American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Winter 2016 TRAVEL
And the Winner Is . . . ?
by Andrea Jenkins
Reprinted from Braille Monitor, December 2015
From the Editor: Like many young people, Andrea Jenkins longed to travel overseas, to meet new people and experience the excitement of discovering unknown places. In this article she explains how she gained the skills and confidence to make her dream a reality.
As a little girl growing up in the small rural town of Cairo, Georgia, I was full of dreams. "One day!" I would think to myself. "One day I will travel the world, experience new cultures, and even speak a different language."
As I grew into adolescence, my hunger for culture and languages only increased. Throughout my childhood I frequently checked out language lessons on audio tape from the local library and absorbed them like a sponge.
By the time I graduated from high school in May 2007, I had taken every Spanish class my school could offer, and I had also learned a smattering of French. While it was obvious that I possessed the brains to attend college, I knew that without proper training in blindness skills I would flunk even the easiest college exam. Perhaps I would be unable to achieve my dream of traveling abroad.
From an early age I was taught a double standard of sorts. On one hand, my mom was always telling me how proud she was of me. I think she always believed I would go places and make something of myself. However, the messages I received from society at the time were not so optimistic. Throughout my childhood I was plagued with the fear that, as a blind person, I was not on the same playing field as my sighted peers. In my little southern town, it seemed that to many people blindness was an enigma.
From July 2007 to March 2008, I attended the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Ruston, Louisiana. I obtained the instruction necessary to live a normal, happy, and productive life as a blind person. After completing my training, I attended Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. I graduated cum laude with a BA in Spanish Language and Culture in December 2012. According to my family and friends, I had done something amazing by finishing college and learning a language other than English. But for my part, I was not completely satisfied.
For you see, there was still a fire down inside of me that had never died. My dream of going abroad and staying a while had not come to pass. So in February 2013 I applied to the Ministry of Education of Spain to serve for an academic year as an English language assistant (auxiliar de conversación) in the Spanish primary school system. In June 2013 I was utterly speechless when I received the response to my application. I had been chosen to serve as a language assistant in the village of Guadalupe, Extremadura, Spain!
Upon my arrival in Guadalupe at the end of September 2013, I underwent some moderate culture shock, as well as three initial weeks of jetlag. However, after being in Spain for a little over a month, I began to grow accustomed to the Spanish way of life. Throughout the eight months I spent abroad, I was able to impart some helpful insight to the people around me. For example, I demonstrated some cane techniques to the children at my school and shared some nonvisual cooking ideas with a couple of my Spanish friends. Above all, I simply lived life as a normal, productive individual abroad.
Toward the end of my stay, I traveled to London for five days and to France for two. These excursions only served to increase my confidence as a blind person. I felt that every time I hopped a train, walked to a café, or shopped the local markets for groceries or souvenirs, I was being a successful and productive individual. I feel it is absolutely imperative to face the world, not to run from it. I chose to challenge myself, no matter how uncomfortable or scary that experience might be for me. It is safe to say that, when I returned from my eight months abroad, I was elated to find I felt more confident at that point than ever before in my life. It seemed that the world had truly opened up for me in ways I had never known.
While I most certainly have struggles in life, I consider it a great blessing to have traveled abroad and fulfilled my dream of living in Europe, at least for a time. I give credit to the Lord, my friends, and the instructors at the Louisiana Center for the Blind, who pushed me to be my very best and to achieve excellence. Without this support, I never would have attempted to chase my dreams.
Currently, I am serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program with Florida Campus Compact in Tallahassee, Florida. I work with my colleagues to build capacity for college access programming. As someone who has attended college and obtained a Spanish degree, I want students to understand the value of education and be inspired to fulfill their dreams, no matter the obstacles they might encounter. I believe anyone, regardless of circumstances, can achieve success.
If you feel you can't succeed or you don't have the confidence to live life as a blind person, trust me! I've been there, and I can tell you from personal experience, the sky is the limit if you believe. This being said, I pray you will take my experience as a call to action. Whether you are blind or sighted, it is never too late to chase your dreams. I won the battle over fear the moment I boarded the plane to Europe. The moment you step out and take control of your life, seek the training, and do your best, you become a winner.
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