Author: Meghan Marrero-Beyra

Meghan Marrero-Beyra is a junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in marketing at FIU. Currently involved in an internship where she works at an accounting firm as a staff accountant. After graduating, she aspires to earn a job at an accounting firm while obtaining her CPA license and begin studying for the LSAT. She dreams of going to law school to become a tax attorney and earn an LLM in taxation. Meghan was born in Hialeah and comes from a Cuban immigrant family. She finds joy in doing activities such as photography, traveling, working out, and spending time with her dog.

Encounter As Text

“Liberty & Cultural Immersion” By Meghan Marrero-Beyra of FIU, January 27, 2023

There are so many reasons to travel and study away, but for me, it is invigorating and exciting to go abroad. It is more than just a vacation; it is a taste of living as a local and experiencing other cultures. Becoming fully immersed in their ways of life and the way they compare to how we live. This experience will be one of the first true tastes of freedom for me in many regards. Like a bird-setting flight, but this one is heading to France. Nothing will compare to the relationships and bonds we build when exploring other countries and cultures with people we otherwise would never know. All of these encompass my reasons for going away.

I have always loved photography to me it is a symbol of capturing short glimpses of time and freezing them forever to be able to look back upon them. They are glimpses into the past and what can soon be the future much like this experience will be for me. I will be capturing moments in the present that I will forever carry in my perception of the future. I am excited to go abroad and be able to capture moments that will last a lifetime. There will never really be another time in my life when I will be able to leave for over a month for Europe. Which is both exciting and nerve-racking. It is exciting because I will be traveling around Europe with my best friend making memories that are once in a lifetime. We will be able to have these unique memories that we will never forget. Being able to tell our families and our future kids about our worldly experiences is another aspect that I am excited about. Being able to share experiences that are so unique to us will not just be another trip where we just scratch the surface of the culture and customs of a country, we will live like the locals. The bonds we will make with the other 19 students in our class along with the professor is another aspect that will be like no other.

Though this trip will be fun and exciting some aspects are a bit nerve-racking. For instance, I have never been on a plane without my family so this will be the first time flying without them. I have also never spent so much time away from my family or home. We have always been a small family which is great because we have quality time together, but that also makes leaving them so much harder. Even though it is not that long of a time in retrospect you just never know what can happen. Though I know my family is very excited for me which is all I could ask for it is just that I will miss them so much. Though their love and support make it that much easier.

In many regards, this trip will be the first authentic taste of freedom for me. First, I paid for this trip all by myself with the money I made from working. But even more than that it is the first time I will be away from home for a long period. Coming from an immigrant Cuban family as not only the youngest (the baby) but also the only girl can be difficult sometimes. A lot of things are expected of me, and my family can sometimes be very overprotective of me. So going away for a long period to another country across the Atlantic is not always the easiest for them or me. This trip will be a big transition for me since I am not used to living so away from family and being able to go venture through other countries with my friends. It is a freedom I could never really experience at another time in my life.

France study abroad for me will be like living in another world. The culture and expectations are and will be so different from those I am used to in Miami. It is the one time in my life when I can truly live with no obligations. I can just pick up and leave. There is a sense of relief in that. Being able to live life so differently across the Atlantic will be memories to cherish.

Enlightenment as Text

“A New Awakening” by Meghan Marrero-Beyra of FIU, February 12, 2023

The Enlightenment period was very revolutionary for many reasons and for many people. The idea of how religious faith and social systems being the main ideas of how life works. The ways in which society used to be run were not the most conventional and led to many being suppressed. The way in which no one could truly speak up or speak against those in high status or high power in society. Led to many never having a voice or being able to speak up about things that were truly important and necessary to be heard.

     The Enlightenment was very much necessary to occur and led to our life being how it is now. People speaking up about philosophy, scientific methods, and against oppression from those in power. The Enlightenment was most especially prevalent in France. With the French Revolution there was a very dramatic shift within art and writing. French art was a very important and invigorating symbol for the French people. It was a big part of how art and architecture became how it is today. Before much of the art and architecture were mainly known by the Italians and Romans for their beginnings, but after the Enlightenment the French made many of the main symbols and examples for others to follow. Most especially with revolution, government ideals, and philosophy. Which is why much of America today is gravely impacted by the French and the French Revolution.

       The American revolution was influenced and aided by the French. Which is a big part as to why of all countries France is one that America has never gone to war with. Even many of our government ideals are influenced by the French. For instance, in our government ideas of the three branches of government were influenced by French philosopher Montesquieu. The idea of having checks and balances to ensure no one in power has too much. To protect the people. Which is very important for many of the ideals that we live by. For instance, otherwise many of the basic rights that we take advantage of today would be unheard of if it were not for the Enlightenment. The idea of freedom of speech is one that was never heard of under the oppression of a monarchy. Many would be controlled in their everyday lives by the king in power. They had to pay many taxes without the exchange of a say or power in their lives.

       However, the ideas of religion and scientific method I believe do not have to be mutually exclusive. They can be used interchangeably many of their ideals are similar and stem from the same root ideas. Though there does have to be a balance I believe if there is too much of one and not of the other there will be issues. Many that believe in the scientific method solely do not have the security in a higher power to believe in or a coherent way of life. Since science is always changing and new things are constantly being discovered. These are reasons as to why the Enlightenment was so influential and influenced the way of life we live now. Without it our current ideas of life would be so different.

Enlightenment Period: Thinkers & Ideas – History. https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/enlightenment.

Historic Miami as Text

“Fruits of our Labor” By Meghan Marrero-Beyra of FIU at Modesto A. Maidique Campus, March 1, 2023

The history of where we come from plays a large part in who we are and who we become. Many say that history creates and provides a feeling of identity for oneself. History aids in understanding the complexities in the world and gives a sense of possibilities for the future. This is especially true of Miami and its history. It is a melting pot of ideas and cultures. So many have and continue to migrate to Miami. As they come and stay, they learn the stories of others which plan a role in their own stories and the stories of the city. Much like my family who came from Cuba determined to leave the dictatorship and live in a country where we can learn and grow. Being able to create a better future for the next generation of our family. Miami was the pinnacle place for my family to go. It is unlike any other city there is diverse backgrounds and language which make it that much more inclusive to newcomers. A place where accents do not truly exist because everyone has a different accent based on where they are from. Allowing for more inclusivity because we all have something different to bring to the table. These aspects play a large part in the building of Miami’s past and create an even more imprint on the immersive and explosive future of the city.

What one first sees is not the full story. This is especially true of the art piece in the city called “Dropped Bowl with Scattered Slices and Peels.” While it is true that the artwork is in fact a broken bowl and arranged pieces of oranges it symbolizes more than this. It is symbolic of the public art program the city continues to endorse. Providing many Hispanics, the ability to produce art for an audience and providing them a stage for which their art can shine. The artwork looks simple enough in concept but there is much more thought that went on. The artists, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, focused on using oranges and chaos as their focal point to emphasize on Miami and how it makes order of the constant and apparent disorder of the city. It sounds almost counterintuitive, and it is. But that is a fairly accurate description of Miami. As we continue to have more and more incoming migrants and changing times the city and its people make sense of the normal disorder that is the city. There is never a real normal Miami that is just not the way it was constructed or founded. Miami has always been a safe haven for many immigrants which comes with its natural disorders. Due to there being no one culture to set a sense of standard or way of being. For better or for worse this construct is what makes Miami the colorful and lively city it is. From its scattered origins that come from all across the globe. To its unpredictable future, we continue to have endless possibilities to grow the city.

“Why Study History?” Why Study History, https://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/departments/history/whystudyhistory.html#:~:text=History%20helps%20one%20to%20understand,us%20what%20we%20are%20today.

Vizcaya as Text

“Frozen Beauty” By Meghan Marrero-Beyra of FIU at Modesto A. Maidique Campus, March 19, 2023

Not only is Vizcaya beautiful, but for me, it has a little of a deeper meaning. The day we visited Vizcaya was the five-year anniversary of the first time I had been to Vizcaya. When I went last it was to take my quinces photos. I initially fell in love with the architectural designs and the way that Vizcaya in my opinion has the perfect blend of nature and human influence. While there is such influence and human manipulation that created Vizcaya there still seems to be a balance in the way it was constructed. From the greenery that blooms throughout all the construction that was made. Within the gardens and the home. To the beautiful view past the boat. Personally, Vizcaya creates almost this sense of tranquility and beauty within the busy and blooming city of Miami.
Coming back now five years later I was able to appreciate its construction that much more and understand it on a deeper level. Learning more about James Deering’s influence on coral gables due to his architectural choices within Vizcaya. He wanted to bring a piece of Italy to this tropical anomaly that we have. When constructing Vizcaya James did not know how Miami would bloom around his home he was consumed with wanting to have a piece of Europe in the United States. What is most fascinating to me are the gardens and the music room. The gardens create this feeling as though you are separated from society, yet it can be no further from the truth since you are in the middle of a large city. But the way in which they are constructed the man-made architecture will allow you to be all consumed and it transports you to feel like you are in another time and place. When Vizcaya although it does have similar looks to most homes in Coral Gables due to its immense influence. Vizcaya still looks so different from anything else. Due to its blend of Italian and tropical natures, nothing compares to its immense beauty. The gardens have focal points to draw all your attention away from everything and consume you. Whether it is the beautiful bridge that the monkeys used to inhabit, to the maze you wind through, or the beautiful fountain that duplicates its beauty by reflection upon the water it captures. It is truly like being in another world at another time. In addition, the music room simply takes your breath away. It is sad that none of the instruments have been played, but it adds to the sense of Vizcaya being frozen in time. To me, the most marvelous thing is the chandelier dangling in the center of the room. It truly takes all your attention making it quite difficult to focus on anything else even though it is surrounded by such beautiful rococo artwork. The chandelier has such complex features, but somehow creates such a simple beauty with its combinations of flowers and gold it is every romantic dream chandelier. Vizcaya itself has so many elements that makeup what it is. It has truly withstood the toll of time and continues to shine in its beauty.

“Vizcaya.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/Vizcaya-province-Spain.