Being Venezuelan is hard, whether you stay in the country or become an exile.
If you leave, you may enjoy a different life, but your heart remains back home and when most of your family is back home, then we have always mixed feelings about looking for a better life.

Every birthday brings tons of emotions, memories, longings, and frustrations. We want to hug that loved one who is celebrating away from home. Today, our beloved @imabby17 turned 19 and this is the 3rd birthday she celebrates away from us.

Her sister, Anna, her aunt, her mother and us shared a video call today to sing Happy Birthday to her.

We did our best to cheer her up, even if we felt a knot in our throats. We made promises to meet again, joked, and tried to forget about the distance that separates us, at least for a few minutes.

I even bought a few beers to make a toast, to her, her future, and our reunion. It had been a long time since I last bought beers The occasion called for it. We were also drinking to the health and total recovery of my mother-in-law. We need her to be healthy so that we can continue working and supporting her. It is incredible how unsettling dealing with medical emergencies can be. Everything is turned upside down.

Fortunatelly, our dear Vivian is healthy and even though things have to gone the way we/she expected, we are sure that all these years have been valuable experiences that will pave the way to her success.

Today I remembered the sweetest smartest child I have ever met

I can't believe she's grown so much, so fast; but I am so thankful for her life, for all the joy she has brought to our lives since she came to this world.

She has taught us all about courage, generosity, empathy, happiness, optimism, and love.

She is our artist, dreamer, and adventurer, looking for her path, her call, her chance to shine. I know she will get there because she is brilliant and has the biggest heart I've known.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, dear Vivian.

We hope to meet for the next one.