'Tortilla - shaped'

Previously, in theredstringofate: A tribute to those people who open their heart to aves de paso, those of us who show up and stay just for a short period of time.

Si quisiera regresar, ya no sabría hacia donde [...]

Hay gente que es de un lugar, no es mi caso. Yo estoy aquí de paso.

If I wished to come back, I wouldn't know where to.

Some people come from somewhere else. This is not my case. I am only passing through.

Jorge Drexler, Tres mil millones de latidos

I was myself the least Spanish person you could have ever met. Any of my Spanish friends can tell. Some people would even be frustrated and ask me why I don’t like my country or why I don’t like Spanish people. I am sorry I gave them the wrong impression. Nevertheless, I don’t think you have to love absolutely everything about your country to feel a part of it. You don’t have to be raised in a very “nationalist” manner to feel your roots while being away, neither. It just happens. At some point in your life, for unknown reasons, you start accepting the place where you come from – negative and positive aspects (just as your relationship with your parents may change through time). You start being aware of who you are, and what is what makes you Canadian or Senegalese.

There are different views. S told us that it all started when she left France. A told me she never felt it at all, and she has lived abroad for years. L told me she had never danced any flamenco until she tried it for the first time in Ireland, and she loved it. H told me she couldn’t understand what was wrong with Japanese and their phones when she went back home for holidays. E said he doesn’t feel English, but he had a very close connection to every country he has lived in. T told me it is not about the country, but about being surrounded  by the right people. K was so desperate to be a part of the American society, that he hardly did anything together with the international students. M sold everything he had to leave his country – it would be a shame for him to return, even if he wants to.

N and I think we have a responsibility towards our country.

I am aware of the fact that there is nothing for me back home at the moment. However, the thought makes me feel guilty because, what if every unemployed-25-year-old Spanish took the same position? (40%) What if all of us flee the country? I hate to witness this youth disenchantment, but I understand some situations are just unbearable. Still, I want to draw attention to this.

Every person should travel and live abroad, and if things work out – why not, stay abroad.  However, one should never forget where he comes from. Young people are the driving force for change. If they don’t think of their country, who will? At the end of the day, when we finally realize we miss our place and we want to come back, we might be surprised of what is left. Then, we might blame politicians or we might blame the crisis or global conspiracy: the truth is we were not there. Or even worse, we couldn’t be bothered to even think about it.

I have to say I am not coming back yet, though.

But I have to admit, my heart is a bit tortilla-shaped J

Plato volteador de tortilla