Hello, everyone! My name is Sonia, and I look forward to sharing my story with you.
I suppose my original interest in travel and in Latin America stems from wanting to know more about my own background and family. My dad was born in Bolivia but moved to the United States at a young age. His family spent a lot of time in the U.S. and Mexico, but eventually my grandmother (or Abuelita, as I've always called her) moved back to Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Our connection to Bolivia made me want to learn Spanish and travel to Bolivia. I had little exposure to the culture and language as a child because we lived so far away and didn't speak Spanish at home. My mixed identity as half-white and half-Latina also made it difficult to figure out how best to interact with and explore my relationship to a culture and country which felt a part of me yet distant and foreign at the same time.
During my time studying abroad in London for a semester in college, I became a confident and independent traveler, eager to keep my adventures going. My European experience, paired with a strong curiosity to explore my identity and Bolivian heritage, inspired me to apply for an internship in Bolivia during college.
