Without international travel, I don’t think I would be the person that I am today. I have noticed that when my friends travel to another country they come back a different person. Seeing the world and learning about other cultures is so important; it teaches one to become more accepting of differences, it helps one appreciate the opportunities they’ve been given and it makes one become a better-rounded human being.

My mom is Brazilian and my dad is American. I was raised learning two languages at once: English and Portuguese. I’ve been going to Brazil ever since I was a baby to visit family and to get to know the culture better. When I was five my parents sent me to an international school where I learned how to speak French fluently because my school has an immersion language program 4K-Fifth grade. I have been to many different countries around the world and I am so grateful that I have been able to do so much traveling at such a young age. My parents prioritize traveling because they know how important it is.

Vitoria, Brazil is central to my identity because it’s influenced my way of thinking about the world and has caused me to become more tolerant of differences. Brazil is a developing country, so going there often has opened my eyes to how fortunate we are living in America. Its caused me to be more appreciative and to take advantage of all the opportunities that are offered here, in this country. That being said, Brazilian culture is extremely different than American culture. I think my identity encompasses aspects from both cultures and I’ve been able to expose my friends and my community to certain Brazilian customs like the music, the food and even some dancing. Many of my friends identify me as Brazilian maybe because it’s foreign yet somewhat intriguing I would hope. But when I think of myself I really do think of my self as half American and half Brazilian. Brazil is central to my identity just as America is, but because I don’t live in Brazil it’s somewhere I go that’s helped me develop into the person that I am.

Traveling has not only made me a more tolerant person, but it has also taught me to be more courageous. There have been instances in my life where I have gone somewhere and not known a single person but I can easily go up to someone and find something to talk about with them because of how much I have learned traveling. The more I travel, the more I realize how important it is to me and I never want to stop doing it. Every time I go somewhere new I grow in many different ways; from being around new people and experiencing the culture. I recognize that traveling is most certainly a privilege but I also recognize that it is a tool. It is a tool that can be used to better the world. Without it, we would not be where we are today.