Brooke Lewis, Writer Bio.
My name is Brooke, and I’m now a gringa mona (white, female, foreigner), living in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, with my husband and 13-year-old stepdaughter. I am a full-time writer both here on Medium and as a freelance writer.
Because I write about my experiences, my story as a writer is inextricably linked to the story of my life. This is the story of my life’s journey led me to writing.
Throughout my life, I’ve had this recurring premonition that one day, I’d write about my life. I call it a premonition because I have no idea where it came from. It wasn’t a goal or my life’s ambition.
Yes, I loved reading. But, I was in awe of the authors I read. I couldn’t fathom the possibility of doing it myself. That required talent, skill, imagination, and perspective that seemed unattainable.
Yet, this writing idea lurked in the back of my mind from childhood through young adulthood. So, from time to time, I’d give it a try. Yet, each time, I reached the same conclusion, I had nothing to say. No story to tell worth sharing.
Still, I never felt dejected or deterred by my failure. I’d hear a small voice within whisper, “Just wait. It isn’t time yet.” So, eventually, I relented. Apparently, the stories would come. But first, I’d need to live.
After all, my favorite stories weren’t about fantasy realms or imagined creatures. They were stories of ordinary people whose extraordinary experiences taught me about other times, places, and cultures. A childhood favorite, I recall, was the historical fiction series Dear America, published by Scholastic.
Unfortunately, living a relatively normal childhood in a less-than-exciting rural area didn’t lend itself to interesting writing about my life.
But even then, I was confident that one day, that would change. My life would be interesting. Then, I’d finally write my story. So, I waited excitedly for this inspiring life to begin.
If I’d known how much heartache would be involved, I wouldn’t have anticipated it so enthusiastically.
My life, like most, has been complicated. I’ve had incredible experiences beyond my wildest imagination and worthy of sharing. However, it’s been the hardship, pain, and loss that’s given me the insight and perspective to share it with meaning.
Youth, Education, and Loss
As I outgrew Dear America, it was Hemmingway who lured me to faraway, exotic lands, inspiring my love of travel. So, I studied foreign languages in high school. French and Spanish.
I’d never even met anyone who spoke a language other than English. But if I wanted to explore the world, this seemed like a logical place to start.
In College, I continued down this path. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages and Cultures with a Major in Spanish and a Minor in Mandarin Chinese.
During college, I was thrust into adulthood. I learned more about myself and developed a vision for my life. But I also learned about pain, grief, and my capacity to handle them.
I was more assured than ever of my desire to travel the world after participating in a study-abroad program in China. My classes inspired a passion for learning, and I put my Spanish skills to use for the first time through an internship working with the local Latin American community.
However, the summer after my freshman year, my father was in a motorcycle accident less than a mile from our home. Eight days later, showing no signs of brain activity, it fell on my mother, sister, and me to discontinue care and allow him to pass.
We were left devastated. Our worlds turned upside down, and we had no idea how to right them.
I quickly transitioned from child to adult. No longer just a daughter or sister, I was a member of a family of women, making decisions together and supporting each other.
This could’ve been it for my dreams. I could’ve dropped out of school and lost myself in my grief. Thanks to the support of my mother and sister, I didn’t choose this path.
Young Adulthood, Healing, Teaching, and Travel
I was still uncertain what I wanted from my life, but I was sure that my father, who’d made so many sacrifices to give me a good life, would be pissed if I wasted it.
So, I finished school, at times working three jobs to support myself. My mother, sister and I were closer than ever, healing, moving forward, and doing well.
After graduation, I was a bit aimless. I knew I loved learning, traveling, and reading, but beyond that, I was lost. Until, by some stroke of fate, I encountered an opportunity that would set the next phase of my life on course. I was offered a position as a high school Spanish teacher.
I immediately loved teaching. However, as my first year finished, I came to a realization. To teach Spanish and Latin American cultures to the best of my ability, I’d need more first-hand experience and immersion.
While researching opportunities, I came across a program called “Colombia Bilingüe”. It brought native English speakers from around the world to Colombia, where they co-teach English classes in public schools alongside Colombian English teachers.
This experience turned out to be a pivotal one in both my personal and professional life. I fell in love. In more ways than one.
I fell further in love with teaching. This experience made me a better teacher and inspired me to earn my Master’s degree in Education.
I fell in love with Colombia. I found everything about it interesting and enchanting: its history, its nature, and most of all, its people.
I also met and fell in love with a brilliant, kind Colombian, who is now my husband.
Adult Life, Big Changes, and More Pain
Recent years have brought more amazing experiences as well as new hardships.
I’ve continued to travel. The most memorable include a summer traveling around Europe with my husband while he completed his Ph.D. in Italy and traveling to Costa Rica with a group of students. An incredible opportunity to share my passion for travel and foreign cultures, as many of them experienced it for the first time.
After finishing his Ph.D., my husband took a post-doctoral position in the US. Finally, allowing us to live together in the same country!
Three years later, we were married in a memorable Las Vegas wedding. A memory I’ll forever cherish. Of course, because I married my best friend and biggest supporter. But also because my mom, who, six months prior, had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, was able to be at my wedding.
Mom’s ongoing struggles with stage-4 Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) have brought on numerous new challenges, hardships, and heartaches. Watching her struggle mentally, emotionally, and physically through diagnosis, treatments, and recurrences has been the most difficult experience I’ve faced yet. And made more difficult by distance.
As my husband’s post-doc came to an end, we’d decided it was time for a change. He was shifting away from academia, and after seven years and a pandemic, I was burnt out on teaching.
So we seized the opportunity and relocated to Colombia, where we could spend more time with his family and transition into our new careers.
I can’t imagine a more inspiring place to write than Colombia. It’s one of the most fascinating places I have ever been. And, like me, its tragic and beautiful past makes it more interesting.
Writing
So, finally, I have not one but many stories worth sharing. Even after only a few months of writing, I’m certain. This is the time I’ve been patiently awaiting.
For the first time in my life, I sat down to tell a story and felt I had something to say.
In addition to writing about my personal experiences through Medium’s Partner Program. I’ve found some success writing freelance “How to” articles for various publications, thanks to my background in Education.
I’ve even begun work on a novel, though it’s still in its very early stages.
Most importantly, each day, I’m learning and improving as a writer.
It’s hard to express the gratitude I feel for the feedback and support I’ve already received from readers and editors on Medium. Thank you to anyone and everyone who has read my stories so far.
I hope you continue to read and respond as I continue to learn and improve. But most of all, I hope you gain something from my stories. Insight, entertainment, or inspiration. That’s my real motivation for sharing my stories.
My Favorite Writing Samples from Medium
If you would like to read some of my stories. Here are a few of my top recommendations.
On Loss . . .
View at Medium.comView at Medium.com
On Colombia . . .
View at Medium.comView at Medium.com
BLEW WRITING LLC 