“Who are you?” It’s maybe one of the hardest questions you can ask someone. What could I say? I’m a man, I’m venezuelan, I’m a psychologist student, I’m a teacher, I’m a migrant, I’m a dreamer, I’m a traveler, I’m a thinker… I am. But, those are only a few aspects of myself, it’s not an answer to that question. “who are you?” what are people really expecting when they ask that? A biography? A name? The easiest way I’ve found to answer it, is telling you my history. What I’ve done, where I come from, where I belong to; so you can answer yourself that question.
I was born in San Cristobal - Venezuela on February of 1995. My family was, statistically normal: dad, mom, two sisters and one brother. Both of my parents are psychologist. My childhood was very good, even though my parents got divorced when I was 6 years old, it was not a traumatic event, my relationship with both of them continues as good as possible. Once I was 17 years old, on the very last months of my highschool I got the possibility of being part of a Youth Exchange Program by Rotary International. Only a few weeks after I got graduated from highschool I went to live in Mexico for a whole year. I’m not going to talk very much of that year on this post because it deserves a whole post of its own, but I can surely tell you that it has been, the best year I’ve have so far. A year where I grew up in all aspects of life, where I understood that the world is so big, that staying forever in your city, in your country, it’s almost a sin, a year that changed my life –for good- forever. Sadly, everything has an end, and my exchange year was not the exception, however, all I learned, all I lived, all I grew will be forever within me.
My partner in crime (Majo) and I starting this adventure
My mother and I, reunited after one year <3
I return to Venezuela after that year, with only 18 years old, but I have to say, a very good lived 18 years. Once I came again to my hometown, I knew it, I no longer belong there. There was this feeling that I was not home, even though it was the house where I grew up, surrounded by the people who raised me, I understood then, that my life was far away; anyway, the life project must go on, next step: University.
My two biggest dreams as a teenager were: 1) Being an Exchange Student and 2) Study Medicine or Psychology in the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV). This University, is not only the biggest of my country, it has the most beautiful campus, and its history, it’s even older than the republic of Venezuela; but it also has a personal meaning, my dad studied Psychology there, him and my mom got their youth romance mostly in there, my godparents study, work and almost lived there. The UCV is not only an university, it’s a personal symbol –that’s why it was so hard leave- .
Central Library, U.C.V.
As you can imagine getting accepted by that university it’s no easy thing, plus its campus is located in Caracas, 800 km from my city, so I had to made my biggest effort to get accepted, and to convince my parents that they should support (pay) my career in that city. My effort was rewarded and I got accepted, as well my parents accept to support my studies there. I must admit that getting accepted was one of the happiest moments I’ve had in my life, it was another dream came true, and so it begun, the next chapter of my life.
So, I went to live to Caracas by the age of 20 years old (the whole process of re-adaptation, studying, making the test, getting accepted and finally start the classes took 2 years), and a third city was added to my list, now I was “gocho” (San Cristobal’s gentilice), Mexican and Caraqueño. The next two years were the most intense, stressful and greats of my life. Very very different from my exchange, but great on its own way, studying psychology made me see the world with another eyes, thought me to be more reflexive, to listen, to talk, to read, to write, to understand, to don’t judge. I think, it complete my transformation, that little teenager who decided to start that adventure, doesn’t exist anymore, I can proudly say I became a much better version of myself.
However, as I said before, it all has an end. I had to drop the UCV, Caracas and Venezuela. It has been surely the most heartbreaking, hardest and best decision I’ve made in my whole life. As you know, Venezuela is the opposite of a paradise by the moment, the government, the society and the economy are on the greatest crisis of the contemporary history. I had to decide what I wanted the most: my life quality, my future, my health or my career, my family and my country. It took me about a year to make a decision, until April of 2017, when I understood, that I could only help my country, my people and myself by being alive and not risking myself as living in Caracas is. So I decided to came back to the country who received me as one of them, to the country which people made me feel in home, to the country where I learned how beautiful being alive is, Mexico.
And this, my dear friend, is my third chapter, and it’s live on. By the time (May, 2018) I have almost a year living here, this year has been totally different to my last time in Mexico, even though I’m in the same city, with the same people. This time I’m not in a party – travel mood (well, not ONLY in that mood. Who doesn’t like to party and travel when the possibility is there?), I’m in a working – establishing - trying to study mood.
Now, I can say I’m an adult. However, this is something I would like to talk in another post, this is already long enough.
So, Who I am? I’m a world citizen, I’m a fighter, I’m a dreamer, I’m a worker, I am… happy.
Thank you very much for reading this, it’s my very first time making a post in this style, please leave your feedback in the comment box! Hope you can keep reading all the things I have planned to be posting here. ¡Chao!
