Let the Adventures Begin!

I come from a long family line of teachers, so I have grown up traveling often for the purpose of learning. My mother has taken me to many museums around the country that have often been relevant to the lessons I am learning in class, for example the Holocaust Museum in eighth grade because we were studying that unit and my uncle lives in the District of Colombia. During my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to go see my uncle in China where he was living for six months on government orders. China, obviously, is a vastly different experience than the trips to Mexico I had taken with my aunt in previous years. I was not sure what to expect in China, but gained a world of value from their culture. I feel that these two countries have greatly impacted me because they are both countries that place a strong value on their culture rather than the individual. These experiences have given me a love for traveling and learning about other cultures and I could not have done most of them without my aunts and uncles.
I have always had a love for the Hispanic culture because we began learning Spanish in the fourth grade. I continued this language through middle school and high school until I declared a Spanish minor at OU. Recently, I had to sadly drop my Spanish minor so that I may graduate in May due to a potential job opportunity coming up in June. I have always wanted to study in Spain to practice my linguistic skills and be fully immersed in the culture of the language to eventually become bilingual. There was never that one perfect semester or any financial aid to allow for this opportunity, so Travel Writing in Puerto Rico is finally the perfect opportunity to study abroad and finish extra class credits needed to accomplish a May graduation date, and most importantly continue my Spanish.
I have a passion for learning, meeting diverse people, and exploring new places and ideas. Alongside my passion, I can bring to this class a knowledge of the Puerto Rican culture, the Spanish language, and excitement for learning how to write while traveling. The one thing I wish I had time for before graduation besides traveling abroad is increasing my writing skills through writing specific courses. Writing can guide people miles through life, and unfortunately it is a skill that I have lacked to greatly develop and I am truly regretful as I continue on my professional development path. This is an experience that has potential to end my senior year on a great note!