I came to Oxford for the migrants of La Guajira — Analia’s Baggage to Oxford

We asked our scholars to go back to the moment they packed their luggage in preparation for their journey to Oxford. But instead of clothes and books, we asked them to think about the stories, people, memories, hopes, and all immaterial things that they would put inside. Find other stories in this series here.

I applied to Oxford while working in water and sanitation provision for Venezuelan migrants informally settled in the semi-desertic region of La Guajira in northern Colombia. It seemed unreal, almost ridiculous, the thought of studying at Oxford.  During the day, I was surrounded by extreme poverty, malnutrition, and psychological distress. During the night, I wrote essays, translated documents, and studied for the English Language examination. I felt guilty; I thought I did not deserve the comfortable life I had and the dreams I pursued. Because of that experience, I understood that our current economic system does not work anymore; it has failed the migrants of La Guajira and many others like them around the world. Even though there is enough wealth to satisfy humanity's basic needs, it is concentrated in the hands of a few people, leading to an extremely unequal society.

Now that I am here, I cannot forget what I experienced. I brought that burden from Colombia, the burden that I need to do something to change that shameful reality. A reality that many of us, the fortunate ones, fail to see because we are too worried about creating more wealth for ourselves, a reality sometimes we choose to ignore. Today, I realize that I have come to Oxford for the people I left in La Guajira, people lacking the most basic needs required for human dignity, and people we cannot keep on failing. They rely on me, and they are my true inspiration to be here.