One step at a time!

My trip to Barcelona is not like a straight line, even though I am taking a direct flight from Puerto Rico. Nothing is the result of a single cause. In life there are forces coming from different sides that can have an impact on you; struggles that need to be resolved; small victories that push you forward, even when you hardly can see it. There is always a difference between what you want and what you can get, there is a gap that needs to be overcome.

The first step was to really have the courage to apply to a graduate program. It had to be a very special one, almost impossible to find, maybe because I really was not sure of taking that first step. But the time came when things seemed good enough to try and when the kids were old enough that it seemed they did not need me that much. And with the support of my husband and kids the dream was suddenly becoming a reality. The Inter American University of Puerto Rico, my home institution, also believed in my dream, and has supported me ever since this journey started.

Once in Gainesville, Florida, studying at the University of Florida things have happened really fast, or so it seems. One semester after the other, with more work that what can be handled many times, my life was set in two different worlds, always counting the days to get back home, to Puerto Rico. From one class to another, from one paper to another, from one exam to another, counting the days to the next break. Was it Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring or Summer Break? Any excuse to fly home, to be near those in your heart, was good enough to get into a plain and go back home.

Summer 2003 came with a big surprise. One of my courses took me to London and the Institute of Education, at the University of London. My first trip to Europe was to a place I never though I would visit. I met scholars from around the world, interested in what is called Educational Technology in the United States, and Information and Communications Technology in Education ( IT/ICT) in Europe, my field of study. I also participated of conferences and colloquiums in Math Education, meeting new people from London, Denmark, Barcelona, Iowa, and Virginia. Learning about new ways educational programs are set and educational environments are organized was only one part of the experience. Learning about another culture, walking around the city, and visiting museums and parks was another. A little token of this experience can be seen in this small video.

And now, I am headed to a new city, a new adventure, a new University. And now, I'll visit Spain ...