From negative degree weather, six-month winters, and isolation, to the blazing hot sun, loud people, and freedom, junior Miguel Suarez Cabal experienced it all first living in Palmer, Alaska and for the past few years, back in Miami, Florida.
A mix of financial practicality and a yearning for the unknown had guided his family’s decision to embrace the untamed wilderness of Alaska. In the land of ice and snow, life was starkly different.
“Hunting did not make me feel bad because it was like living off the land,” he recalled.
The memory of hunting remained engraved in his mind, a vivid reminder of his Alaskan upbringing. The average person normally goes out to eat or goes grocery shopping but nope, not for Miguel. He and his father hunted their food, forging a bond with the land and animals they called home. Not every experience was a pleasant one, however.
“I was walking in the woods with friends and then we saw this weird guy which led us to run because of fear while he chased us until we got away,” he recalled.
Even amidst the passing years, the memory still lingers in Miguel’s head but little did he know, this adolescent adventure would be missed when arriving at his new so-called “home.”
“I moved to Miami because members of my extended family were either dying or getting old. When I arrived, people thought of me as a murderer,” he mentioned, after sharing with others his hunting experiences.
Hunting is not common in Miami, so when Miguel shared tales of not only killing but also skinning animals, it did not go well.
“It is a lot louder here, education is much better, but new friends are harder to hang out with because their attention span is shorter because of social media,” he said.
Miguel now has been attending ILS, happy with his education and as he begins his junior year, ready to embark in a new environment.
