Every year, when it’s time to go back to school, backpacks and school supplies bring back memories that go far beyond the start of a new academic year. As a mother and an immigrant from Uruguay, “back to school” reminds me of what it meant to start over in a new country.
When I arrived in the United States, so many things were different: the language, the customs, and the school system. Even something as simple as understanding a form could become a challenge. I missed my family, my culture, and the comfort of knowing how everything worked.
When I think about my childhood in Uruguay, around 1985, school was very different. There were no school buses. To get to school, we often had to take public transportation, which sometimes didn’t even have a stop near the school, or we simply walked. Classes lasted about five hours and could be held in the morning or afternoon. I grew up surrounded by one culture and one language: Spanish.
Today, my children are growing up in a much more diverse environment, surrounded by different cultures and languages, with technology, sports, extracurricular activities, and opportunities that I didn’t have growing up.
But being an immigrant also means learning as we raise our children while trying to keep our roots alive.
Today, when I see my children begin another school year, I see backpacks filled with school supplies, but also with opportunities. Their story began in Uruguay, but it continues here.
Being an immigrant taught me that we can belong to a new place without ever forgetting where we came from.
Andrea Rodríguez
Senior VP Our Konnection
484-334-8989
andrea@ourkonnection.com
