Where It All Started

On my father's side, Abuela María Jesús came from the agricultural valley of Majes, Arequipa, and Abuelo Sergio Raúl from the coastal town of Camaná. On my mother's side, Mamá Giya (Alcira Victoria López Ruiz) came from the mountains of Rodríguez de Mendoza, Amazonas, and Papaqueno (Eugenio Astocondor Salazar) from the highlands of Canta. All four made the same journey to Lima, driven by the same hope: to give their children something better.

Because of their sacrifice, my entire generation was born and raised in Lima. Limeños at heart but carrying the heritage of Arequipa, Amazonas, and Canta in everything we are.

Coming to America

That same spirit lived on in us. When the opportunity came to start a new life in the United States, our family took it. We came looking for a better future and this country gave us exactly that. I am proud to be an American. Not in a way that erases where I come from but in a way that adds to it. Being Peruvian and American at the same time means carrying two worlds inside you and knowing how to honor both.

A Family That Found Spain

What started with one person making the move to Spain eventually became something much bigger. More family followed and most of them never came back. Today more of my generation lives in Spain than in Peru. They are citizens now with careers, friendships and lives built from the ground up in a country they chose. The pull toward something new is not a new feeling in this family. Our grandparents felt it too.

Three Countries, One Family

Our roots are in Peru. Part of us grew in the United States. And a big part of us blossomed in Spain. Family is everything to me and most of my family is now there. Who knows, maybe one day I will retire somewhere in Europe and close that circle. Life has surprised me before.