language barrier (una barrera del idioma) as well. I have found that the more I get around, the more these barriers disappear, especially if you are willing to change (cambiar) yourself and not inflict the need for change upon others.
Yes, I have traveled by plane (en avión), by train (en tren), by bus (en micro), by car (en auto), and by boat (en barco), on many journeys, some that were long and some that were short. Living in Chile for five months has had its challenges, many of which I have noted, and for someone who has a home (una casa), a job (un trabajo) and a life (una vida) in the US, this is a lot of time to be away. But sometimes in life, it is important to take some different steps (unos pasos diferentes), to gain a new perspective on your own life and on your own goals (sus propias metas) as well. Living, working and traveling in South America this past year has brought me to a new place, and it is that new place, that new perspective (la perspectiva nueva), which I look forward to implementing anew, once I return back home.
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