Personal Narrative: My Trip To Colombia

Although it may not be the orthodox turning point people so often read about in young adult novels or hear in motivational speeches, my trip to Colombia matured me in such a way that I have become incredibly aware of myself and of the stigmatized minorities in America. Along with being a very liberal minded millennial, I am also one hundred percent Colombiana and am finally proud to say so. Until my two month visit to Bucaramanga ,Colombia I was embarrassingly ashamed of my ethnicity to the point where I felt the need to tell anyone I met that I was half-white so I would be “safe” from stereotypical jokes. Years of ridicule took its’ toll on my 12 year old self and made me resent my culture, ethnicity, and overall self. I hated bubbling Hispanic …show more content…
Whether we were climbing mountains in sunburnt skin or hailing a taxi after a long day, it was impossible to not notice the pride and love these families had for their country. What really stood out to me throughout the vacation was the fact that all of the families I visited were extremely grateful for their living conditions and were always laughing and finding a new adventure to take me and my brother on; it seemed to me that no matter their wealth, their general appreciation of life was always evident. Back when I lived in New York my family tried their best to almost give me a part of Colombian culture with their late night parties, traditional cooking, and matriarch ideals, but I never really attributed these things as specific to my culture, I just ruled them out to be regular family traditions. Therefore, I ignored these traditions and turned them into things of hatred because they made me different from the other families at school. However, when I returned to America I was filled to the brim with gratitude and pride for all the aspects of my culture that made me