¡Bienvenidos! Welcome!
My name is Elena, and I can’t wait to share my life in the Canary Islands, Spain with you!
But first, let me tell you a little about myself.
I grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, with my big Cuban family. My parents grew up there, too, and we lived just down the street from my abuelos (grandparents). Many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins lived nearby, so the stories, music and food of Cuba were always a big part of my life.
I’ve always felt proud of my Cuban heritage. My grandparents left everything they knew to start a new life in the United States. Their bravery and resilience inspires me everyday.
Where is your family from? Is there someone in your family who inspires you?
In high school, I started learning Spanish. I wanted to connect with my family and culture more deeply. I wanted to understand my grandparents’ stories and jokes without asking my dad to translate. Learning a language isn’t easy, though! I wrestled with verb conjugations and sentence structures, much as all of you are doing now as you study English.
At Emory University, I continued studying Spanish.
