Where are you from?

*With my grandparents in Santos, Brazil*

*A brief encounter with my cousin Bruno in the Sao Paulo airport as he arrived home from Australia the same day I left Brazil. Another cousin arrived back in Brazil after spending the last few weeks in Paraguay just as I was boarding my flight*

* With my cousin Shaila at the Great Wall in Beijing*

The last few weeks of traveling and visiting my family have been such a blessing! I have a very international family which has its perks, but it also means that I only see most of my relatives once every two or three years.

While I was in Shanghai visiting my cousin Shaila a young expat boy who was about four or five years old came up to me after he saw me at a few different stores in the international area of the city and we had the following conversation.

Boy: Where are you from?
Me: I'm from Brazil (the answer I gave when in Shanghai with my cousin).
Boy: We have friends from Brazil and you don't sound like them.
Me: I was raised in the United States.
Boy: So you live in Shanghai now also!
Me: No, I actually live in Africa.
Boy: Then why are you in Shanghai?
Me: My cousin lives here.
Boy: Is she Chinese?
Me: No, she is Brazilian, but she was raised in Austria.
Boy: So you are like me! I have to go pick new shoes, bye!

I never found out where he was from before he ran off to catch up with his parents and buy new shoes, but from his accent he was probably from northern Europe. In five minutes I heard him speak three different languages. Where are you from can be a difficult question. =)

Today I am so thankful for my family! I am thankful for my cousins and the way all of our very different international experiences and upbringings bring us together as third culture kids.