On June 11th, we arrived in Bogotá. It was both incredibly grounding and daunting to visit the city where my Dad was born. Since he was young when he left, I didn’t hear too much about it growing up in Miami but we always heard he was “Colombian by soil”— as if lesser than or not truly apart of the culture. Pero Colombia es la Tierra de mi papa and los Colombianos nunca lo dicen nada differentes. When I mentioned the story to people that we met, they were always so interested and confirming that I did come from Colombia no matter how it happened. I would tell the story in my best Spanish — a learned gift that I often felt nervous to use in Miami for fear of sounding like “una gringa”. I have never received more compliments on my Spanish and even my accent using it to navigate travel situations and daily life in this beautiful country with my incredible partner. ♥️
Bogota taught me that sometimes the perspective of situations or circumstances coming from those who haven’t experienced your life are often skewed — the things you’ve most concerned yourself with to the point of complete disconnection, from convincing yourself you “can’t” are potentially the ones you need to dive further into.
You will absolutely surprise yourself.
