Dear Young Explorer | Melquin Ramos
Dear Young Melquin,
I’m writing to you from Santiago, Chile, a place you would have never imagined calling your current home.
Do you remember writing your five-year goal essay for your senior high school psychology class? You were ambitious, which is something I continue to admire about you. You spoke about graduating college, making your parents proud, overcoming obstacles, starting a career, getting married, and starting a family.
However, you suggested that traveling to France, although one of your dreams since childhood, was out of the question because you believed in “realism.” Reflecting on it now, it didn’t fit into your reality at that time. You didn’t see many people who looked like you, or in your squad, traveling. Although you visited El Salvador once before to visit the land your parents grew up in, you believed that that would be the extent of your travels. You won’t accomplish all those goals within five years, but you’ll go a long way.
It’s only fitting that you’re writing this letter ten years later. You were right, there would be obstacles. You’ll feel like you don’t belong and be discouraged. You won’t meet people’s expectations. You’ll fail and be hard on yourself. You’ll want to give up. But you’ll also get back up again because of your faith and community around you. You’ll finish college and get married to your Chilean queen. You'll make your parents proud (and as hard as it is to believe, you’ll always be their baby).
Guess what? You’ll make it to France, except you’ll take a detour before you get there.
You’ll first eat mofongo and go for runs on the sidewalks of Puerto Rico, and take your first solo trip to Costa Rica to see sloths and capuchin monkeys in the wild. You’ll be greeted by warm smiles and dance salsa in Cuba. You’ll eventually leave your home in Maryland and move to Chile, where you’ll spend many weekends horseback riding in the countryside and be the guest at Pablo Neruda’s poetic homes. You’ll take a graffiti tour, and experience a traditional tango show, in Argentina. Eat chivito in Uruguay. Backpack, and meet new friends from around the world, throughout Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador.
It’s only until you’ve heard different Spanish dialects that you’ll land in France. You’ll somehow get lost on the train in Paris, and eat a leberkäse sandwich in Germany. You’ll visit Europe’s largest market and bazaar, and travel back in time to a former Jewish ghetto, in Latvia. You’ll end your travels in Europe by eating an overwhelmingly great amount of pasta and pizza in Italy. You’ll even visit three of the seven wonders of the world: Machu Picchu (Peru), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), and the Colosseum (Italy). These experiences will lead you to a career in international education, encouraging others to pursue their dreams of traveling, working, living, and studying abroad.
The current global pandemic may temporarily set back your hopes of exploring a new culture, language, or people, but it can’t stop you from sharing your travel adventures. Never stop sharing your stories, so that future travelers know that their footprints throughout the world will tell of the beautiful places they’ll explore and the wonderful people they’ll encounter.
Your voice matters. Try not to be too hard on yourself, and don’t be confined to others’ standards of you. Never stop asking questions, and continue to learn. Your ambitions will continue to grow, but remember to be present. Soak in every moment that comes your way and learn from the mistakes you make. Take the advice you wrote to yourself in your five-year goal essay: keep your head held high, finish what you have started, and never let anyone stop you.
Until we travel again.
Peace,
Melquin
