Category: en inglés

Ovidio Oltra Alonso – Raquel Valero

Ovidio Oltra Alonso – Raquel Valero
My uncle, Ovidio Oltra Alonso, went on the Winnipeg. My grandparents, my other uncle and his family went to Chile in the late 40s. My family and I went in the late 50s — I was still very young at the time. One of my brothers was born there. Although I was born in Spain, I still carry Chile in my heart and it was hard for me to adapt here. Since I grew up in Santiago, I’m not sure exactly where I’m from, but maybe it doesn’t matter. After all this time, I settled in Valencia. This is where I studied, where my children and grandchildren were born; but I know that if Chile could somehow move closer to where I live now, I would be happier for it. Thanks to the Winnipeg and to my uncle’s journey (my mother’s older brother), I went to Chile and was able to enjoy this beautiful country, but dictatorships have left their mark on my life…

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Exiled – Raquel Valero

Where am I from? Exiled – Raquel Valero
I think that all of us who write here we share, one way or another, a common past or common roots. It wasn’t until the beginning of this century that I started looking for mine. One of the most important steps in that direction was my trip to Chile in 2003. I then wondered “where am I exiled from?” Since I was born in Spain, you would think that I would be Spanish… Yet, for many years, I longed and ached for Chile. I’m now well settled here, especially in Valencia, where my family always wished to return and for which I always felt a pang of nostalgia; yet I still can’t tell where I’m from. Maybe, as Sylvia said, I’m half from Santiago and half from Valencia. I always say that I am “Chilean-Valencian”, because Spain feels further away, perhaps because of politics and because of this flag that I did not know, and still do not know today.

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