How My Impossible Dreams Became My Reality
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When I was 10 years old, my dad brought home a big book and sat it in the middle of our living room with paper, pens and colored pencils. “We are going to go through this book, and you and your brother are going to make a list,” he said. At the time, a big book and a list for a 10 year old sounded nothing like anything I would be interested in; however, it was that list that would change the direction of my life forever. The book was huge, filled with all of the different countries and cities in the world, detailing what each place had to offer. I was astounded. By the end of a 4 hour adventure, I had over 56 cities listed, most of which I had never heard of or fathomed of visiting. As life went on, and reality set in, I realized that the list would remain as such for a very long time. Having come from a low socioeconomic background, the necessities always took priority over leisure. It wasn’t until college that I would begin dreaming again of an excursion abroad.
At Howard, almost everyone has had an abroad experience of some sort. Almost every classmate that I came in contact with had been to at least 2 countries, before and during college. Internships, research, and familial roots had taken many of my classmates to places I had only dreamed of. By my sophomore year, I made it a goal to study abroad before I left Howard. I spent days on end researching different programs, all of which totalled to thousands of dollars. I felt the defeat that I had felt when I was younger, and I was unsure of how it would be humanly possible to raise enough money to go abroad, but I didn’t let that stop me. The first program I was invited to, I started by creating a GoFundMe. I needed about $5,000, and I raised about $500. It was devastating, but I let it go. My junior year I decided that this journey was not something I could figure out on my own, so I strapped up and prepared myself for a journey to find and fund an experience.
Howard has a study abroad center that is home to so many opportunities both abroad and domestically. There were hundreds of opportunities and scholarships to look through; however, I found that a lot of the programs offered were still way over my budget and the scholarships had early deadlines, a lot of which I had missed. When I had reached what felt like my last hope, there was one scholarship in particular that I fit perfectly into: the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. This scholarship was a federally funded scholarship used to fund those of low socioeconomic backgrounds for an internship or education opportunity abroad. Furthermore, Howard offered about $1,000 in funding for their students to go abroad. I put my soul into my application for both, and was rewarded $5,000 through the scholarship program, alongside the $1,000 from Howard. On top of that, I found an extremely affordable study abroad program that not only was through Howard, but was centered in dentistry, my desired field. My scholarship and reward fully covered my flight, travel expenses and left me well off with spending cash, not to mention the help of family and friends through good ole GoFundMe! I was finally ready to embrace what I had always dreamed of, and turn my dreams into my reality.
Upon arriving in Oaxaca, I had the experience of a lifetime! I was able to work in both an underserved clinic operated out of the home of my favorite lady, Mama Maria, as well as a well established office in the city. We stayed in a host home of a doctor and a chemist, so we had the most authentic experience. Very few people spoke English and there wasn’t a cheeseburger in sight! We rode the city bus to and from the office and clinic, about 6 pesos a trip. In the clinic, we took blood samples, made impressions and tested fecal and urine samples for parasites (which admittedly, was not my favorite part). In our free time, we spent our days roaming the city eating some of the best tacos I’ve ever tasted. We even tried chapulines, or grasshoppers, the coveted delectable of Oaxaca. They say if you eat one in Oaxaca, you are guaranteed to return!
My favorite part was visiting Feria De Mezcal and Hierva El Agua. Feria de Mezcal is a festival filled with food and Oaxaca’s beloved Mezcal. There are fashion shows, with native attire, music, and so much good food! Hierva El Agua is a beautiful rock beach off of a cliff, with such amazing scenery and a natural pool like no other! On top of these two excursions, I really loved hiking and zip lining as well. I had never been zip lining before, and though the ground looked like the pit of the earth, I soaked in every second. I loved not only visiting Oaxaca, but being immersed in the culture. We spent everyday learning something new, interacting with the nice people of the city and even teaching them some of our ways back home. They were as fascinated with us as we were with them, I can’t explain how many pictures locals requested of me! This experience changed my life, not only in the way I viewed the feasibility of traveling, but the type of traveling I want to do. Throw out the resorts and the bougie beaches, and immerse yourself in the culture! Oaxaca was an experience like no other and I can not wait to return. If you are ever asking yourself if studying abroad is possible, the most easy answer is YES! With time, research, patience and support, you can make your dreams come true! Bienvenidos!
“When I was 10 years old, my dad brought home a big book and sat it in the middle of our living room with paper, pens and colored pencils. “We are going to go through this book, and you and your brother are going to make a list,” he said.”
