ESTELA'S 1 ESSAY / YALE

My Identity 

I come from a country whose name means “the land of rabbits”. “Hispania” translates to an historical term used by the ancient Romans to refer to the Iberian Peninsula, offering a fascinating insight into the cultural and natural history of what we know as Spain. Our cuisine holds up the unmistakable imprint of the rabbit. Traditional Spanish dishes like “conejo al ajillo” (rabbit with garlic) or “paella de conejo” (rabbit paella) reflect the rabbit's role as a staple food in our diet. Cooking and sharing these dishes with family and friends during festivities or a simple Sunday afternoon is a cultural ritual connecting me to my historical roots on my mother’s side.

My maternal grandparents have always lived in the village of Pozuelo de Vidriales. Fortunately, every summer I get to visit my grandparents and I can live their life with them. There our family has its own cellar, a small place at the base of the mountain in the village where we cook and eat what my grandfather has hunted or my grandmother has grown in her garden. I can see my plate full of “estofado de conejo”, bread, and salad, and lunch is usually accompanied by the reserved wine that was produced in my grandfather’s field. 

My paternal grandparents come from the Jewish culture and they live in an exotic city called Tanger in Morocco, full of many ethnicities, colors and religions. Since I was little I have always been closer to them because, after they moved to Europe, we lived one street apart from each other in Barcelona. This fact made it easier to connect with their traditions. We meet all my dad’s family in one of our houses after we pray at synagogue on holidays. I won’t lie that my favorite part about celebrating festivals is the food. Every meal has a mix of different spices which reminds me of the time I spent in Tanger.

When I became old enough, I left  home on my own for a summer of study in America.      While in Connecticut I realized that I didn’t know as much about the country as I had thought. Like Tanger, there are many people from other countries and theologies. I shared my dorm with students from California and China. I took classes with people from India, Greece, and Vietnam. I spend my weekend traveling with people from Italy, Jordan, and Japan. 

This is the life I want, not only for the summer. I want to find a place where I can add to my own cultural heritage with lessons I learn from others. I think that (the universities’ name) would be a wonderful place to become a global citizen, surrounded by multiple nationalities, many religions, and international ideas.