I am Dominican. Both of my parents were born and raised in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to New York City in their early 20’s. Ever since I was a baby, I would travel to the DR every summer and visit my family there. I feel like traveling to a foreign nation so frequently has truly shaped who I am. Visiting the DR every summer has not only gifted me with signature sun-kissed skin and cool beach wavy hair, but has also allowed me to see things from another perspective.

While I’m in the DR, I am constantly observing the difference between the style of life in America and the style of life in the DR. The DR has beautiful beaches and resorts; however, it is also braced with extreme poverty. Every time I hop in my uncle Pedro’s van, there is always a beggar to my right or left, banging his fists against the car window, asking us for spare change. As I walk to the baseball field to watch my cousin Sebastian’s baseball games, I’ll see a woman carrying mangos for sale above her head all while a cherry-cheeked baby is wrapped around her waist. I’ll wake up every morning at 8am to the homeless man on the corner screaming, “Aguacate!” (the Spanish word for “avocado”), in hopes of selling enough avocados to be able to afford dinner that night. The same goes for that old man down the block that sells plantains. While walking the streets there is a constant cloud of worry that surrounds you. The worries of getting your handbag snatched from behind you or your hat swiped from the top of your head. There is too much crime for the police to handle resulting in a corrupt and violent society. The lack of money to keep every town well maintained is scarce, causing the roads to be full of garbage and filth.

As a privileged young adult from the suburbs, this is all a serious culture shock.

The DR makes me realize that not everyone has the same opportunities that I have. People from other countries are accustomed to selling food on the streets in order to earn a living. Or, if they were like my dad; they would shine shoes and sell newspapers. They don’t have the opportunities to follow their dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, journalists, actors, musicians, or any other satisfying life goal. They simply live to earn money to help them survive.

Being Latina keeps me grounded because I’ve seen first-hand the struggles of living in poverty. My parents worked diligently to be able to come to America and create a life for my siblings and me. Thanks to my parents I have a house, an education, and the Hispanic trait of being able to dance to every Latin beat that’s on the radio (or at least pretend I know what I’m doing while everyone dances merengue around me). I’ve been graced with an enormous family where every holiday is a “fiesta” filled with large servings of “arroz con habichuela” (rice and beans), “mangu con salami y queso frito” (mashed plantains with salami and fried cheese), next to gigantic plates of every single type of meat my grandma found the time to cook that day. We are constantly dancing, eating, and the concept of family is something our culture keeps close to the heart.

I feel like I am down-to-earth because I’ve been exposed to this raw Dominican culture and way of life. Being Hispanic has taught me to appreciate what I have, value what my parents have sacrificed for me, and take advantage of the abundance of opportunities I’m graced with daily.

I’m not saying that if you’re not Dominican or any other kind of Latino you are not grounded or culturally aware, I just know that by observing different cultures and ways of life, you are immediately changed. Observing other cultures changes a person completely because it shapes what your morals are and motivates you to make a difference in the world. Whether it is traveling to a third world country and observing their style of life or simply sharing half of your homemade sandwich with that homeless man on the corner, exposing yourself to different styles of life is humbling. Being a Latina and being born into a Hispanic family keeps me grounded, but those who are willing to open themselves to other cultures and become exposed to different ways of life can become grounded, too. All it takes is an open heart and an open mind. And in today’s world, it is a lot easier than you think. Trust me.

Maybe not everyone, <*cough*Donald Trump*cough*>

“Pero like,” you can definitely trust me.