Who am I becoming? One of the thoughest questions one could ask itself, but I hope to have an answer by the end of this short essay.
My name is Sammy and my journey started in my home country, Colombia. I was born and raised in Cali, most commonly known as “La Capital Mundial de la Salsa” (Salsa Capital of the World) or “la Sucursal del Cielo” (the Branch of Heaven); If you ask me, the most beautiful place in the world, a place that I miss every single day.
I grew up in a house located in the south of the city, where I lived with my two younger sisters and my mother. She was a single mom, raising three kids while working multiple jobs. I realized from a young age, that I would not have the privilege of growing up as a “normal kid, with a regular life” due to all of the responsibilities assigned to me because of the lack of one parent and a good financial situation. I started cooking whole meals when I was around 6 years old, before going to school I would change my sisters’ diapers and would have their morning bottles ready for them, when coming back to school I would teach them how to walk (this was something I looked forward to every single day!), I was in some way raising my sisters while still teaching me life’s way, and I could keep going and going but this would get pretty boring.
Even though I was loaded with responsibilities for a young kid, I was never a troublemaker and had the best grades in my class, winning awards left and right, and training hard to become a great soccer player. I was always happy and stocked to know what the future would bring for me and my family. Every day was a new adventure for me, allowing me to grow more and more character and personality.
Years went by and I started high school, moved to different parts of the city, and switched schools multiple times, but always remained true to myself and the values my beautiful mother had instilled in me.
The Dream
Even though I love my country, it is extremely difficult to succeed or have a decent future if you are part of the middle/working class. This was the reason why some people in my family (uncles, aunts, cousins) left the country as soon as they had a chance to, and apparently, we were not going to be the exception.
My mother fell in love with your typical white-American guy, everything started online but it soon became a tangible thing after a few years. My family met his family, we went on trips together to Mexico, and Colombia, and everything was going surprisingly well. I created an online business selling boxes of flowers and I was making a good profit out of it, but the opportunity to come to the U.S. showed up and we took it.
My mother got married to the guy I mentioned earlier, and we (mom, sisters, and I) moved from Colombia to Fairbanks. Not even 2 months went by and everything started to go south, this person was not who we thought he was, he would take drugs and abuse us psychologically and emotionally, and sometimes he would not even let us out of the house.
This scarred me heavily and made me explore the feeling of hate for once, a feeling I had never had before until I let this person into my life, but this never stopped me and my dream of having a better future.
I graduated high school with a high GPA, high enough to join the Honors College where I now hold a chair in the Honors Student Advisory Council, I also am the Vice-president of the UAF’s Soccer Club, and I am actively volunteering always trying to give back to the community. I have made fantastic friends, and have found new hobbies that keep me busy and entertained like rock climbing, playing soccer, and learning new languages.
I am not sure who I am now, but I know who I am becoming. I am becoming an unstoppable changing person whose whole purpose in this world is to be better than the day before and finds joy in helping others.
I want to apologize if anyone reading feels I am skipping some information or parts of the story are missing, I am doing it on purpose because I do not feel comfortable sharing my personal reflections/stories openly to anyone that is not part of my close cirlce.
Ian Miller
Hey Sammy! Never apologize for not sharing your story. It is yours to tell whenever and to whomever you want to. I am still learning personal boundaries and social cues of when and how much to share. We can always choose to tell people about our stories, but once it is said you can never take it back. Thank you for sharing what you did. Your life in Columbia, though busy with responsibilities, sounds amazing! I am so sorry that your experience coming to the US/Alaska turned out to be what they were. But I am looking forward to getting to know you more through the semester.
Sammy Rivera Munoz
Hey Ian, thank you for your kind words. You are totally right, it is my story and I decide when and whom to tell it to! I am also still working on how much to share, that’s why I tried to make my story the shortest possible but long enough to make it make sense. I’m looking forward to know you more too!
Deandra Nicholai
As an older sister of four with a bunch of responsibilities, I will tell you, you are a very strong person to have taken care of your younger siblings. I was on the same boat as you were, I was and still am a second parent to my younger siblings. After my dad left our family, I had to be there from a distance for my siblings, and especially my mom. I moved away to escape the responsibilities, having the fear of failing and losing myself. Thank you for sharing a part of where you come from.
Sammy Rivera Munoz
Hey Deandra, I’m relieved to know that I was not the only one going through a rough childhood. Although we have been through some difficulties in our life we are still standing strong, and that’s what matters. I appreciate you sharing a little bit of your personal journey, and making me feel heard. I’m looking forward to getting to know you more this semester!
Alex Beaudouin
Hi Sammi,
I understand the motives for living your home country. Even though you and I didn’t have the same circumstances and motivation to leave our home country, I empathize because I left France to emigrate to the U.S. The immigration process is long and strenuous but all worth it. I traveled to South America and witnessed the lack of opportunities for jobs. I feel sorry that your move from Columbia to Fairbanks didn’t work out with the abuse. I am proud of you for sticking with school and a great job at UAF!