Encounter as Text

Pictured: Janessa Romero Photograph taken by Sergio Prieto (Paris, France 2022) CC/4.0
France as a First Gen
The opportunity to travel the world is a dream that many have in mind but never get to accomplish. For some, those dreams are easier to accomplish than others. In my case, my dream of traveling the world is a non-negotiable concept.
In my family, I was the first one to have the privilege to be born in the United States of America. My parents came from Cuba at the ages of 21 & 33 years old. They came to the United States without having any family here, no plans as to where they would live, and basically no money to give them a head start. Despite these circumstances, my parents worked hard to purchase a home, launch their careers, and establish a stable life for our family. The hard work and determination my parents carry with them are traits I have always looked up to and instilled in my own life. Nonetheless, with hard work comes sacrifices and my parents had to put aside their dreams of traveling the world to secure a wonderful future for our family. Luckily, those dreams were naturally passed on to me, and the moment that we learned about my opportunity to study abroad with the Honors college, there was no second-guessing it.
Choosing to study abroad in France over Spain or Italy was a no-brainer for us. My parents and I had the opportunity to travel around Europe this past summer. We visited Madrid, Barcelona, France Rome, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast. While each city was beautiful and unique in its own way, Paris was the one city that left me truly wanting to visit again. We were only there for three days and tried to fit in as much as we could but it felt as if we only caught a glimpse. We visited the main tourist spots but didn’t get the chance to truly learn more and Paris and its history. This is why I am extremely excited to visit France for a month and truly get to know its culture, history, and lifestyle.
The French lifestyle is an inspiring one. Their relaxed and laid-back culture is one that I try to implement in my day-to-day life. As a first-generation individual, I tend to overwork myself and always have too many things on my plate. However, after visiting France and other European countries I have been implementing truly enjoying every moment and not overworking myself. Life only comes around once and if we spend every single moment stressed and working, we won’t have any memories and nice experiences to look back at when we are older.
Studying abroad is an opportunity that no one in my family has ever had the chance to do as no one has ever gone to college in my family. I hope to set myself as an example for all the other children and teens in my family as they grow up that it is important to enjoy life while also working hard towards your goals. Teaching them that no dream is unattainable as long as they envision and work toward it.