Sep. 19 2022

Checkout our first Hispanic Heritage Month feature on MGC Columbia Real Estate Marketing Coordinator Nataly Seigler.

Nataly in Cayos Cochinos

“My name is Nataly Seigler and I am the Real Estate Marketing Coordinator for MGC Real Estate. I was born and raised in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. When people think of Central America, they often think of rural farms and dense jungles. However, I grew up surrounded by American fast food restaurants, malls, terrible traffic, and city life.

I was born to parents who were both teachers. My dad worked in the mornings as an English teacher at a middle school and in the evenings as an adult educator, and my mom worked as an elementary school teacher. By working hard, my parents were able to send my sister and me to a bilingual school where we began learning English when we were four. When I was almost 15 years old, my family and I had the opportunity to move to the US. My parents have always wanted better opportunities for me and my siblings, so moving to the US seemed like a great idea! We moved to Valdosta, GA in January 2008 since some of my family already lived there and I have been living in the US ever since. I graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and moved to South Carolina in February 2017 after marrying my husband, Andrew.

To me Hispanic Heritage Month means an opportunity to share the many wonderful things about my country. Even though Honduras is a small country, it is home to some amazing sights such as Mayan Ruins, coffee plantations, diverse ecology, and my favorite, beautiful beaches. Because Honduras is located in the Caribbean, its white sandy beaches are pristine with clear water and many varieties of sea life. Honduras’s coast contains part of the second largest reef system in the world, the Mesoamerican Reef system. My favorite place to visit in all of Honduras has to be Cayos Cochinos, which consist of two small islands (Cayo Menor and Cayo Grande) and 13 smaller coral cays with picturesque beaches and great food.

Another reason why I enjoy Hispanic Heritage Month is because it allows me to celebrate my vibrant Honduran culture. We Hondurans are known for our hospitality, music, and definitely food! We enjoy giving hugs and making people feel at home. Many different genres of music are enjoyed in Honduras including Punta, which is native to the Garifuna people on the north coast. While we eat many Central American staples, we also enjoy local cuisine such as pupusas, yuca con chicharron, and my personal favorite, baleadas, which consists of a flour tortilla, refried beans, salty Honduran sour cream and crumbled cheese. Simple yet delicious!”