Dear United States of America,

I’ve been living in your land of freedom for a year, and let me tell you something, this is a really amazing country. Here I made friends that are beyond incredible. The U.S. is giving me the opportunity to grow, to be better. Since my arrival, I have noticed that not only am I more independent but also I have turned into the best version of myself.

I come from a small country, but beautiful in a hundred of ways. That country is called Venezuela. My country had the potential in every way to become a world power country. However, the odds were not in our favor. People believed the lies of the politicians and let the country sink in front of us, just because we didn’t exert our duty and gave up our country into the hands of politicians.

Well, now here I am 4.507,78 kilometers away from the country that watched me grow, writing a letter to the country where I’m growing as a person and as a professional. I am proud of my roots, but I’m not proud of the mistakes our people made. This is the reason why I decided to write an open letter to whoever wants to read it, but most of all, to the United States of America.

My message to you? Please, don’t make the mistake millions of people have made.

Don’t let America become a country full of hate and division; fight it. I know the citizens of this country are wise and should know better, don’t let politicians tell you who deserves to be here and who doesn’t. Everyone is an essential part of this country. Of all the countries in the world the U.S. is one of the most multicultural ones. This makes it great because it shows the world that cultural barriers are not a problem.

The problem begins when politicians or the media tell us that someone is a terrorist because they wear a hijab, or that someone is a rapist because they crossed a border. We should be bigger than this. The U.S. has introduced me to so many new traditions and cultures that I wouldn’t have come across back home. I have met amazing people, and it is overwhelming to know, one day I will leave them behind as I go back to my home country because I came here for just four years. This has become my second home already, and believe it or not, I love the U.S. and that’s is why I am worried about the future of this beautiful country.

Please don’t let politics divide this society of new opportunities. Go and vote! It’s up to you who you’ll vote for but don’t make the mistake my country made. Don’t believe politicians because politics are dirty. Don’t let someone tell you what to think; you certainly will think about your wellness, they won’t. Stop believing every promise a government makes you because if there is something I’ve learned it's that the government doesn’t make society worse, we do.

I believe that the country in the eyes of the world is the land of opportunities should remain that. A country where you can find a home like I did, with a bunch of sorority sisters by your side. Or beside the greatest international students I could find at my university.

The thing is that America doesn’t need to be “made great again," it is great already and it will always be because its citizens make it great. America doesn’t have to “feel the Bern;" the politicians have to feel the citizens and their concerns and answer to that. America doesn’t need to be saved, it needs to be heard and that is up to the people that live here. Don’t let a politician ruin the country of dreams, take your chances and go vote because is up to you who will be the head of this country for the next four years.

Sincerely,

An International Student that loves this country almost as much as her own