Whether it was to a different town, or even country; like me.
It's not a very joyful experience, while you are making the transition, since you have all these negative thoughts about leaving behind a place and people you hold dear to you.
It's not until after you have settled down when you start to realize all the new things that surround you.
When I was packing for Uruguay, I couldn't find it in me to cry anymore. That's how hurt I was.
My mother came to me one day and randomly decided to tell me that she had been thinking about this move for quite some time now, and when was I told? Never.
I was not informed about this drastic change until after the decision was made, and everything was out of my reach.
All my peers and teachers told me : "Oh! I'll kidnap you until your mom leaves and you can live here!"
I would giggle, as a bittersweet feeling rushed over me. It was nice that they would say that but we all know that it was impossible for me to stay here, which made the feeling stronger.
Anyways, come June 3rd, I hopped on a plane at JFK and in 16 hours I would arrive to new territory.
URUGUAY JUNE 4TH, 2011 -->
It was overwhelming for me. Everyone in the main area of the airport anticipating my arrival, knew me. They have past memories of themselves with me, even if it was as a baby.
I was standing before the gate, with my luggage, behind a big cartel that was promoting some Spanish product. Everything was foreign. My mother always spoke to me in Spanish for the soul reason that I would have to use it one day, only naive Sarah thought it would have been used back home, not in a Hispanic country.
I took a deep breath, and made my way, through some giant glass doors, and there they were. The strangers whom I will live with from now on. I saw everyone jumping in place, holding a giant banner that said "BIENVENIDA SARITA", and crying.
I was trying to find an emotion deep in me, I really was, but got nothing. Blip.
As I searched the faces, trying to find a known one, I found my grandmother. I remembered speaking to her for about 5 minutes on the phone, and seeing her in pictures, but she was actually here this time.
After half an hour of being smothered in kisses and being forced to hug and take pictures with them, we got into a giant van and headed towards the place I now call home.
It was beautiful, the landscape, the language spoken, and the charisma shown in people here, but this was not for me. This wasn't my NJ.
After some time of being here, I started to notice my surroundings, as I mentioned above. I started high school, made one or two friends, and adapted well to the change in customs.
You can ask me now, Where do you prefer to live? The U.S or Uruguay?
Need I say the answer? Uruguay!
It's taught me so many things that I didn't know before from living in the states.
Everyone has their place for them in the world. I respect the love that some people have for the country they live in, because I once felt that love for USA. And everyone is also entitled to their own opinion on the world. I got so much shit when I started school because everyone told me that I was crazy to move here and leave behind such a wonderful place.
Now you see, that's where I have to disagree. In Uruguay, though our size goes against us, we're all like a giant family. I have been treated better here in almost two years than I have in USA after living my whole life there. The people here are genuine, with the exception of the many who live their life on the wrong side, which happens everywhere.
I will always have a little place in my heart for the states because it is the place that brought me my childhood, and the friends I have today, but if I were given the decision to ever return, I wouldn't.
I've had major differences with someone that still lives in my ex-town because I feel that there are better things here than there are over there, and he tells me to drop the subject.
He's right though, why fight about something so unnecessary?
He loves the states, I love Uruguay. In the end, we will both defend our own territories, even if we're completely wrong about them. We all come from different places, and are headed in different directions. In my opinion, the best people and most humble, never leave behind their true roots.
P.s: One thing that really does "grind my gears" as said by Peter Griffin (<3), are the people who feel the need to completely ignore their heritage. If you come from Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, or wherever, and you move to the states, you don't automatically turn Caucasian, but that's something that I would see happen all the time in my last high school. Hispanic people turning down their backgrounds to be feel superior? better about where they think they come from? I have no idea, why do it. There's no better country than your native one. Keep that in mind. I learned that the hard way, but now I couldn't be happier. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment