I Am From

Seattle Prep Ignite
May 13, 2019
2 min read

I am from the places I have been; the pins in the map on my wall,

The roasting of chestnuts on a cool Madrid evening, the torn soccer balls I played with every day, The sound of the insects at dusk in Caracas, the view of the city from my grandma’s house, The cry of the guacamayas as they fly along el Avila, painted bright blue, red, yellow and green; I am from the weekend trips around the Spanish countryside, the ski trips to the Pyrenees, The gelato on the streets of Verona, the strolls through the vineyards of la Toscana in Italy; I am from walks along the Seine, the cafes and the Parisian tarte tatin, The flat water of Lake Washington as my oars move the boat’s bow ever further.

I am from every Venezuelan tear and drop of blood that has fallen, After the chavistas took everything from my beautiful country and its people; The farms, businesses, clean water of el Guaire that used to run through Caracas; The food, medicine and supplies absent from store shelves; The widespread and suffering that has kept my country on the brink of civil war for twenty years That caused an exodus of the Venezuelan people larger than that of Syria. I am from the beauty that remains unscathed, from the jungle to the mountains, The long, white-sanded Caribbean beaches that line the coast and the reefs of Los Roques.

I am from the family reunions every December, when we meet in different places, With my relatives coming from all over the world, from Paris to Peru, Mexico City to San Salvador; I am from the dark green banana leaf we untie before eating the tender hallaca inside, The arepas that we share, the laughter around the table, filling the silence of the night; I am from the new year’s resolutions we tie to balloons and let fly towards the stars. I am from my experiences, the stories I can tell my children; I am from the memories I make every day; I am from the highs and lows I have had that shaped me into who I am; I am from the amazing family that surrounds me; I am from the crazy journey I have had and what is yet to come.