'Míra'me
I have to admit, this is my first attempt at writing a blog, so please bear with me. I want to tell you my story; who I am and how I came to be in a position of studying abroad in Spain. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.
My name is Coralys Miranda-Reyes, and I was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico in the mid 1990s as the third born child of a growing family. We all left Puerto Rico in 2000 with the 4th child, my new little brother, only recently having been born to 2 exhausted parents. That exhaustion was the result of efforts to move to the United States and make a better life for all of us. Their exhaustion wasn't for nothing, because without them, we would not have become who we are today. Today, we total 5 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 parents who never stopped working to make something better to this day. With their help, I was an honor-roll student during my primary and secondary education, which lead me to my university; the University of Southern Indiana.
I started out at USI with just one major in International Studies... which I may have slightly added onto my sophomore year, to the astonishment of many. I became a triple major in International Studies, Anthropology, and Spanish. I chose Spanish because, although it was my first language, I had never received any formal Spanish education as the entirety of my American education has been in English. Without that Spanish major, I would not have met the most wonderful students and faculty that pushed and led me to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has pushed me into telling you how it came to be in this blog. I get to study abroad in Spain! The home of my first language, my ancestors, and the small town of Mira, where my classes will take place.
How did I get here though? I didn't just have the personal resources sitting around for me to make the quick decision to study abroad. In fact, I never thought I'd be able to as I am a student, poor and in-debt, with only so little time before I graduate in December 2017. I thought it was hopeless to even dream of going. However, other people believed in me. One of those people, my Spanish professor Dr. Hitchcock, approached me one morning and told me about a possibility. I expressed how interesting that possibility seemed and hoped it would follow through. Then he approached me again another time and told me it was in preparation. The decision and discussion with his colleagues to arrange everything was underway. He then asked me if I would like to participate in the endeavor. I expressed my hesitance as this endeavor required resources I had no access to. A hopeful possibility glimmered, but there was no way.
It led up to the day when I was sitting in a library study room with my friend Angie as she prepared a photography project. I heard the ping of my email notification, which read:
This time next week, I will be on a plane on my way to Madrid with 5 other women for a month to experience something new. I don't know exactly what challenges it may hold. I don't know if i'll be able to understand the Castilian dialect of Spanish as well as expected or if I will meet the expectations of those around me. I worry I may feel lost in a crowd of that which I thought would feel familiar, but I am willing to take that step into unfamiliarity. I am willing to learn more about Spanish culture, its food, and its people to know something other than what I already knew. I am willing to learn and become someone better than the girl who thought it was impossible.
My name is Coralys Miranda-Reyes, and I was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico in the mid 1990s as the third born child of a growing family. We all left Puerto Rico in 2000 with the 4th child, my new little brother, only recently having been born to 2 exhausted parents. That exhaustion was the result of efforts to move to the United States and make a better life for all of us. Their exhaustion wasn't for nothing, because without them, we would not have become who we are today. Today, we total 5 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 parents who never stopped working to make something better to this day. With their help, I was an honor-roll student during my primary and secondary education, which lead me to my university; the University of Southern Indiana.
I started out at USI with just one major in International Studies... which I may have slightly added onto my sophomore year, to the astonishment of many. I became a triple major in International Studies, Anthropology, and Spanish. I chose Spanish because, although it was my first language, I had never received any formal Spanish education as the entirety of my American education has been in English. Without that Spanish major, I would not have met the most wonderful students and faculty that pushed and led me to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has pushed me into telling you how it came to be in this blog. I get to study abroad in Spain! The home of my first language, my ancestors, and the small town of Mira, where my classes will take place.
How did I get here though? I didn't just have the personal resources sitting around for me to make the quick decision to study abroad. In fact, I never thought I'd be able to as I am a student, poor and in-debt, with only so little time before I graduate in December 2017. I thought it was hopeless to even dream of going. However, other people believed in me. One of those people, my Spanish professor Dr. Hitchcock, approached me one morning and told me about a possibility. I expressed how interesting that possibility seemed and hoped it would follow through. Then he approached me again another time and told me it was in preparation. The decision and discussion with his colleagues to arrange everything was underway. He then asked me if I would like to participate in the endeavor. I expressed my hesitance as this endeavor required resources I had no access to. A hopeful possibility glimmered, but there was no way.
It led up to the day when I was sitting in a library study room with my friend Angie as she prepared a photography project. I heard the ping of my email notification, which read:
"Dear Coralys, I have an update about Mira, and I would really like to talk with you. Best wishes, Dr. Hitchcock"I asked if he wished to arrange a meeting to discuss the update, to his response:
"Hi, Coralys. I should have said, 'Yes.' I would like to meet with you in person as soon as possible, like right now! Have some good news."Luckily, as I was in the library with free time, I let him know I could go to him, but he expressed the need to go to me and I told him my location. He tracked me down, sat in front of me with Angie curious as to what was so serious that a professor needed to find me. Dr. Hitchcock then told me that because of my experience with a previous Spanish theatre course and acting, he thought that my presence would be valuable to this trip to Mira, Spain. I couldn't exactly comprehend what he was saying at first, but he explained that he was willing to provide an almost full scholarship with the resources at his disposal to study abroad on this Faculty-led trip with other select students. This trip for Spanish theatre would allow me to meet Spanish playwrights and actors on different excursions. This trip that I was too in shock to respond to right away as I had to process exactly what that meant. It took me a couple of days to finally say 'yes!'
This time next week, I will be on a plane on my way to Madrid with 5 other women for a month to experience something new. I don't know exactly what challenges it may hold. I don't know if i'll be able to understand the Castilian dialect of Spanish as well as expected or if I will meet the expectations of those around me. I worry I may feel lost in a crowd of that which I thought would feel familiar, but I am willing to take that step into unfamiliarity. I am willing to learn more about Spanish culture, its food, and its people to know something other than what I already knew. I am willing to learn and become someone better than the girl who thought it was impossible.
This is so wonderful! I'm proud of you and looking forward to hearing about your experiences. Have a fabulous trip!
ReplyDelete