My life seems to change suddenly from a moment to another. Where I am and what I do. And so am I. Letters to yourself are supposed to be read by you some time later in life, to see those changes and be proud –or not- of whom you are now.
My name is Julieta and I am 19 years old. I am from Uruguay, a small country in South America that practically formed me. I have studied two years in Freiburg, Germany in UWC Robert Bosch College. Until now, I have created many projects, formed part of many clubs and organizations, and travel as much as I could. In some weeks my life seems to change drastically again. I am going to another continent, country, and house. From all what I have experienced with my young age this might be slightly scarier, therefore I feel like I need to remember the most who I am.
I was born in the same neighborhood where I used to live in Montevideo, Uruguay. Might not be the nicest one, or the safest one, but the feeling of fullness of my heart when coming home never ends. Never ends the love for my grandfather’s food and the sound of some candombes. It also never ends the happiness shared when the whole family is complete, with parents, grandfathers, aunts, cousins, all of them. The love from home is never ending. Home will always be home.
People always told me that I was more of the spontaneous-person kind. I do not know what my life would be like in 10 years from now. I have dreams for sure, but after my life turned into unexpected situations and experiences, I do not take anything for granted. For example, I never cared that much about studying, but now I could live my whole life doing it. The joy of seeing your hard work paying off or the feeling when everything makes sense and you understand something about the world that you have not before, are unchangeable. I like social sciences for sure. Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, reading about Marxism and Feminism seems to never get me bored. There are many things I still need to get clear since the enthusiasm to live the moment sometimes takes me to an uncertainty of what is the best for me. But as they say, passion seems to be the key to success and therefore, happiness.
Being happy has always been my priority, and I have found it in so many ways in the last years. I learned how much small moments can stay forever and keep brightening. Sunsets during holidays with my parents or during Project Week with my friends. The moment when you laugh and you suddenly realized how happy you are just right there, and you wish that moment will just be eternal. I enjoy many things, playing my ukulele, doing social projects, playing basketball or handball, or just chilling or talking with friends or bright people, those that you can learn a lot from. I consider myself a more “follow your heart than the brain” kind person. I am happy, I really am.
I have been in places I would not imagine, traveling with friends to Italy or the Netherlands to do social projects, or learning at conferences in Germany. I do not know what I am going to be a year from now. I do not know how much I will experience. I probably have been frustrated, sad, angry, and happy. I do not know what is waiting for me in this experience, but what I know is that remembering where you come from and who you are, gives you a lot of strength to continue. I have been aware that I can much more than what I thought and I know there is still much more to give. As they say, after challenges are overcome, you know yourself more than ever before, it makes you stronger.
Future Julieta, keep getting out of your comfort zone. Get to know you more, to know the world and to learn. But remember that there is no better gun to fight the struggles than knowing where you are coming from.
Thanks to all of you for your support♥
