A major part of my identity, and surely an aspect that could be enriching to others, is the large part of my life that I have spent as a traveler. Whether solo or with family, traveling has been one of the most powerful, empowering aspects of my life, and possibly the most important factor in my growth as a cultured, social person.
I was raised in an international family, where nearly a third of my relatives lived seven thousand miles away in the province of Tucumán, Argentina. This meant that, as often as we could afford it, our family would spend summer vacations in South America. This gave me the opportunity, at a very young age, to be completely immersed in a language and culture vastly different from my own, and laid the foundation for what would eventually become my fascination with the exploration of new culture.
Needless to say, I come from a family of travelers who have always been supportive of me as an explorer and a traveler, and it was through their support that I was able to take a year off of school to travel and to explore different cultures. Within that year, I had the opportunity to take four different and distinct trips: the first was a solo-adventure, walking and hitchhiking down the California Coast, sleeping on beachside campgrounds; the second was a cross-continental trip all throughout the United States and Canada, traveling as far north as Vancouver, British Columbia, and as far south as New Orleans, Louisiana; the third was an overseas adventure to Sydney, Australia, where I spent time exploring the city life between trainings with the National Australian Ultimate Frisbee team; and the last was a two-month visit to the tiny coastal town of Mazunte, Mexico, where I visited family and immersed myself in the culture of my heritage. While there is not nearly enough room here to encompass all that I have encountered throughout this past year, I can say that each trip was its own amazing, enriching experience, and that the breadth of what I saw and did was something I could never have found any other way. In this past year, I’ve found myself standing at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean. I’ve hitched rides with travelers from Germany, spontaneously collaborated on a mural in Vancouver, stood alone and scared on the streets of Toronto. I’ve helped rebuild a flood-beaten hostel in New Orleans, had drinks at the base of the Sydney Opera House, and fished barefoot in the warm Mexican sand, all in the same amazing year.
Living these experiences has taught me so much, not only about myself, but also about the world around me. Traveling has fostered within me a greater level of open-mindedness, a strengthened sense of independence, and an appreciation for the vast diversity that exists within our world. I believe that, by bringing those pieces of my personality to the University of Wisconsin, I can greatly enrich the community.
Bleah. Lies. Bullshit. Don't let me in, I wrote my essay in 40 minutes before work one day.
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