What it’s really like growing up in four different countries

All immigration stories are different and all of them have something that forged who we are.

My story started in Cuba when I was about two years old. My parents already lived there for four years and my mom was expecting me. She was going to give birth to me in Cuba until she realized that since the country was under dictatorship, it would be hard for me to leave the country when I turned 18. She took a flight to Marseille, France and gave birth to me there. After that, we went back to Cuba because my dad was being expatriated for his job and we lived there for the next two years. I was immersed in a mix of cultures in a Spanish-speaking world.

Cuba in 2008 when I went back

Cuba was the first step of my marvelous adventure.

Next stop: London, UK

After Cuba, my family and I moved to London. I was three and my big sister was six years old. I went to kindergarten there where I met my best friend through our parents. Even though I was very little, moving from Cuba to London was a drastic change. I went from living in a dictatorship governed by Fidel Castro to living in a Constitutional Monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II at the power. We lived there for three years.

My best friend from London, years later

Our next stop was France, close to Geneva, Switzerland.

I was six when I moved to the border between France and Switzerland and this is where I stayed the longest and built unforgettable memories. I stayed there eight years, until I was 14 years old. I met incredible people – I was settled and not ready to leave again, until one day… It was the end of May and my dad announced me that we were moving to the United States in August. I was devastated and I couldn’t believe it. I had to say goodbye to all the people that took an immense place in my heart in less than three weeks. It was one of the hardest goodbyes I’ve ever had to do in my life.

“Jet d’Eau” in Geneva

Mid August and I was already in Houston, TX, to start my sophomore year of high school.

I dreaded this day. As I walked into my new high school, Awty International School, I was petrified. I was part of the French section, which permitted me to still follow the French education path. I didn’t know a word of English, which wasn’t ideal, as you can imagine. After one year, two year, I made my way through highs and lows and my English was improving, a lot. My friends and I would make fun of the first time I started speaking English. Junior year of high school I was set on going back to Europe for college and one day I decided that I wanted to stay in America. I took my SAT, my TOEFL and wrote all my college essays. At first all I wanted was to live in a big city since I moved a lot and was only used to big cities but then I realized that it would be a mistake. I took my courage in two hands and decided that I wanted to get out of my comfortable zone and get the full college American experience. This is when I accepted my offer to go to Penn State. It was the best decision I could’ve ever taken.

Prom 2014 in Houston, TX

Now: State College, PA

As of for now, I don’t know where I’ll end up after college. My big sister is now 22 working in London and my family lives in Houston. Miles apart but close at heart.

Looking back, it was definitely hard to always leave the new people I met in each new place but I couldn’t be more thankful that I got to learn English, discover all those beautiful places and different cultures, because it is part of who I am. Keeping contact with the people I met through my adventure was hard but I still talk to them once in a while and will never forget the memories I shared with them. To all the people who crossed my path at anytime, I just want to say thank you because it wouldn’t have been the same without you.