Santiago | Fernhill, Otago

“So in Colombia where I’m from, we used to help poor people. So, we’d just go to all these companies to see if they can give food to us, and we’d just go and give to the people that were most in need.

We used to do it every year, but with different situations. The first year we did it with poor people. The second year, we did it with sick people. That changed my life, actually. Seeing someone that really needs help is something hard. It changes your mind, changes everything. So, I kept doing it when I lived in Colombia. I think helping people is something that everyone, if you can do it, when you have the possibility to do it, it’s good. It’s good for you. 

I think when you have a good life, when you can buy everything that you want – if you get something good, I think you have to return that to someone that’s in need, because they don’t have the choice to have a bad life, they have problems. It does make me feel that if I could have something good, I can give to any person, to a kid. Like, give a present to a kid when they don’t have the possibility to have one. Something inside of me says that, you know, like just do it. 

I grew up in Colombia. I had a really good life there. I always had everything that I wanted. Maybe it wasn’t the best one, but my parents tried to give me a good education, good life and everything, but in Colombia you have a lot of problems. When I got this opportunity to come here, I was studying there, but I stopped it because I didn’t like it very much. I just wanted to learn another language, another culture, and I got this opportunity so I just came here and I think it was one of my best decisions that I took. Of course, I miss my family. I miss everything there, but if you want to change something in your life, you don’t need to think about it, you just do it. So, I just did it and now I’m here.

I value my life and my family. Without my family – well I grew up always close to them so they’re my first thing. Always my family, the most important thing in my life. I think that’s my power to try to do everything that I want. For my family.”