Nomad

Hello, My name is Valentina Figueroa and I am a junior in Gallatin. I am concentrating in the cosmology and the use of jewels and gems in ancient civilizations. Up until I was eleven I attended a Swiss school in Colombia and learned French before I learned English. My mother received a call threatening to kidnap me given the guerilla war in Colombia that has been going on for the past 50 years or so. Consequently, the two of us had to leave in a period of 2 days with no previous notice. That was the first time I moved to another country and experienced the feeling that has become a part of me. It is the feeling of leaving and starting a new chapter somewhere else and always having nothing but my own self to count on. That does not mean that my family was not there; on the contrary, since then we have learned to appreciate each other more.  At the time, my sister lived in England and my father stayed in Colombia. I did not know where I was going or what was going to happen, but I knew that it was the next thing to do and I had the clarity that I needed to create my own happiness and take out the best of that situation.

            In a couple of months I had learned some English and had a couple of friends who would, some of them, last until now. Since then, I have had, as I say, my heart in several places. My home is still Colombia but I have lived in Washington, New York, Paris, and have spent a great amount of time in London. I can say that it is always somehow heart breaking to leave, but that feeling has taught me about the inconstancy of situations. I have learned to live each moment to the fullest and move on when it is time to do so.  Nowadays when I go to Colombia people ask me where I am from and I have realized that I am a collection of my experiences and all of the places that I have experienced.