The Power & Strength of Latina Bonds

(Completed 2023)

By Eliana Flores-Barber

“There's something in the Alicante air,” says 23-year-old Cristina Valdez. 

Unsure what it was at first, there was something that felt like home to her in this town. As she speaks to the various treasures in Alicante, it becomes more clear why her heart has found a home here.

From her calm morning commute to work, the serenity she feels as she watches the sun rise above the ocean’s horizon, to the weekends spent exploring neighboring countries, there much she adores about this place. However, for Valdez these merely act as added bonuses. It is within the walls of her apartment alongside her hermanas Karina Moreno and Rosibel Villalobos, where she has found her second home.  

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By her sophomore year of college, Karina Moreno, much like students before her, had envisioned a semester of her education to be lived out in a stunning European city. Her dream of traveling to new countries, savoring exquisite dishes, exploring a world beyond her comfort zone, and best of all sharing that experience with friends was soon put on hold as COVID seized travel abilities.

In the year that followed, with zoom classes and quarantines having taken over an escape was exactly what she needed.

“I was feeling super burned out. So I knew that I was gonna take a year off [post graduation]. I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do during my year off and it was between, like, finding a job or maybe doing a postback program or research but I had always wanted to study abroad,” says the 23-year-old.

As she entered her fourth year at UCLA, popping up on her Instagram feed were videos and pictures of former sorority members living a Spanish lifestyle in the picturesque city of Alicante. Having piqued her interest, she dmed those girls to inquire what abroad program they were part of and soon learned it was the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP).

At the time she thought to herself, “maybe I can apply to this and like, you know, see if I get more options. I was still kind of on the fence about it but I was like, well, what does it hurt to apply?”

In hopes of not seeing it through alone, she went to a few of her fellow Latina sorority sisters and shared the exciting possibility of living abroad together in a country which speaks their native tongue. 

“It ended up being like, I think four or five of us that applied and then three of us, including myself, ended up getting in or I think a few more did but like three of us ended up deciding to actually do it,” she says.

In receiving their acceptances, it was as though the stars aligned for Moreno and her two friends. 

“We all ended up getting placed in the same city, and our schools we were placed at are also like five minutes walking from each other. So it was kind of like meant to be almost,” she says. 

With so much anticipation in the air, her summer at home in Southern California was filled with paperwork, quality time with friends and family, building up her savings account, and figuring out how to pack up her whole room in two suitcases; because at the end of September she and her friends would embark to their new life in Spain’s southeast province of Alicante. 

Nestled on Spain’s Costa Blanca, is a town once known as Akra Leuke. Inhabited for over 7,000 years, it journeyed through trade with the Phocacean Greeks and conquest by the Romans, Moors, French, and Federalists to now become an important port city. Known for its mild climate, fruitful exports, and tranquil environment, Alicante has captured the hearts of many foreign visitors; some of which are young starry eyed and adventure seeking college graduates who are determined to discover life beyond their respected homes.

In a manner much like we see in film and tv, these young adults embark on a year of work in hopes of discovering their passions, immersing themselves in a new culture, and as cliche as it may be, figure out who they are. 

With many variations of this program existing, what has made NALCAP a favorable choice is its dedication to building lifelong ties between citizens of the United States and Spain. Benefits include, a longer stay in the country, earning an income, and the potential for cheaper rent. 

In this (flagship) program, native-like English speakers will work as language assistants (TAs) in elementary and secondary schools in Spain, under the guidance of school teachers, to aid in bolstering students' English language learning and serve as a cultural ambassador for their home country.

Those accepted will work from October 1st to May 31st, a full school year, and have a 12 to 16 hours work week.

According to the NALCAP website, over 40,000 Americans have partaken in this program and enjoyed the pleasures Spain has to offer. 

Living in the same apartment as Moreno and Valdez, is their fellow sorority sister alum Rosibel Villalobos.  

A confidently spoken young woman, much like her roommates, her move to Alicante however, came with many unprecedented complications. 

From her visa being delayed a few weeks to her luggages being put onto the wrong flight, she says “the first month was kind of terrible for me, which I was not expecting. I feel like I took it a lot harder than some of the others.”

For all three of these women, the first month in Alicante was riddled with homesickness and for Villalobos having never fully broken out of her LA bubble a culture shock such as this made her miss home more than she could have imagined. 

“I felt like I was just very overwhelmed. As soon as I got here I felt like everything was going wrong,” she says.

Slowly finding her footing in this town, another challenge came her way. 

“There are some incidents just in Spain, like little things that if I was alone, I think would definitely be polarizing. I'm Salvadorian and I always get asked if I speak Mexican. My students will say ‘she doesn't speak Spanish, she speaks Latino,’ things like that,” she explains. 

Comments such as these, whether it be at home or in a foreign country, can leave one feeling isolated. Further adding to it, is the “exoticness” that comes with being Latina and stereotypes thrown at her when men make comments such as “I need a crazy Latina in my life.”

Although they live in a country whose primary language is Spanish and has some similar traditions to Latin culture, being in a new country meant learning how to differentiate between cultural differences and blatant microaggressions. 

Within it all, what pushed these young women to keep moving forward was their mutual understanding and the unconditional support they provide each other. 

“They sat me down and they talked to me and they let me know they were always there for me and I feel like moments like that made me realize these are my lifelong friends, not just my college friends,” says Villalobos. 

Through the next few months as they discussed comments, situations, and individuals which could have made them feel like less than, Villalobos was reminded of how strong they are together and as individuals. “These little comments aren't going to tear us down or just like little microaggressions we're bigger than that, we can deal with that and we can move on, you know. If Karina and Cristina can laugh it off, I can too,” she says.  

There is something so empowering about having fellow Latinas surround you and support you as you navigate through life. 

Whether it be understanding each other's hardships, traditions being missed, or even helping recall ingredients to a recipe, this bond, no matter where in the world you are, always has a way of making you feel at home. 

“I think that having friends from different backgrounds, different cultures, different ethnicities, different nationalities is really important to be able to diversity your perspective and your mind on how you see things and understanding those cultures and their heritage and their practices but I think there's a very special bond between friends who are of the same background because it's such a deeper connection,” says Moreno.

What a shared cultural bond provides, is a first hand experience and relatability as not only can you put yourself in each other's shoes but you’ve been in each other's shoes at one point.

In living in the same apartment far from their homes, these young women furthered their understanding of what a true latina bond can help them achieve. 

They grew more confident in themselves while knowing they had someone to lean on for support. They reached new levels of independence and most of all, they understood that their deepened appreciation for one another and their cultures became the foundation of the home they built in Spain.

Towards the end of their teaching year, as they set their sights on what’s next, they began to discuss the possibility of returning to the teaching program for a second. However, as fall arrives only one member of this traveling trio will return to Alicante. 

For these young Latinas their time together in this town will become the stories they share for years to come. The bond they built as young latinas will continue to be a powerful force in their lives.

As Villalobos said to her amigas many times before, and what can perfectly summarize the love and friendship developed throughout their year abroad, “home is Alicante, not LA anymore.”