I didn't think it would be for so long

Hello to everyone in this community. I recently discovered this place and thought it would be great to stop by for a drink and share my thoughts on life's changes. My name is Anthony. So, bartender, please pour me a drink and have a seat; I have something to tell you.

Many years ago, back in 2018, after graduating with a degree in Computer Engineering in Venezuela, I migrated to Colombia due to a rather difficult situation that I think everyone is already aware of. I'm part of the Venezuelan exodus that left their country in search of a better future. But the curious thing isn't that; it's that I remember telling my friends, shortly before migrating, that I would only be in Colombia for a while; maybe two or three years, that I would work and return with money to settle back in my country. It all seemed so simple. The truth is that today, exactly this October 21st, marks eight years of living in Colombia. Life simply took a different turn.

Often our plans are built on unrealistic ideas without us even realizing it. Today, so many memories of my family, whom I haven't seen in years, are flooding my mind. Even my beloved grandmother passed away while I was here, and that was a devastating blow. The truth is, life is like a carousel: today you're here, and tomorrow you don't know where you'll be. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, my plans were to return with money, buy a house, start a business... How naive my hopes were, to say the least.

But today, after reflecting on all of this, I've learned that everything must happen in its own time. I've not only been in Colombia for almost eight years now, but I also own a house that my wife and I built together. My daughter, my beautiful Anthonella, was born here. I've learned so much, and I was fortunate enough to find a job just a month after arriving in the country, at a company where I still work today. My financial situation isn't the best, but we never lack food or the basic necessities. What more could I ask for?

But behind all of that, there's also that small emptiness left by not being able to see your loved ones, not being able to hug your mother and having to settle for a video call, missing family celebrations, or sometimes receiving bad news without being able to do anything about it. It's a frustrating, unsettling, and distressing feeling, with the hope that, in the blink of an eye, everything will go back to normal. And this isn't just my reality; it's the reality of millions of people who travel the world in search of a better future.