Written by Nilaurys Garcia, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Canada
Imitating people and accents has been easy for me for as long as I can remember, and I don’t mean it by making fun or laughing at them, but by speaking like them after spending some time in a specific place or with certain people. Even though it was an involuntary response, and I was not aware of it, it was common to hear comments like, “You spent two weeks there, and you already think you’re from there,” or “You have no identity”. Add that to learning a new language, changing cities and later, countries, and you get a very interesting outcome.
When I first moved to Chile, adopting their accent was not a conscious decision but a defense mechanism. I am one of many people from Latin America who have decided to migrate to another country looking for better opportunities. The word “foreigner” can be used in various contexts, and one of them is a person that does not belong to the place where they are currently, and I felt this very definition when I moved to a new country where everything was different. I did not fit in because I did not relate to their food, culture, words, or traditions. It was a country I felt was too cold because of the four seasons, and it simply was not home.
I sometimes wondered if that’s how the Israelites felt every time they had to move from one place to another as a nation; maybe they also missed home. But one thing I can say, my story did not end at that homesick and sad stage; it was when I met my wonderful spiritual family. A father and mother that opened not only their hearts but the doors to their home, sisters that went through my closet as if it was their own and whose hugs were always there when I needed them the most. And that was how, through love, I started to feel part of the new place and acquired their traditions. The conversations after lunch were never too long, and there were never too many get-togethers for a barbecue, just because.
At this point, it was so easy to blend in, not only because of my accent, but because I understood their dynamics so well that unless somebody knew my story, they would have never guessed I had been born and raised in Venezuela. However, this was not enough to feel like I belonged. Years later, I understand why; I was looking for things in the wrong place. Neither people nor the church nor society could provide what only God can, an identity.
The song “This World is Not My Home” always felt like my motto; I am just passing through. Good thing this “I-don’t-belong” feeling took me straight to the arms of the One who is my everything, who gave me a new name and who does not worry where I came from or how I talked, for He knew me before I was born. You might relate to changing your traditions, your food or words, or maybe you had to leave your country and have already adapted to the new place, but sometimes miss what used to be home. You might also miss your old traditions, the music or even smells. All of these are part of who you are and makes you the wonderful person you are today. I want to remind you that neither your nationality nor where you physically are at, define you in God’s eyes or how precious as a person you are. Although you might feel like a stranger in your own home, please remember who you are in God; you are His daughter, you are loved, and you are His instrument wherever you are.
A couple of years after feeling like a foreigner and my identity crisis happened, I now live in a totally different country, speak Spanish like a Chilean and have Venezuelan arepas for breakfast, but the most important part is I remember that my identity comes from the One who gave me a new name, rescued me. I am His, and have decided to follow Him wherever He leads me… “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine.” (Is. 43:1 ERV). Every time people ask me where I am from, my answer is I am from Chile, but was born in Venezuela. Whatever your answer is, would you like to help me serve The Lord no matter where we are?
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