Growing up in a Multicultural City
I was blessed to grow up in a culturally diverse city. Miami in the 1970s opened a window onto a much wider world. My classmates represented countries from Costa Rica to France, Korea to Venezuela, Spain to Jamaica. Our elementary school classrooms were like the United Nations.
I loved learning about and experiencing other cultures. My dad, Bill Gillis, worked for Eastern Airlines, so we traveled a lot as a family and met people from all over. When he traveled for work, he’d bring me back souvenirs from the countries he visited.
My dad also let me help him keep up with his international stamp collection, which was fascinating, especially because some countries had changed names. We had a big balloon globe that I spun around all the time, trying to learn where each country was located and wondering what it would be like to live there.
Spanish was a required language class in elementary school. I discovered I was good at learning languages and really enjoyed those classes. I loved when the teacher would introduce cultural lessons as well.
Back then, we didn’t have internet, but we had mail. There were international organizations that matched children from around the world as pen pals. I dove in, wanting to have as many pen pals as I could reasonably write to, from all over: Mexico, Malaysia, UK, Australia, Jamaica, Barbados, Greece. I sent them letters about my life and home, and they did the same.
In later years, I got to meet my pen pals from Barbados and Greece in person. My pen pal from Barbados visited the States, and I visited and stayed with my pen pal and her family in Greece. What awesome experiences.
I grew up immersed in all this multicultural enjoyment, thinking it was just a normal part of life. When you’re a child, you often think everyone experiences the world as you do. You’re not aware that you have certain callings in the making. It wasn’t till fourth grade that I got a glimpse of my future.
Invited to Sing at The Fontainebleau
Anyone who has lived in Miami knows of the Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach. Even as a child, I knew about it, although I had never been there. The words grand, elegant, prestigious, and famous always came to mind.
When I was in fourth grade, our class was invited to sing at the opening of an international convention. Diplomats from all over the world would be our audience. We learned songs representative of different countries. We practiced for hours, hoping to be worthy of our invitation.
On the evening of the event, my mom drove me up to the hotel entrance. It felt surreal—like more than a school event. For the next hour, we would be part of an international gathering. I didn’t feel nervous, as I normally would when performing music. I was just completely in awe of the moment.
I don’t remember all the songs we sang, except for one: “Senor Don Gato.” Our music teacher had helped us prepare to really perform, not just sing. We danced around, did arm movements, and expressed a lot of emotion as we sang.
Our concert was in the elegant Fontainebleau lobby. I remember being surrounded by the audience. They were spread out as far as I could see. They were all dressed up, so the gathering looked very formal. But they seemed very engaged with our performance. Some of them clapped hands, tapped feet, nodded in rhythm.
As I looked around, I saw many smiles, and that’s what I remember most. Those international diplomats enjoyed being there with us. They accepted us into their big, wide world.
A Place in a Bigger World
I had been in love with that big, wide world for years, through my cultural glimpses and childlike enthusiasm. But now, I realized I actually belonged in that bigger world. There was a place for me. For the first time, I saw global engagement as more than something I wanted to learn about. I saw a door open, and felt like I had stepped through.
That gathering at The Fontainbleau was a one of the bigger stepping stones into my international future. As I moved into my teen years, I learned more languages, traveled overseas, and participated in cultural activities at school.
In college and graduate school, I studied international relations, with more language learning, study abroad, several years working for a foreign company, and ultimately teaching abroad, working for an international educational nonprofit. When I wasn’t in my overseas classroom, I was traveling to surrounding countries and cities for guest lectures and nonprofit programs.
If you’re reading this as a younger family member, I would encourage you to make the most of the opportunities that open up for you, even the ones that might not seem significant at the time, like singing with your class at an event. You never know what doors will open to inspire you and invite you to take a step into your future.
If you are an adult family member reading this, I would encourage you to help your young ones make the most of the opportunities that come their way. Help them learn to stay fully present in each moment. And encourage them to discover who they are and what they truly enjoy. Their current activities, no matter how small those moments might seem, may hold beautiful keys to their future.
Exploring Generations 