Half argentinian - Half texan... (for the time being)

My first post in this blog was about two of the main myths that I had about travelling around the world… But I didn't start correctly because I didn´t introduce myself in an appropiate way. My name is Carolina Palomeque, I am 22, and I was born in Córdoba, the most beautiful city in Argentina (at least for me hahaha) This place is the place that I call my home. And this is my home because it´s the place in which I can be myself, and the place in which I have all the people I love, including my family, boyfriend and friends. I also spend most of my memorable days in Córdoba and I have in my memory a lot of amazing things that happened to me during my childhood and teenage.

I introduced myself talking about Córdoba because it is related with the topic I would like to speak in this post: uprooting. When I was selected for my first scholarship to do an exchange, I was really happy but I also was scared about one thing: Will  travelling to a foreign country make me forget my roots? Will I become less Argentinian? If I start travelling around the world, will I lose my identity, who I really am? These questions came to my mind because most people believe that when you start to travel and you have the possibility of living in a more developed country, you fall in love with progress and you start to criticize all the things that are wrong in your home. Most of the times this is done in a non-constructive way.

Then I started to live in Chile, and now I am in the United States and I can say that Córdoba is still and is always going to be my home. This happens because, from my point of view, when you travel, you make your identity stronger. You appreciate more the things that you have in your country, since you start to need it. You need to be with your loved ones, to eat the typical food of your country, you want to have the same scheduled that you had in your home, you want “your life back”. But you also appreciate living abroad, and you learn how to complement this life, with your roots. For example, here in Texas I have dinner around 6 pm. In Argentina I usually eat at 10 pm, and go to sleep at 11 pm. So, here I have 5 hours free because I´m still going to sleep at 11 pm! During that time, I do my homework and try to calm my hunger with a warm “MATE”. That is the way in which I mix my days as a texan with my argentinian roots. When you start to travel everything is a new learning, and you grow up in every step you make.

So, let me start again… My name is Carolina Palomeque, I am 22, and I was born in Córdoba, the most beautiful city in Argentina (at least for me hahaha) This place is the place that I call my home. And it is going to be this way forever.

Mamá, Papá, Lu, Joaquín, Fede, amigas y amigos (ustedes saben a cuáles me refiero): gracias por apoyarme siempre y por hacer de Córdoba el lugar al cual siempre quiero regresar.  Les dedico mi segundo post!