New beginnings
Like many international students, I chose to move to the UK because it offered the best option available to pursue graduate studies. For years, I had had the goal of completing a Masters degree and, in the North East I found an opportunity to do so. I moved to the UK in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, with just two suitcases, a bundle of nerves and excitement. Now, two years later I am so happy I made that decision.
Since the day I arrived everything has been a lesson. As a native Spanish speaker adjusting to a new language, adapting to new accents, new slang, basically re-learning the English language (so different from the American version I had learned throughout the years) has been a challenge. Getting to try different foods, learning about different cultures, figuring out a new currency, a new healthcare system, a new educational system, to seemingly trivial things like taking the bus and learning how to pronounce the names of some of the stops. I can only say, it has been an adventure! I moved from tropical Puerto Rico, where it is summer all year long. Even after two years here the cold still takes me by surprise each time. If I could have brought anything in my suitcase, it would have been the sun and the warm weather.
When I moved, I was surprised at how open and friendly people were. I was stunned at how easily they opened their homes to me and the hospitality of those around me. In the years I have been here I have never passed a Christmas Day by myself. Having lived in other places I knew that was not always the case and it was another of the reasons why it felt so special to be here. I have been very lucky. I know that is not the case for everyone that goes through the experience that is immigration. I was also surprised by the amount of different people from all corners of the world that coexisted in the same spaces. You could walk through one street and hear more than 10 different languages around you in the time it takes you to get from point A to point B. Coming from a country that is not as diverse as the UK it was shocking and a pleasant surprise. An experience like that wouldn’t happen there. Living surrounded by so many cultures has made me appreciate my own culture even more. I love being able to meet new people from all over and learning about their stories, how they also ended up here, their culture and more. Never had I had so many different meaningful conversations as I have had here with people I have met in the most unexpected of places.
I believe if any positive changes are going to be made in our society it will be through conversation and mutual understanding. Celine from the movie ‘Before Sunrise’ said it best “If there’s any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something.” I believe that, and because of that I decided to join Roots. The nature of the work of the Roots Programme, creating spaces for dialogue and mutual understanding, is revolutionary in its nature. Everyday we are bombarded with divisive messages coming from all over. Groups are constantly being formed and lines are being drawn as to say you belong and they do not. Because of this rhetoric we forget how much we all have in common and what unites us. I believe a revolution of change will happen from the ground up. Where everyday people will choose to choose empathy and compassion and this can only be started through conversations. I am so happy to be a part of The Roots programme and I am excited about the work that will be achieved.
