"VOF Week 2: (Open yourself up to the world)"

Arts, culture and education have been the strongest interests in my life. Being involved in these fields has been fruitful and has taken me to interesting places. My journey to join this adventure began when I was very young and I became passionate with the topics of human relationships, travel, distance, memories, places and experiences.

I have always been enthusiastic to learn new things and meet people from different places. My first trip alone was to Spain. I met beautiful persons that became my family. When I returned home I started to pay attention to international news because it was a way of being close to them. Then, I had the opportunity to study a postgraduate degree in Europe. This was the moment in which my perspective about life expanded. I lived with so many cultures that I learned to respect them and to see our differences as an enriching package for life. I must say that women were the greater allies. I could never forget in my life how a Bolivian girl helped me to find a place to live; how a Bulgarian woman shared all her thoughts, experiences and love and still is one of my best friends and, two lovely African girls who lived with me and invited me to be part of their country´s celebration. I learned so many things that I could write a book; so many experiences, so many problems that I had to face alone, but these women were the biggest examples of surviving in a place that is not your home and still be themselves, with their strong hearts, coping with differences and fighting for their dreams to become better. I chose to do the same, become better for others.

When I came back home everything was different. I did not feel I was at home. Still, I do not feel I fit here. I did have the chance to develop projects for people who do not have access to education and culture, but I feel they were not enough. I feel so sad and disappointed that every time that I drive I see Indigenous women or old women, in hot and cold weather, asking for money on the streets and look at other drivers and see how careless they are. Every day on my way home I feel angry and cry because of this. And it motivates me to keep going and prepare more myself to change it.

I work as an online volunteer in different organizations; there I met a great woman, Tosin. Since then, she has been encouraging me to help other women and girls in need and also to participate in Voices of our Future. Reading so incredible stories inspires and leads me to do more than I am actually doing. It makes me believe that I have the power to reach far places and minds and return all that help that I received, to create more inclusive spaces for women.