"Where I’m From," by Maxine A.

From traveling to Argentina as a baby

And meeting my family there

To them coming back here.

Each endless summer with my nana, tia, and prima,

Driving to coney island, taking the train to shops, or walking around my neighborhood

All leading back to my dads asado at the end of the day.

Spending warm summers where I grew up in brooklyn,

But speaking Spanish like I was really in Argentina.

I grew up reading spanish before fully learning how to read english,

Learning and joking with spanish phrases

“Boludo” and “carajo” being playfully thrown around in the house,

And always using “che” instead of “hey”, 

All instead of english

Ending every night calling to Argentina,

Waving to my family over the phone,

Talking like we were all together

To eventually growing up around the subway

And navigating manhattan myself

To eventually leading my family through the city

To which it all ended up leading back to Argentina with my family.

Landing in buenos aires,

Meeting up with old friends,

Then driving the dreadful 5 hours to Villa Gesell.

Meeting up with my nana, tias, tios, primos, and new family I had never met before.

Spending the days driving on the sand roads to the beach,

And walking back and around town back home

Always out past midnight with my cousins, roaming the neighborhood,

To come home at 2am

And waking up early again to go to the beach again, 

Or spending the day walking around shops and verdulerías

Ending every night with yet again, another asado,

Making Argentina my second home.