The Transformative Power of Studying Abroad: Eunice Cuevas's Journey of Independence and Growth
By Justyn Fernandez
Traveling to a different part of the world while continuing an education is something that many students overlook. It could be due to financial situations or leaving the comfort zone of your own home. However, the benefits of leaving such comfort can not only educate you about the world but also help you build as a person and know how to live independently in a different environment alone. That is what the head of the International Program and Community Engagement Eunice Cuevas has done as she has lived outside the U.S. for as far as she can remember.
Born and raised in Washington Heights, Manhattan New York, she saw her parents who came from the Dominican Republic to the United States, and realized they found a way to live and adapt. This inspired her to do the same. Finishing her sophomore year of high school, Eunice entered a Summer Search scholarship trip to Durango, Colorado. This would be her first-ever independent experience. “The cool thing about this program was that you had to do everything independently. You had to book your own flight to which they gave me a step-by-step on how to do that. Everything was self-taught. They even made me go to specific outdoor departmental stores to pick up necessities for the trips” she stated. She felt a cultural clash when meeting other students from different backgrounds and areas. However, this did not discourage Cuevas as everybody struggled similarly with their first time being independent. “There was this one kid whose grandfather was the director of The Matrix. But it didn't matter because, at the end of the day, everybody had the same struggle”. Her SummerSearch trip consisted of outdoor activities such as but not limited to rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, etc.
A year later, she would put her independent skills to the test. When she was offered a scholarship to a destination of her choice, she chose New Zealand to be her first-ever international experience for the summer. This was slightly challenging as she had to abide by different things she couldn’t control such as timezones and weather. “I would have to call my parents at 5:00 am in New Zealand when it would be nighttime in New York, and the summertime in the States would be wintertime in New Zealand” she stated. Staying in a dorm-style house, her days were full of outside expeditions as she would use the skills she learned from Colorado and learn new ones. “The first three weeks were all outdoor expeditions. I learned how to bushwack, read a compass, and use the stars as a navigation tool. There were a lot of team-building activities like Jacob’s Ladder where you are tied to a rope with someone else and as you climb, the planks get further and the weight from being tied to someone else on the other end becomes heavier”. After those days passed, she explored more of New Zealand through food, meeting with native tribes, outdoor activities such as bungee jumping, and even concerts. Soon, her time in New Zealand would come to an end after a semester, saying farewell to the wonderful people she was thrilled to be with. Returning to the United States, Eunice has gone through so many adventures in just two months that would only mean a lot to her as nobody ever experienced what she has gone through.
After graduating from Cuny Lehman College in the Bronx, Eunice Cuevas Applied to the Peace Corps organization and went to Guatemala in September 2016. “When I researched Guatemala, I learned about the huge presence of Mayan people, and after my time in New Zealand, I was drawn into native people. There’s something magical that comes with connecting with native people that is hard to explain in words” she states. During her training months, she lived with a host family that was amazing to her and is still close to her to this day. “It was Don Fransisco and Dona Olympia who came to pick me up”. Her Peace Corps training was based on teaching maternal health, and sexual education, and having summer camps for girls. “The pregnancy age in Guatemala is very low,” said Eunice. “That comes with stipulations like domestic violence and femicide. One thing that trainers kept reminding me about was influencing young girls about the importance of such teachings”. She also learned the Mayan history and language thanks to her professor. Eunice Spent a very tough year and left due to health issues. The town she stayed in was very isolating and the language was Mayan instead of Spanish. Adaptation and cultural differences were very conflicting. In Guatemala, the Mayan woman would wear colorful dresses with long skirts called trajes no matter what the temperature was. Gender roles were very different with males being dominant and females being at home and submissive. “As a female, it was very uncomfortable to be so different. I remember when the school year started and while being introduced to others by staff and faculty, they would always mention that I am single”. Relationship status and sexual tension are strong in Guatemala. Since being single was very rare, the staff would believe that she was there looking for a relationship. By the end of her Peace Corps term, she showed signs of not wanting attention by wearing clothes that were less revealing after going through aggressive sexual harassment and irritation.
Arriving back in New York, she spent a month feeling homesick and felt as if she could’ve done more. Instead of returning to Guatemala for the Peace Corps, she went there to live for some time. With the little money he had left after paying for expenses abroad, she returned to Guatemala to live near Lake Atitlán. While taking public transportation, she only had a $20 U.S. bill. She overhears a conversation with someone who goes by “Chocolate Bob”, a chocolate factory owner near the lake. She was able to exchange currency with him and lived in a hostel for seven dollars a night. While being down to just $12 the next day, she had only one choice but to go to Chocolate Bob’s factory to exchange her remaining money for Quetzales. After explaining her plans to him and realizing her financial situation, he was able to loan Eunice $100 in Quetzales and even had a small house for her to rent out. “I was uncontrollably crying with how much joy and felt like the universe was looking out for me. The kindness in people is insane”. A week later, she began working in an international school teaching first grade. The school was very tine in terms of the amount of students with her first grade class being only seven kids. She gave the kids an exciting learning experience with field trips and was very creative when teaching certain subjects. “I would sometimes take the kids grocery shipping with me and we learned how to do math with price tags and money” Eunice stated. She was able to live well and paid Chocolate Bob back. Eunice went back to New York two years later.
People frequently think that there are more advantages to studying abroad than drawbacks. Conflicts such as the ones Eunice faced are less thought about and the positives are more thought about. Studying abroad or living alone in a foreign land is more than exploring while earning a degree. Situations that will be present in many forms to test your resilience. Eunice Cuevas' incredible journey illustrates the major impact of facing the unknown and having personal and professional progress. From her first self-dependent steps in Colorado to comprehensive adventures in New Zealand, and a life-changing time in Guatemala, Eunice Cuevas’ story is a testament to those who wish to study abroad to the incredible potential within each student to adapt, learn, and thrive in the face of new challenges and environments.