From Florida to Spain: The Life of a First Generation American

Olivia Martinez has two places that she considers her home. Every summer, she visits her family in Spain, and for the rest of the year, she lives in Tampa, Florida. Olivia first visited Spain when she was two years old, and her family met her for the first time. The first trip that she remembers was when she was seven years old with her grandparents. It has been 11 years since she’s been going. This summer, she was in Spain for two and a half months, leaving at the end of May and returning halfway through August. She went because she had a trip purchase from last summer that was canceled. This year, she needed to use the vouchers, or she would lose money. None of her family went this summer due to the pandemic. Olivia does not have difficulty adjusting to life between the two places, but adapting to jet lag and the six-hour time difference between Florida and Spain are the biggest problems. Always looking forward to returning, she enjoys sharing pictures and stories from her time in Spain. While discussing the significance of Spain, Olivia reflects on what hometown means to her.