The dictionary’s definition of travel is simply “to make a  journey, typically of some length or abroad.” What the dictionary doesn't tell you is all the adventure and different cultures you experience while traveling to some place that you have never been. I've recently taken a two week vacation to Europe; I visited London, Scotland, and also Barcelona. The things I learned about myself, other people, and different cultures can’t be taught in a classroom. You have to experience them yourself. The main thing I learned is that people can have more than one culture. Even though I was born and raised in America, I still share my mom’s Puerto Rican culture and my dad’s Colombian culture. One example I saw of this was at the wedding of my cousin Clara, who is a Colombian. I expected a full Latino party, but I was met with kilts and an actual man playing the bagpipes. I'm glad I got to experience some of the Scottish culture. it was interesting to see how she managed to mix Latin culture with the Scottish one. At one point everyone was dancing to Salsa and traditional Scottish music! I never quite understood how culture really affected our everyday lives, but going out of the country surely gave me perspective on things I've never really thought about.

As soon as i arrived at the church the wedding was supposed to be, I knew this would be an unlike any wedding i've ever been to. As we waited to enter the church, bagpipe music filled the atmosphere with a sound like wind chimes tinkling in the breeze. Most of the females arriving to  the wedding wore fancy hats, but because it was so cold outside, they wore large coats to keep themselves warm.  And the men wore kilts. the groom wore a kilt and so did the groomsmen, they surprisingly didn't look as ridiculous as you would have thought they would. You could tell by their beaming faces and the way they stood up with their heads held high, and their shoulders back, that they wore their kilts with pride.  On a closer inspection I realized that not allkilts had the same colors, I learned much later that the colors on the a man’s kilt represented his family colors. The girls wore formal dresses but with cute hats with floral patterns or an actual flower on the side of their head. The ceremony itself was pretty typical except that my cousin, got a priest that could speak english and spanish, so he could translate for the hispanic side of the family. After the ceremony we all went to the place where the party would be hosted. As soon as we walked in there, there were people offering food in little trays. I myself love to try new things, so when they offered me “haggis”, a Scottish dish, I didn't pass up the opportunity but I wish I had. It was shaped like a meatball, but as soon as you put it in your mouth you could taste how mushy it really is.  It tasted like wrongness, and blood. When I asked what it was, they told me it was meat from the sheep's heart, liver, and lung.  Needless to say, I didn't eat anything else they offered me. My cousin hired a band to play at the party. When I heard that, I thought for sure they were going to play traditional Scottish music. But to my surprise the band played a lot of American music that everyone loved. As soon as the dancing floor was up and running, everyone from the Mexicans to the Australians joined together and danced to whatever song was playing. They mostly played classics like “My Girl” by The Temptations and even Beyonce. There's something about music that just always has a way of bringing people together no matter where you are. Even though people were from all parts of the world, in that moment it didn't matter. What mattered was that we all gathered to celebrate my cousin's wedding. The best surprise was when the band took a break, and in that hour and to my surprise, they played Hispanic music that was popular in Colombia like Salsa and Cumbia. Needless to say, I danced a lot that hour, and so did a lot of the people that had probably never even heard of Spanish music. The most memorable part was at the end of the party. The band finally did play traditional Scottish music, and to dance it, everyone had to stand in a circle and hold hands. As the tempo slowed up and down, the people would come close together and then move apart again. It waskinda like the wedding itself, like how everyone came together for one night and then be apart the next.

I was expecting to be bored out of my mind, but I had a lot more fun than I thought I would have, and met a lot of interesting people. I doubt I will ever forget this experience, from haggis to the groomsmen's proud faces as they showed off their kilts. That's why you should embrace people with different cultures and backgrounds. Everybody in this world is different, and that's actually a good thing, because who knew at the end of the day Colombians and Scottish people could blend so well?