I loved reading this article because I felt you were telling a very similar story to my own. I was born in Buenos Aires but moved to Los Angeles when I was 3. My grandparents on both sides travelled on a boat to get to Argentina from Europe and from the U.S.

Most of my family is now in Argentina, with my nuclear family being the only ones that ventured out to the U.S. Those who are not in Argentina are people who remained in their original countries, or countries along the way to Argentina: Bulgaria, France, the U.S.

Thanks for sharing this story, it made me happy to see someone with a very similar background!

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel back to Argentina every couple of years starting when I was 17 until I decided to study abroad in Buenos Aires and really reconnect with my family instead of visiting just a couple of weeks every two years or so. It was an amazing experience and I now consider Buenos Aires my other home, whose street names and corner cafés I vividly remember.

Cheers and good luck on your travels!

Thanks so much for including this piece in your holiday round up!

I love hearing about family histories. It’s so fascinating to find out the twists and turns of someone’s life. I was spellbound for an hour when one of my husband’s relatives was telling stories of the family origins in Italy.

Good for you for appreciating and visiting your grandmother! I wish I could see one of my grandparents but they died years ago. Time goes faster than you expect.

@Emily: She is a pretty special grandma!