I was born to a Portuguese father and to a west African mum. At the time, we lived in Portugal for a while, between life in Lisbon and to the lovely island of Madeira. Nowadays, Madeira is famous because of my fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal is amazing, always sunny, however sometimes the scorching sun can be unbearable especially during the summer season. Portugal possesses lovely beaches and possesses a rich history.

During the 15th century, Portuguese explorers went on to explore the world. My father would do the same, travelling far wide from Brazil to Africa. In fact, that is where he met my mum, in Guinea-Bissau during the late 70s.

What proved to be challenging for my parents was the fact Portugal colonised Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea-Bissau were independent from Portugal only from 1974. My parent’s union was not met with approval from my mother’s family. So together, they decided to move to Portugal. Another problem was that my grandmother (my father’s mother) was racist and never approved of the relationship either.

It seems, both my grandfathers fought during the war of independence, my paternal grandfather representing Portugal while my maternal grandfather fighting for independence of Guinea-Bissau. At the time, my parents did not even meet therefore my grandfathers didn’t know each other. If they did, I doubt it would have made a difference.  However, I feel it is worth pointing as I am a mixed raced, I cannot deny both my origins. I represent both, black and white.

My paternal grandmother, despite her racist views towards my mum, loved me so much and looked after me sometimes too. I was the centre of attention and loved the spotlight. I was a ball of energy, never stopping. It is fair to say, I was also mischievous. Sadly, for my sister, who was born a year after me, I was always pranking her or unwittingly dragged her along my pranks towards others.
Despite my mischievous ways, life was rather good. You could say, I lived a carefree life. Unknown to me, my mother was desperate for a change. So my life would change forever as the prospect of leaving my beloved Portugal loomed.

Switzerland. When you hear the name of this country, you immediately associate it with beautiful mountains, mouth watering chocolate, cheese, lakes and the list goes on.
When I left Switzerland in 2001, I was adamant it was for the best. Despite the beauty this country has to offer, I wanted something new, I was looking for a new adventure. Switzerland is very peaceful compare to London. No doubts you can not compare the UK and Switzerland. They say the grass is not always greener on the other side. Also, you realise what you have when you lost it.
Despite all the ups and downs, I lived the best and worst memorable experiences in Switzerland, one of the world’s most beautiful country. After living in London for approximately 19 years, I do miss my home and desperately wish I could return. With children, who don’t speak the language, although they love visiting Switzerland, I quickly realised they won’t settle as formalities in Geneva, one of the world’s most expensive cities, are hard to process.
 If I was on my own, things would have been so different and I would have packed up already and returned home. It is so funny how I used to find Switzerland so boring, so quiet. I miss those qualities. No matter where I am right now, or where I will end up, Switzerland has been integral to me and I will always consider it my home.
I shall take you to the beginning before my mum decided for all of us to move to Switzerland, as I was born in Portugal and lived in West Africa for a couple of years before going to that amazing country some say is as beautiful as a postcard. Let the rollercoaster ride begin.