Costa Brava Catalunya Spain / Photo Courtesy of Adobe Stock
By Zeke Watson
America, as Melanie Ortiz once knew it, is gone.
So is she.
Ortiz decided to do something about the stress caused by the hateful anti-Latino rhetoric of the president.
She is moving to Spain.
Ortiz, a 21-year-old psychology major who immigrated from Tijuana to the United States when she was 12, said it is time to move again.
“Moving to the United States was hard,” she said. “I (felt) introverted. My self-esteem was low, so it was hard to make friends and get to know people. The language barrier was horrible.”
Ortiz said she was placed in a bilingual program when she started elementary school and struggled in math. She felt more supported in her English classes.
“The teacher and a friend were helping me, but there were many things I didn’t (previously) learn that I (needed) and (schools had) just passed me along,” she said.
Enrolling at Southwestern College changed the trajectory of her life. She started as a theater arts major but switched to psychology because she was self-conscious of her accent.
“I was in show choir in high school, so that helped with my pronunciation,” she said. “Even though I can speak English fluently, it doesn’t have the same delivery as my first Spanish.”
Ortiz will complete an AA this month. She is facing new challenges that have rattled her faith in America. Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric has made living in the U.S. stressful, she said. In June she will relocate to Spain with her boyfriend, who already lives there.
Housing an exchange student from Spain in high school strengthened her desire to travel there.
“My Spanish teacher knew I was thrilled about Spain,” she said. “I got to understand the culture. Since then I feel like I manifested that because I’ve always liked Spanish culture.”
Her decision to move to Spain means leaving behind her parents and family.
“I’m a little afraid for my parents,” she said. “I know Trump is targeting people with green cards, and my parents are already old, so I want them to be safe.”
There is no feeling of safety anymore, she said. Constant bashing of Mexican and Latino immigrants can feel suffocating. Hearing her people and culture ridiculed is disheartening.
Latino bashing fuels Ortiz’ desire to leave America and seek a fresh start in a new country where she hopes to find peace and acceptance, she said. During her 10 years in America she has accomplished everything she wanted to.
“I’m thankful for the opportunities I got here,” she said. “I’m grateful, but I do feel close to my roots. I am happy about discovering Spain.”
Ortiz will leave behind the “American Dream” to build the future she dreams of in Europe, but she will remember Southwestern College with fondness, she said.
Perhaps, when the kinder, more accepting America returns, she will, too.
