Have you ever been asked to introduce yourself? Well I hate being asked this question, since people expect a huge list of facts starting with your name and finishing with your age. I believe I am more than that and that it's impossible to know the real me by just knowing my name, age and major at college. Then who am I really? I was given the name Valeria Muñoz on September 28, 1994 in Cali, Colombia. I was the first child to my mom and third child to my dad, both middle class people. My story is much more than these little uninteresting facts. I'm going to start my life journey with my first real and complete memory: when I was almost 5 years old, I welcomed into my family my little sister. I could lie and say I was excited to receive her home, but the real story is I hated I was no longer the only child. I got really jealous that the little bald baby was getting more attention than me around the house. I remember crying my eyes out in order to get my parent's attention, but eventually I figured out I had to learn how to share EVERYTHING. Even though I come from a huge family of 16 aunts and uncles and a huge number of cousins, it wasn't until this moment I learned my first life lesson: sharing is caring.
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| Me at my first birthday |
When I was 6-7 years old my parents decided to leave the country and settled in Tampa, Florida. At the moment, for me, this was the worst decision ever. I was forced to leave my school, friends and family; and arrive at a new place where I didn't know anybody or even spoke the language. The first few months were unbearable, I hated school because I couldn't communicate with my classmates or teacher. I cried every night begging my parents to return home, but they always said that everything in life is a challenge that needs to be conquered and that I should never give up. Eventually almost three months later, I finally got the whole speaking English part down and adapting was no longer that difficult. Eventually, I had taken a roll in my family, I had turned into the translator. I remember calling the doctor's office and making appointments for everyone since my parents didn't speak any english, or going to school to the parent teacher conferences and translating everything to my parents.
When I was finally feeling at home in Florida, my dad got a job offer here in Puerto Rico. I was once again removed from my comfort zone and arrived at a new place. Now I know that the decision the leave Colombia was my parent's way of assuring me a good education and future, but at the moment I hated them for making my life a little bit hard. Here I was forced to speak Spanish again and for this reason I had to repeat second grade, since my spanish was "poor". I have always been a good student and eventually I was first in my class, at this moment my teachers thought I was ready to join my real classmates in fourth grade. So a little fun fact is, I was a second grader twice, but never took any third grade classes.
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| Me, my sister and my cousin |
I remember I had to take care of my sister after school, because we were alone in this country and no one could give us a hand in baby-sitting. I had to turn into this little adult who learned how to make nuggets and help her sister with school work before our parents returned from work. Here I realised my script was to become this little mature person who took care of translating everything to my parents and took care of her sister even though at the moment I probably couldn't even take care of myself. I believe my life has shaped me into a responsible adult who always thinks before acting and never gives up no matter how difficult a situation might get.
My mom lives with this idea and hope that I could at some point in my life return to Colombia and live there. Here is were a deviate from this script my parents could have created. I know that I don't want to live in Colombia, because my life is here in Puerto Rico. Here is were I grew up, made friends and have studied. Now I make my own decisions and returning to Colombia is not one of my relocation options. Besides this, I don't differ that much from this script. Since everything in my life has changed so many times, I don't think I have ever had a real pre-made path. My parents just want me to be happy, comfortable with the adult I am and have a good education in order to be a productive adult in society. I am my own person, who has been shaped by her parents, family and situations in life. In the end I'm another college student with a background story not many people know.
If I would had the opportunity you had (although you didn't like the decision at first), I think my English would be better. Sometimes we don't like the decisions our parents made, but we see excellent outcomes later. They want the best for us!
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