I was born in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela. A city shaped by a bright sun, warm sand, and the smell of the Caribbean Sea. A place where everybody liked to vacation. But for me, it was home. Nothing seemed out of place.
Venezuelan drums refer to a traditional music and dance practice centered on percussion and bodily movement.
My father’s family was Venezuelan, while my mother’s family was Italian. So my usual menu depended on which grandmother I was visiting.
My dinner table always looked different. I was constantly surrounded by a diversity of smells and flavours.
It felt normal.
It felt like home.
I never questioned any of it.
Empanadas
Venezuelan empanadas are a traditional Venezuelan dish. They are eaten very often, especially for breakfast.
Ingredients:
Pre-cooked corn flour (Harina P.A.N.)
Water
Salt (Optionally)
A small amount of wheat flour to improve texture
Filling: cheese, shredded beef, chicken, fish, etc.
Oil (for frying)
Pasta e fagioli
Pasta e fagioli is a traditional Italian comfort dish. It started as a humble meal made with simple ingredients, and every family prepares it differently.
Ingredients:
Short pasta
Beans
Garlic
Onion
Olive oil
Tomato (tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes)
Water or vegetable broth
Salt
Arepa
An arepa is a traditional Venezuelan corn flatbread eaten daily, especially for breakfast.
Ingredients:
Pre-cooked corn flour
Water
Salt
Oil or butter (Optional)
Pizza
Pizza is a world-famous Italian dish made of flat dough, topped with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients, then baked.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour
Water
Yeast
Salt
Olive oil
Tomato sauce
Cheese (usually mozzarella)
My dinner table always looked different. I was constantly surrounded by a diversity of smells and flavours.
It felt normal.
It felt like home.
I never questioned any of it.
Empanadas
Venezuelan empanadas are a traditional Venezuelan dish. They are eaten very often, especially for breakfast.
Ingredients:
Pre-cooked corn flour (Harina P.A.N.)
Water
Salt (Optionally)
A small amount of wheat flour to improve texture
Filling: cheese, shredded beef, chicken, fish, etc.
Oil (for frying)
My dinner table always looked different. I was constantly surrounded by a diversity of smells and flavours.
It felt normal.
It felt like home.
I never questioned any of it.
Empanadas
Venezuelan empanadas are a traditional Venezuelan dish. They are eaten very often, especially for breakfast.
Ingredients:
Pre-cooked corn flour (Harina P.A.N.)
Water
Salt (Optionally)
A small amount of wheat flour to improve texture
Filling: cheese, shredded beef, chicken, fish, etc.
Oil (for frying)
“Why do you pretend
you are Italian
when you are not?”
“Oh sure, you love to brag
about your Italian side.”
For other children, these differences were noticeable. And as you start sharing experiences with others, you realize they do not relate to yours. And your experiences may not even be validated by others just because they are different.
“Don't be silly.”
It’s not that you want to brag about being Italian, Spanish, or any other nationality. It is not that you do not want to belong. It is that others expect you to choose. And even when you do, they may not approve the cultural identity you choose.
This is when you begin to wonder if somewhere else might feel more like home.
In 1952, letters symbolize migration, communication, and the emotional ties migrants maintained across borders.
After the Second World War, my great-grandparents left Italy and moved to Venezuela in search of a better life.
Years later, history repeated itself. Without knowing how to pack an entire culture or a lifetime of memories, my mother, my brother, and I had to leave Venezuela due to a poor quality of life. We moved to Italy, once again, in search of a better life.
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For many Venezuelans, Cruz-Diez’s work at Maiquetía Airport came to symbolize departure, uncertainty, and the beginning of long, often irreversible migration journeys.
Being partly Italian, you might think this is the moment where you are finally fully welcomed. After all, we are Italian citizens. Legally and by blood. But what is written on your passport rarely matters to people.
It does not matter how much you try to adapt
It does not matter how well you speak the language
This is what is like to be a third culture kid. Third Culture Kids are individuals who grow up between two or more cultures, forming a sense of belonging that is not fully tied to any single one.
This is what is like to be a third culture kid. Third Culture Kids are individuals who grow up between two or more cultures, forming a sense of belonging that is not fully tied to any single one.
To others, this does not mean belonging to two places. It means not fully belonging anywhere.
But the problem is not living between two or more cultures. The problem is being categorized as “half and half.”
To others this means
Even after trying for a long time, I was still not able to fit in this new culture that I thought could feel like home at some point. This is when going back felt like the solution to my identity conflict. It felt like the only way to fully belong again. But what I found when I returned, is not what I expected.
By the time you go back, you have already changed too much. Sometimes, you do not even need to return to realize it. Just through contact with old friends or family who stayed behind, you notice that you no longer think the same way. You no longer share the same habits.
This is when you start to feel truly
in-between worlds.
Adapting to a country whose culture is now part of your new identity.
While remaining attached
to your roots.
You may try forever to perfectly fit into one world.
But you can’t deny that they both make part of you.
Every culture is made of different
and all of them can live within us
Our experiences shape us. And every part is just as important and just as valid.
We are not black and white individuals
You do not need to pretend. You do not need to choose sides.You belong to more than one place. And that realization sets you free from the idea that you must perfectly fit into a single world that others expect you to choose.
After travelling the world and meeting new people along the way, you realize that it is not just culture or the blood that flows through your veins that defines who you are. It is the experiences, memories, and people that shape your identity. Experiences that can come from anywhere...
To the country of your ancestors
From the country you were born in
To the place you now call home
From the country you were born in
To the country of your ancestors
To the country you now call home
After travelling the world and meeting new people along the way, you realize that it is not just culture or the blood that flows through your veins that defines who you are. It is the experiences, memories, and people that shape your identity. Experiences that can come from anywhere...
Our experiences shape us. And every part is just as important and just as valid.
We are not black and white individuals
Every culture is made of different
and all of them can live within us
You do not need to pretend. You do not need to choose sides.You belong to more than one place. And that realization sets you free from the idea that you must perfectly fit into a single world that others expect you to choose.
From the country you were born in
To the country of your ancestors
To the place you now call home
You realize that our hearts are big enough to hold space for every new country and every part of our identity.
But this is not just my story...
This is the story of many people whose voices only ask to be heard and validated instead of questioned.
We do not belong to only one culture or one world, our identity goes beyond that.
