Christopher

When I came to this country from Colombia, I was 8 years old. I was very nervous coming to America. I had never been on an airplane and didn’t know what to expect — I first thought that there were flying cars in the U.S.A.

My first day of school was embarrassing, but looking back, actually very funny. My dad gave me a haircut the night before and he messed up. I was bald for my first day. I got put into a class for new arrivals since I only knew three words of English.

Very nervous, I entered class and sat next to another kid. He said he was Juan and he’s Mexican-Guatemalan. Then more kids entered the class, such as Mayerli, Angel, and Dennis who all came from different countries, such as Peru, Ecuador, and Ukraine. We shared stories about ourselves and all became each other´s first friends in a new country, which brought me relief as they were in the same boat as me.

I had my first experience with music playing saxophone for the school band in 4th grade, which I thought was complicated, but I liked the challenge and wanted to learn new things. I found that I really liked music and wanted to learn more instruments. I also wanted to learn other things to help me better adjust to America, so I asked my mom if I could stay after school in some programs. I was learning English through Google and trying to use these unfamiliar words in sentences at the time, so she thought this would be a good idea. One program she signed me up for was Geography, which taught me a lot of English and how to better do my school projects and presentations. It really helped and gave me my first interest in leadership when I discovered how good it felt to help other new students from South America learn English.

One day, my mom´s friend told her about this music school and how her daughter had a great experience learning the violin. My mom thought it was a good idea, and I really wanted to do it to learn a new instrument and make more friends. My mom always wants me to be learning, so she agreed. We filled out the paperwork and in less than a week, I got accepted. That is how my guitar journey at INTEMPO started.

Once I got to INTEMPO, I was excited to start learning guitar. I was nervous, but knew my friend would be there to help me out. When I arrived though, I was surprised that we were quickly split into different classes, but my friend’s sister was in my class, which made me feel better. Also, it was really easy to adjust in this new program because the staff is so awesome.

The staff is one of the things I love most about INTEMPO. Most of them speak Spanish, which helps them connect with us and our culture better. They are so welcoming, and make you feel like we’re all family and are at home at INTEMPO regardless of where we came from. I quickly learned that doing something new and being on my own would be good for me, such as when they introduced me to the charango, a small guitar-like instrument native to South America. I thought that was really cool.

One of the cooler things I discovered and took a liking to at INTEMPO was the Youth Council. I thought the kids were pretty cool and I looked up to them. One day, knowing I wanted to be one but was a bit too shy to ask, I joked about joining. One of the council members was very nice and said I should join.

The Youth Council is one of the best things about INTEMPO. We have meetings with the staff, which made me feel pretty important, and help them with the other students and discuss how we can all make INTEMPO better. The Youth Council also gave me other opportunities, such as giving virtual tours and volunteering to guide younger kids at summer camp. The younger kids also look up to us, which I like because it gives me a big responsibility. We encourage them to take our spots in the future so that they can pass along their knowledge to the newer generations and make INTEMPO better than ever.

Thanks to the Youth Council, I feel like I have grown a lot and built a ton of confidence. Not only do I feel more independent, but I also have responsibilities I balance with my music learning, such as being a good example for the younger students. At INTEMPO, I’ve learned that I wasn’t alone, that there were friends and teachers there to help me who understood what it meant for me to be a newcomer in almost every aspect of my life. My friends and teachers appreciate me for who I am and encourage me, which makes me feel accepted and valued. I don’t feel any pressure to hide my identity as an immigrant at INTEMPO or anywhere else. In fact, I feel just the opposite: I’m proud of it. I really hope I can spread this message to other kids like me at INTEMPO, so that they can feel confident in themselves and have the same sense of belonging that I have.