By bmnobles
While I think that my greater outlook on life has changed since coming to Madrid, I don't think that the way I identify myself has changed. If anything, my experiences here have solidified my ties to my identity. Now more than ever I feel myself clinging to my identities of color. We are currently in a time in America where being a black girl is like being part of an exclusive club filled with goddesses, and Native American people are becoming more visible than ever. Since being in Spain I've noticed that the struggle for visibility and equity is a constant one. We, as women of color, will probably get to take a break from these struggles in out lifetime.
Like I said in my first blog post, however, I now proudly identify myself as American. While I find myself daily grappling with the black marks on our country's history, I'm finding that every other has it's own struggles. In America I know at least that if someone were to scream the n-word at me on the street, that the people surrounding me would know that that isn't okay. In America I know that we believe in the equal rights of people of all genders. In Spain, they appear to still be coming to terms with the fact that other races of people exist. The thing I'm most excited for in my return to America is daily being able to see people that look like me. I don't even have to know them, just being able to pass other people of color on the street more than once a day is truly exciting for me.
The thing about my return home, is that all of the people in my program go to GW with me. So I don't think that I will really be sad to leave them, even though the dynamics of our relationships will obviously change. I am excited to return home to the people and places and values that I know. But being here, even with its obvious negatives, has been an incredible experience that I will never forget. I think that when I return home I will be able to take even the negative experiences I've had here and turn them into something great.
But all in all, I am solidified in who I am, and am beyond excited to return to America as a newly proud American.