Being born in the Latin American country of Venezuela, I was raised a Catholic. Even though there are such diverse faiths in Venezuela as Judaism, Islam, various Afro-Caribbean religions, and different denominations of Christianity, the vast majority of people in my country are still Catholic, and my family is no exception. However, after I turned 18, I realized that Catholicism did not make sense to me, so I left it. For five years I remained unbound to any religion or belief system, although I still believed in a Divinity and practiced meditation.

That changed when I came to the University of South Carolina. At USC, I have had the privilege to meet people from different parts of the world. Among the people I have come in contact with are those of Indian origin and/or heritage. A good part of my social life since I came to this university has included them, and now three of my closest friends are from India. In addition, through my Indian friends, I discovered Hinduism.

My friends did not preach Hinduism to me, which I liked. Instead, I discovered Hinduism by observing and speaking with my Hindu friends. Because Hindu Dharma is a way of life, it was logical that it was exposed to me as such. The most important moment in my exploration of Hinduism came when I met the first president of the Hindu Students Council chapter in my university, with whom I would come to form a close bond. After some intense conversations, not only did our friendship grow, but I saw my spiritual path more clearly. I already practiced meditation, and the idea of karma makes more sense to me than the Heaven-and-Hell theory I was raised to believe. Also, seeing Divinity everywhere, even in myself and in my fellow human beings, sounded very logical. I knew my soul was looking for the rich spirituality of Sanatana Dharma, and that my friendships with people from India were no accident; I was naturally draw to them.

To come out as a Hindu was not easy, though. My family was one of the first hurdles to overcome. They had a hard time accepting that I was no longer a Catholic, and I had a hard time avoiding the feeling that I was betraying them, because Latin American Culture, like Hindu culture, holds the family in the highest regard. Although we are still as close as we have always been, educating them about my way of life and making them come to grips with the honesty of my intentions is an ongoing process. At other times, I have felt misunderstood by both Latinos and Indian Hindus alike. Some people are curious as to why I would want to embrace a way of life with which I was not raised, but these people have been the minority. In most Indian Hindus I have found the best support and encouragement possible. Whenever I have had doubts, my closest friends have been there to cheer me and not let me give up. The positive experiences are vastly outweighing the negative ones, and I am becoming increasingly more comfortable, as is my soul.

I think that with the globalized media have, the world is rapidly shrinking, and cultures are getting to know each other better. The Internet, cable television, and universities are among the things that are making this possible. I understand that the changes are occurring so fast that many are feeling that their cultures are threatened. I understand that we have the right and duty to protect our cultures and not let ourselves be swept away by cultural imperialism. But it is with understanding, and not with exclusion of those who are different, or through the imposition of ideas on others, that we will get a real and harmonic globalization. Many Hindus, fortunately, are aware of this. And welcoming people to Sanatana Dharma, in my opinion, will make it grow stronger and set an example for other cultures and religions to follow.