Being born in Mexico and raised in the States has been an amazing blessing for me. I (like many others) was given the gift to learn from two countries; which opened many doors. This has ironically introduced me to some obstacles that had me second guess myself to this day. My biggest obstacle has been my ‘cultural identity’ and the way I define it. Most Americans never really saw me as 100% American and most Mexicans never viewed me as 100% Mexican. My love for travel and the arts made me feel like I am a bit of everything, thus considering myself as globally made.
I always knew I had a home, but somehow it felt like it was split into half. This half has (since then) been divided into many fragments. The desire to discover myself lead to a lifelong entanglement of what life has in store for me. Perhaps, being raised by two worlds left me with the yearning to not only find myself but to uncover more of this world. A year-long world backpacking sabbatical and then settling back into my hometown of Santa Barbara, brought me to where I now live, Switzerland.
This journey lead me to the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with my dear friend Kara Pearson for Styled by Kara. I am honored to have the chance to express some of my life, love and self-love experiences in a platform that spreads positivity and innovation. I believe that the best form of catharsis (for myself) is conveying my trials and tribulations in an artistic way; which brought about the concept “Letters from Marlene”. This is my way of sharing my encapsulated stories turned into short poems in my journey to self-discovery in ‘all things life’. I will also be sharing mood images of my current ‘vibes’ here in Switzerland along with future travels.
I would like to leave this post by pointing out that everyone has a unique chapter in their lives when the story might change for better or for worse. Regardless of how the page turns, it is the experience and the willingness to move forward that matters. Although this is much easier said than done, it has been a lesson I have had to learn throughout my life and continue to learn day by day. My growing ability to manage these learning curves in my life would not have been possible without sh** hitting the fan (a.k.a life), family, friendships, and my curiosity to learn from other cultures around the world. My wish is that “Letters from Marlene” can somehow help communicate the many things we as humans have in common.