I rarely comment on videos. But this video felt really special to me -as a child of divorced parents, I never felt that I belonged to any side of my family. Maybe one day I’ll find the courage to seek out those family members of mine and build relationships with them. Find love and give love. Thank you Jo for sharing your story.
Hi Cai! I really understand you, just let me give you a humble advice, life is to short to keep waiting. As someone said: " If not now then, When? If you don't do it then, Who will? I send you all my blessings!
Hi Cai - I was just about to leave a similar comment. I'm a kid of divorced parents as well. I have a dad I haven't seen since I was 4 (so about 26 years). About two weeks ago a friend of his had the courage to let me know he was in the hospital. So I decided to call him. The last two weeks have been more fulfilling to me than years and years of my life. I feel like my world no longer has holes in it. He and I are almost exactly alike. It's worth it to take that chance, at least while you still have time. It's hard...but it's worth it.
Jo, as a Brazilian who went to high school in the US, I can say I feel you in so many levels. Before moving to Oregon, at age 15, I followed every step you and Damon took, watched every video, and aspired to live my life like you guys. Speaking English excited me, and traveling the world became a reachable dream. I moved there, and so much changed inside of me. I started realizing that trying to become like Americans was a force outside of me, a symptom of American imperialism. I felt like I had to diminish so much of me, so much of my expression and intensity to fit into American relationships. People admired me, but at the same time kept some distance. When I criticized the country in my classes, I could feel everyone's discomfort on my pores, even though 90% of my school was composed of liberals. From that, I started to realize how much Brazilian I was, and how amazing is this part of my identity. I didn't give a shit anymore if I would fit or not, and expressed more freely who I truly was. I realized how Americans are selling an individualistic culture to the world, showing how awesome and "modern" it is, through the massive entertainment industry, among so many other assertive ones. While the truth is that I had never seen so much depression, anxiety, loneliness, superficiality, paranoia and fear, like I did in the US. For the extroverted, communicative, profound and "touchy" personality of mine, it became almost impossible to stay there. Even my closest friends had a barrier. A barrier I could never cross. All relationships had a limit of expansion. Wow. So I went on a gap year after graduating, knowing I would never go back to live there. I followed your advices and travelled through Europe so cheaply, met amazing people, did a Yoga Teacher Training, and saw for myself a lifestyle I could take on for years. Traveler as a career. After three years far away from Brazil, I finally came back. So intense, so much culture shock. Right in the election month. It felt like a truck hit me. The Brazilian reality. Or the "Not European, nor North American" reality. The reality of the countries that until today are exploited and colonized. And traveling lost sense to me. The individualistic "I'm gonna live my best life traveling" lost space for the collectivist "Wow, I'm so privileged to chose to leave while my country is rotting under a fascist conservative movement". Which only took place because of Steve Bannon, Trump, and big American corporations who want to suck all of our goods, cheap labor, and wealth, destroying all kinds of social security policies and give us no chance to develop our own economy. And all of the sudden I can't watch your videos anymore, nor accompany a single "developed world" channel because this kind of entertainment doesn't make sense to me anymore. This is a personal phase. But I think you will definitely get me. I admire you and Damon a lot. And feel a strong connection to your values. I am so happy for you guys, I watched you grow and become so big. I know you guys never go really "political" in here, and that it's not the job you two developed. But you two are a bridge between the US and Brazil, and although things in the US are still relatively stable, and your content makes sense for a lot of people, it only makes sense for a very privileged minority here in Brazil. The circus is on fire. And we might go from an already crazy authoritarian government to a dictatorship. So please, I don't know if I'm asking something you don't feel like giving. But I would love to see your values and your story being applied to communicate what's going on over here, or even support and give voice to local movements. I feel like Americans don't understand 1% of what's going on here, and why so much of it has to do with American imperialism. That's why I'm writing this in English. My dream is that one day, the American working class realizes that US' capitalism seems to be fine for Americans only (even though very much exploited). And that it doesn't give two shits about democracy in any other country. Brazil as an example. The planet is coming to a ruin. And we need to talk about this. Us, the minor, dependent capitalism countries (the global south), are the first ones to ruin. And I beg you to explore this topic. As a Brazilian-American amazing woman. I recommend you to check "Tese Onze". Sabrina Fernandes' TH-cam channel. It's about political education. We need to get political asap, we need to develop class consciousness asap, and we need to organize our fight. I am counting on you, Jo. Estamos juntxs!
PERFEITO! Sou um brasileiro que está prestes a me mudar para o "norte" devido a caótica situação que se encontra nosso país. Já salvei o seu texto, para não correr o risco de esquecer quem sou e quais são os meus propósitos de vida. Obrigado!
@@chicooliveira432 É isso, irmão! Saiba teu propósito, e a caminhada será leve. Não se esqueça de levar contigo toda nossa história e nossas demandas pra fora. O "norte global" precisa sair desse mundo de conto de fadas e arcar com a miséria e a destruição global, que ele mesmo causou.
puts que foda ver um comentário que nem o seu por aqui.Eu parei de acompanhar esse tipo de conteúdo pela mesma maneira apesar de eu adorar o Damon e a Jo.São duas almas lindas.Mas é como você disse nao faz mais sentido pra mim... Mas ver a Jo se aproximando da realidade brasileira,da família e cultura puta merda,fiquei arrepiada assistindo esse video dela!!! E sim,Tese Onze é um dos melhores canais atualmente que discutem politica pautando a realidade brasileira e ação direta.Recomendo Tempero Drag também,os vídeos são mais leves(nao significa que sejam superficiais) e com uma linguagem bem acessível,é um bom começo pra entrar nessa jornada.
I’m from Ireland and I can’t imagine not being at the centre of my massive family all of the time, they’re 100% my rock. I think the reason Irish people tend to get on so well with Latin Americans and Southern Europeans etc is that unlike most anglophone countries we’re much more collective. This videos had so many gems in it and was so full of wisdom and truth! It was so lovely to see your family and it made me feel gratitude for my own ❤️
Jo, é incrível ver sua brasilidade mesmo tendo sido criada nos EUA! Eu sou brasileira, amo viajar e já morei fora um tempo, mas hoje prefiro estar em casa, no Brasil, e viajar por lazer, férias, aventura... porque nossa cultura é linda, e quando fico muito tempo longe sinto falta das pequenas coisas como abraços, beijinhos no rosto, informalidade entre amigos... enfim, essa cultura é parte de mim, e eu amo isso! 😍
"we have kids to thank all of those that came before us" -- this really hit hard. i haven't ever thought of having kids in this perspective. but what a better way to honour those who raised you by teaching what they taught you.. by passing on their legacy
I was born and raised here in the United States 🇺🇸 in CA but my parents immigrated here from Mexico 🇲🇽 when they were young. I 100% agree with the comment of that here in the USA we barely cook! It sucks because I always have wished to have been raised with that rich culture, that knowledge of being hands on or all those things my family just grew up learning and doing! Not just cooking wise but in many aspects! I have also never felt “American or Mexican enough”! Thank you for this video, you just confirmed on the trip I was planning on doing to go to Mexico in the next month or so for the holidays♥️ Keep spreading the light and love Jo✨ Been watching you and Damon for more then 4years now, thank you for everything!!
This hits home in so many way. I grew up in NY but my parents and family are from Colombia. I remember going to Colombia a handful of times as a child but lately I've been craving to go back and connect to my roots. Even though theres a lot of Colombian culture here in NY, I feel like something is missing. I haven't visited Colombia as an adult and want to go back explore the country and just connect. I've traveled to so many parts of the world and always thought Colombia will always be there. My mindset was always I'd rather see new places than vacation in Colombia but after seeing this video it just made me realize I'm missing that family connection as well.
Wanderlust Beauty Dreams I feel the same way with Jamaica. My parents sent me there a ton as a child when my great grandmother was still alive. When my parents went back 2 years ago and did a road trip around the whole country I felt very jealous. I live overseas so more expensive get there compared to flying from the US but I’m saving up so I can do a long trip there.
Wanderlust Beauty Dreams Please go! I love in the US as well but I have a few close friends that live in that beautiful country and if I could go anytime that I wanted to, I totally would!! Colombia is home to some of the sweetest most humble souls I’ve ever encounter! A beautiful culture 🇨🇴 I hope you do get to go ✨
achei a parte que vc falou de cozinhar com a sua avó incrível e me fez lembrar da minha que sempre disse q a cozinha é o coração da casa brasileira, sempre achei isso tão bonito
I’m Sri Lankan, but have lived my entire life in England - which, like the US is very individual based (not to say all of the British Isles are though, I can’t speak for the Irish, Scottish or the Welsh etc.) but my parents made it a point to bring me back to Sri Lanka every couple years so that we can get to know all of our relations (my great granddad had 3 wives [not at the same time] and 14 children - and they all had, like 2 or 3 kids, and then they all had 2 or 3 kids, so we have a LOT of family) and my siblings have even travelled across the country with friends, only staying at the houses of relatives. So I feel a deep connection with where I’m from, while still feeling deeply British, & I haven’t found any conflict with these two aspects. As long as I remember to set aside any pride (you know: “I was raised in the UK, blah blah blah”) then I can see I have relatives from all over the country.
Same! Sri Lankan/ Australian here. Sri Lanka culture is so incredibly family based and the concepts of deep generosity and hospitality even when not part of the family is beautiful. ❤
@@beyonceschild I feel like the USA can be too but not in the same 'collectivist' ways. In Sri Lankan culture it is common for grandparents to live with their sons/daughters and grandchildren. Leaving parents in a nursing home is uncommon and almost frowned upon. Children grow up around lots of family including elders. There's a greater readiness to cooperate with family members and extended kin on decisions affecting most aspects of life. The family supports the old; takes care of widows, never-married adults, and the disabled, assists during periods of unemployment, and provides security and a sense of support and togetherness.
I know this happened a long time ago and you are probably not going to see this but I am 17 and I just visited my family in puerto rico for the first time. My grandma is from there, by sisters have gone there, but it has been 16 years since our last reunion (which I was too young to remember).... We had such a similar experience!! I feel so connected to my cousins who I didn't even know existed, because we are just so similar! I was forced to think about capitalism and gained a lot of frustration towards my parents for never taking me. But this video just made me CRY because I feel you way too much!
as an immigrant kid I appreciate this vid SO MUCH. there’s so much to dive even deeper on: reconnecting with aunties/uncles/cousins as an adult, that weird tension that comes up sometimes bc you’re american and so many people want to build a life (or a business) here but cannot (and your fam back home thinks you’re rolling in the dough here in the states), spending time with elders and how special it is to pass on generational knowledge, understanding all the intersections of your identity a lil better the more time you spend with family :)
Jo has been on a higher frequency lately and I am here for this spiritual growth! We are growing and learning this 2019! Ridding ourselves of old narratives that do not help us grow and heal! 👏👏👏
Jo, eu tenho 70 anos e sou professora de matemática aposentada. Vivo e nasci no Brasil, mas meu pai veio da atual República Tcheca e minha mãe veio da Itália. Fomos criadas (eu e minha irmã) no amor e respeito pela terra onde nascemos. Alguns anos atrás, fomos a República Tcheca e a Itália conhecer os países de nossos pais. Eles não tyiveram a oportunidade de voltar à terra natal por causa da Guerra e porque não tinham dinheiro para tal. Você, com seu depoimento nos enche de orgulho de termos uma irmãzinha tão amorosa com seu país e com sua família. Parabéns!
Writing from Kenya. A cousin on mine moved to States about 25 years ago, married, had kids, and this year, over summer, was the first time he brought his wife and kids over to visit. We knew he was coming but didn't know he would bring the rest of the family over. Everyone's first encounter with them was amazing. Tight hugs, tears, love, more love, and to think we had only ever seen pictures of them! They came and blended in everywhere and with everyone, both in Nairobi and in the rural home where his parents live. If they don't get another chance to visit (because we all know how expensive traveling can be), they will never ever forget what home feels like.
Wow this is amazing I grew up with Jamaican immigrant parents and I’ve always felt a huge disconnect from my family in Jamaica. But this video has helped me to see that even though I feel so different from them, we really are so similar. I really loved how you said life is a balance. Traveling the world is awesome and life changing but it’s so important to recognize your core values and make them a bigger part of your life.💕
This is amazing. I’m half Brazilian. My dad is from Cabo Frío, Brazil, but we have family in Rio (a cidade). I’m going next year to meet more of that side and for a cousins wedding. I’m scared and nervous. But excited.
My mother is from Poland and my father is from New York and so all of my moms side of the family still lives in Poland. And going back, like you said, taking off our bracelets, rolling up our sleeves, making obiad, it is something that I’ll never forget. Or staying up and just talking until 11 pm and then listening to mass and saying our prayers at 11:30pm it is just so special to be able to share those moments and then go to bed peacefully and quietly. I feel like today’s world is so noisy that it is important to have quiet time and to really cherish those moments with our families.
I am African American and I think about this all the time. I actually began to pray to my ancestors because they went through so much with me in mind, without even knowing I would exist. Everything they did was with the hope that they could change the course of their families life and success. Family is so important, love without conditions.
I'm British but have an Irish grandma and I think the way she was brought up translated to how her kids were brought up and then to my generation. We do everything together, it's actually the best
Yessss girl, preach. Family (or chosen family) is everything. I feel like this is a perspective you gain with age when you widen your lens out from your own life and begin to see the bigger picture of humanity and your human experience on this planet. The relationships you have are the most important, most precious thing in life. Not money or material possessions or how many followers you have on Instagram. None of that is going to matter when you're on your deathbed and thinking about what you valued most in life. It's going to be the people. Sososo good to remind people of this at every opportunity. I admire you for using your platform to talk about this. Also, I've been traveling for over a year now (straight through, no breaks, no apartment, no roots) all over the world. Now that it's time to choose somewhere to settle down for a bit, I find myself in the exact same position as you: I want to be somewhere where I can easily get to family. I want to live somewhere where if someone is ill, it won't take my 25+ hours in a plane to get to them. I don't want to move back to where I grew up, but I do want to visit more than once a year. So I feel you on that as well.
wow your grandmother's wisdom on having kids... never thought about it that way, it's really making me question some of my opinions. thank you for this!
I'm African-American, and your story about sitting in the kitchen cooking with your grandmother made me smile, it reminded me of doing the same with my mom, my aunts, and cousins. Somethings never change, eve across the diaspora.
Jo, para você uma frase de Carlos Drummond de Andrade "Ser Feliz sem MOTIVO, é a mais autêntica forma de FELICIDADE. E percebo isso em você. Felicidades...
I went back to Italy when i turned 18 on my own to see my family. I hadn’t been back since I had spent a summer when I was 5. That feeling of family, it’s in your bones. Once I saw them again, all I had were tears of joy. I could feel it in my core that I was linked in blood to these people. Seeing them again, spending evenings talking, laughing, eating didnt come near the discussions we had been having in social media all these years. When I came back I felt it was a responsibility I had to carry on certain traditions as well as the language which I had never been taught. It truely put things in perspective and gave me a new found sense of identity I had been missing.
this really hit home. i moved to new zealand from guatemala when i was 5. i've always felt completely separate from all my relatives back home because in nz, it is just me and my immediate family and its really tricky to go back. Its nice to hear from someone who experienced that same thing but has found a way to reconnect.
I was born in Brazil but raised in a different country as well. Last summer I met my Brazilian family for the first time. Even though our stories are different I totally relate. Living the offline world now and going to live in Brazil next year for a long time. Thank you for sharing bjs
0:05 - 0:13 is maybe the happiest thing I’ve ever seen!!! Seeing this after the vid of your mom talking about immigrating is just so emotional!!! You have me feeling feelings! Nós te amamos Jo!
I relate and identify to this video. As somebody who was born in Mexico but have been living in the USA for over 10 years yet most of my family is in Mexico, it is hard growing up away from the culture and experiences you’ve had in your home country. Yes, my home is here but so is there, though sometimes I just want to go back (don’t get me wrong, I love the USA and I can’t complain, but family and the small things back in Mexico just gives me happiness). Like Jo said, the reunions on Sundays and being together talking about different things while here I’m just in a repetitive cycle. Every time I visit Mexico I just smile more and I feel more in connection with everything around me. Never forget your culture, language, and where you’re from.
This is such a special video to me. I grew up in Japan and I’m half Japanese, half American- both very individualist countries. My dad doesn’t have a good relationship with his family, so I’ve never had one of those big family gatherings here in Japan, and when we visit America once in a while, I feel like an outsider. I look different and I’m from a completely different culture, and I never really had the time to built a relationship with anyone but my grandparents. And the crazy thing is, just like Jo, just over a week ago we got the news that my grandma’s very ill. We’re going back in a few months. This video gives me hope that someday I might be able to have that family connection too. Or, that it’s ok to want to have it.
I can relate to this video a lot. I was born in the U.S., but my mother immigrated here from Guatemala. I grew up going every summer to visit family and it was honestly always the best time of my life. As money began to be tight and it was dependent on me to front the money for trips back home I began to go less and less because I wanted to see more of the world. & this is coming from a person who instead of having a typical Quincianera asked for a trip to Europe instead. In 2009 at 19 I visited my family and it wasn't until 2017 that I returned. It was sad to see everything that I missed and to hear my aunts and uncles embrace me and tell me how they may not be around when I decide to return. I promised that I wouldn't let time go by in this way again. It is ridiculous that we are forced to live with borders and separated from our families. There is so much more, but this is the longest comment ever. So just want to say thank you for your pure content.
GIRL! Are you like my soul sister or something?! I am ALSO from Connecticut, ALSO born in Brasil and ALSO just got back from a trip to Brasil to visit my family for the first time after 23 years. My mind is blown lol especially since you basically put took of my emotions and thoughts out of my head and into this video. Brasil is such a beautiful place and I think it’s culture is so deeply rooted in us that we can’t ever escape it. I now even see why growing up I couldn’t always relate to other people. I realized how here in the states, we spend so much time worrying about the future and work and money and success and what other people are doing... but in Brasil, everything is so pure, simple and loving. Life is just about human, personal connection and enjoying moments with people you love. And that’s what life should be about! I’m so happy you had a great time ♥️🇧🇷🙏🏼
I did this recently too, traveled to Oromia for 2 months and went to my mothers village for 2 weeks, and it was honestly like a homecoming. Stepping in the same places my ancestors stepped was a spiritual experience that I can't put into words. I'm so glad you had this experience and are sharing it because more people need to connect with their roots.
I've been thinking about this so much lately, and I was trying to explain it to a friend but couldn't piece all the things together out loud for some reason. I'd recently visited my family in Central America, and I found an album with really old pictures of so many family members. I'm close to my family there and have grown up in a more collective culture, yet I hadn't truly sat to think about how so much of who I am is due to them and their stories. "So many different people are responsible for creating me. I was just so fascinated by who those people were." That's exactly I thought when I saw the album, and I feel now more than ever how important it is and how happy it makes me to learn about all of those who came before me.Thank you so much for eloquently putting it into words. I absolutely loved this video
Jo, I don't think that you were "supposed" to or "should have" grown up in Brazil. Your mom brought you to the United States for a reason, she made a choice for her kids so Connecticut is where you were supposed to and should have grown up, that's what happened. Although, Brazil is still your home in so many ways.
I really wish that I could do the same=( My father exists out there in the world, with my brother. But they have made it so difficult to find them. My dad's side cut me off because I'm gay and they're super religious. I've learned that I have to create/choose my own family now
I am really sorry you have had to experience this. I hope one day we will live in a world where religion won't cloud people's judgement like this. You and thousands of other people do not deserve this kind of treatment. I hope you are surrounding yourself with a loving family you've chosen.
As a christian im very sorry that you have to go through this. Family is the most important thing despite how dysfunctional a lot of the families we were born in are. I pray one day that they will wake up and remember that and you can have a beautiful new beginning with them.
Jo, you are so eloquent. You managed to encapsulate the feelings of so many diaspora peoples. This struggle of juggling multiple identities and cultures is SO REAL. Transnational identity is REAL. So grateful for this video as a Ghanaian living and primarily raised in America.
beautiful. I have a small family and their american lol and small minded so i tend not to be as close with them. Thank god i have sisters and i want to start a new generation of family with them
By 6:48 i started crying. It’s almost 4am here in Seoul, South Korea. I missed my grandma’s 90th birthday because of visa regulations but I luckily facetimed her and she understood it was out of my power to see her this year. i luckily saw her last year on her birthday. i am american but my mother is mexican and i grew up in california. But i am lucky in that i was able to visit my grandparents in mexico every summer since i was a toddler. I also realize from this video that i still retain a lot of values that i didn’t realize why i felt so isolated from american society at times. I am fiercely independent but i guess one of my core values is family. I’m only 21 but i feel a deep responsibility to be there for my family. I don’t miss California but i miss mexico. And when i moved to korea earlier this year parts of it immediately reminded me of mexico, and i thought “so then what is home?” Home is my grandparent’s house in mexico, home is my grandmother’s cooking and walking around the town. Home is mexico where i have a million relatives and a bunch of summer memories hanging with cousins. But home is also going to baseball days with my dad and my mother’s voice speaking spanish to me asking a million questions. Home is my dad’s quiet english asking me how was my day but implying he wants to give me space. I guess home is where family is. Thank you Jo, this gave me a lot of peace. I will be visiting my grandmother next summer and i’m very much looking forward to it.
You are so blessed. My immediate family (mom, dad, brother, grandmothers) died. I spent over a year trying to find cousins, anybody & when I FINALLY found them I can't describe the happiness, can't express how I exhaled. I wasn't gonna be alone anymore...My kids weren't going to be alone! Only to have them shun me because I wasn't their religion. Hold on to your family. Embrace your past. Create NEW memories. My heart is so happy for you.
Thank you for making this video, Jo. In August, I went back home to the Republic of Congo for the first time to meet my family. I've moved around a bit growing up and I would always travel in college. The US never felt like a home base to me. I knew I was from Congo, but I didn't feel a connection. It wasn't until I landed in Brazzaville and walked out the airport that I said "I'm home." and truly meant it. I remember seeing my baby cousins and nearly crying (jk I cried) because I never got to see them grow up. I never was able to give them advice. I never played with them or got in trouble with them.Growing up in the states, it was just my parents and sisters so I never had the chance grow up and learn with my extended family. I connected with my family in France, but France is not my home. My french needs work lol, but I never got to learn lingala. This trip has encouraged me to practice more with my parents so I can pass on lingala to my children. This trip also gave me the opportunity to build a better connected with my culture and be comfortable in the skin I'm in. I know who I am. I have acquired land in my country and I will continue to go back home until the day I die. Thank you so much for this! :)
I am an Afro Latina born in America from a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father. I was raised in the Bronx but inside our home it was Cuba and Puerto Rico. My Cuban grandmother lived with me, my parents, my sister and my brother in a tiny project apartment in the South Bronx. Our house was happy, full of salsa music, Afro Cuban folklorico music and good food always cooking. My sister and me from the time we were 4 years old, cooked all our meals with my mother and my grandmother. Our living space was tiny but so clean you could eat off the floor, with us all scrubbing floors, walls like abuelita demanded. I left home at 20, receiving a scholarship to go to college in ltaly. I thought l wanted to be this high powered international lawyer. I got my degree in Rome but l also met the love of my life in school. We were married after l graduated. 13 years and four babies later, l lead a blissfully happy life. My family is everything to me, the international lawyer dream took a detour, working instead for an NGO, helping African migrants and raising my kids with the man of my dreams. l am essentially my grandmother, with a Master's degree. The most important thing to me is family, passing down traditions to my kids not $$$. I love the time l spend cooking with my kids, teaching them Cuban lullabys taught to me by my grandmother, songs passed down in our family. My grandmother was an old school black Cuban woman, a woman of high moral standards. She was a santera, who smoked cigars, believing in messages from ancestral dreams and she prayed reverently to African orishas like her great grandfather who was an African slave from Nigeria who lived to be 103. She always talked about our ancestors who came across the sea on slave ships. She said," canelita" All those people survive only through us. When I see my kids smiling little faces, watching their tiny hands helping me make Cuban bollitos, l smile, knowing that l continued my grandmother's life and all those other souls who came before me. Your wealth is your family. America makes us forget that truth. But life has no meaning without family. My children are my greatest accomplishment. They are my wealth.
I’m holding my tears right now. I’m also the one who stepped out of the box from a Brazilian family and culture try a better life in the US, but the difference is that the choice was mine, not my mom’s. It hurts me every day not being able to go back and reconnect with them. Even though I grew up in Brazil, my mom had such a hard life while growing up, that she eventually drifted away from that warmth of Brazilian big family reunion kind of thing, which consequently made me grow up having only her, my brother and grandparents as family. I feel you in so many ways, and feel really happy for you achieving the point where you realized and are willing to change it. Unfortunately I still don’t have the power to do the same, but you surely gave me some inspiration. Obrigada por compartilhar. ❤️
Aww Jo I got a little choked up watching this video because I related to it so much. I did a year long internship in Rio de Janeiro in 2017 and living in Brazil as a Black American woman taught me so much about appreciating the little things in life and taking time out for family. When I returned to the USA I took a whole month and visited my entire family. I realized those small moments with family you can never replace and are to be cherished at every opportunity. We’ve never met but I see so much of myself in you. You’re like my bff in my head lol. Keep doing your thing girl! Love this video 🤗
My background is Greek, but born and raised in Australia. We're very family oriented but with the hustle and bustle of work, uni and social life, it takes a tole on properly spending time with my grandparents. Seeing this made me rethink everything, put everything back to basics and I'm going to try so hard to make this all work.
I was literally just having this conversation with a coworker of mine. We talked about making wishes at 11:11 and I said I usually just say thank you, thank you for this day, thank you for giving me these opportunities, thank you to God, and thank you to my ancestors because of everything they did to get me to where I am. Obrigado por compartilhar Joana
I've been in a very similar mood. When I was little my mom and I moved a couple of provinces away and I just saw my dad's side of the family for the first time in 20 years because it's been too expensive to go back. It was amazing to go back, and the feelings. I spent a week outside almost the whole time, phones only used to check time, enjoying food, and conversations, and storytelling. I enjoyed seeing the bigger skies and stars at night. It was amazing. The culture in my home province is collective, they're farmers and they work together to provide for themselves the community and at one point to sell and share all over the world. I was raised in more individualistic settings as my mom's side is more individualistic. So I enjoy both parts, but now I have a home base to get back to. My mom is also from the same province as my dad, coming to the one we're in now was a dream of my grandfather's that he never lived. We are living it for him, but plan to go back home when the time is right.
Within the first 10 minutes of this video I paused it and called my grandmother. She lives right down the road, but I never just call her to call her. By the time we hung up she said I made her day so much better by calling, so thank you for reminding me the small things come first.
I’m Jamaican American but never felt very American. Mom (Afr-American) always had a very worldly outlook so my sister (& eventually my brother) grew up with listening to music of other cultures on a military base. My fam lives near our mom’s side of the family but they always get on our nerves so we don’t visit very often. Our Jamaican father was in the military & deployed often, so I don’t speak the language but I know the food well! Didn’t visit Jamaica until I was 18 and the time I had there was pretty good. I admire your outlook, Jo and I would like to visit my family there more often.
I can't begin to explain how close I will keep this video in the back of my thoughts for the rest of my life. Jo! Your words truly moved me because I myself am a traveller that's visited 9 countries on my part time job money this year as a way of coping and running away from my family. Your words have left such an impact on my life, and really made me think about what I prioritise. You're so right when you said "I'm not happy if I can't share my success with my family". Like damn, nobody has ever made me this emotional in years. Long story short, I've completely cut off my fathers side of the family, and in hand-sight have neglected my motherland all together for the last 3 years in fear of returning and confrontation. I'm now rethinking that decision and truly trying to think about what family actually *IS*. I never comment on videos, but the impact this has had on me, and I'm sure thousands of others will definitely start an internal conversation. Jo, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU. And please use your voice and share your wisdom in the form of these videos (in your own time ofcourse) because your words have power to make change. Sending all my love to you, and your loved ones, Tina.
This video could not have come at a more perfect time. I am living in South Korea right now and woke up today feeling the same sadness. I have everything I need here, but no one to share it with. I am a first-gen American, so often times I feel disconnected to my Haitian and Jamaican family and roots. The older I get, there more of a yearning there is to go back and see where I come from. This video gives me a push to do so. Thank you.
I'm from Canada, so I am from an individualist culture, but at the same time, my family has always been there for each other. We value unity and coming together to help each other, so I think I'm pretty balanced between the two. I feel very connected to my family, both extended and immediate, and also to my ancestors. I really enjoyed this video and I'm so glad that you've been able to reconnect with your family!
Jo....this is so beautiful.❤️ My father came to America to New York from Jamaica for work and met my mom, she got pregnant and they got married. 4 kids later and a dead beat dad. Yet, I still want to go to Jamaica and meet my other side of my family. I only saw my aunt when I was very little & I don’t remember her, I remember seeing my uncle helping my dad move out, I remember my 2 cousins when I was little. That’s it. My mom says my father side in Jamaica does voodoo, but I don’t think so...I just think she doesn’t want us to go and that we also do not have money. I am longing for my Jamaica heritage, when I was little and when he was there he made food and played songs that were Jamaican. I love that, I loved Jamaica pride day in Brooklyn, New York. I missed eat authentic beef patties. I miss my Jamaica heritage, I barley understand him because his accent is so thick. I do not speak to him because he isn’t in our life and stopped giving us money after my mom wanted a divorce and did not want tot work it out, they still haven’t. I am sad that as he is getting older, I am kinda sad that a man who raised me in and out and gave me happiness....but anger (not sadness surprisingly) is going tot fade away. My connection to Jamaica would be cut in a way. I know when I grow up and get money, first place I’m going on my own money is Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica.
Jo - you addressed 100% of what has always bugged me about American culture and also a little bit about your channel. All this "follow your dreams" and "be successful!" talk sounds nice until you think about the other side of that, of what you lose. Life always has opportunity costs (I'm an economist) and while you can't always count them numerically, you can still evaluate what you want in life. I'm happy that you found this truth for you and the message twitches at my heartstrings because you managed to put into conscise words what I've been figuring out throughout my 20s. The only downer is that I guess it means that your channel will be fundamentally changing now, as many have been feeling for a few months now. But you guys are real people and it's a pleasure and a privilege that we get to watch you evolve and grow.
Loved this video. I can absolutely relate. I am an American born to a Guatemalan mother and American father. My dad's side is an American anomaly because they are very much community oriented. I didn't grow up with my mother's family because they're mostly in Guate still. I wanted to know where and who I came from. So I moved to Guatemala and lived there for almost 2 years. It was an amazing experience being so close to my family. I learned a lot about myself and and where I come from. I also realized that I have to have both the community and the individuality in my life.
Giving you a round of applause! Everything you have said resonates with me. I left Venezuela when I was 4 and moved to Canada. Thank you for doing you and sharing your experience!
I moved away for school a couple months back and I can already tell that by having this space with my family, it allowed for more love to come in. I thought for the longest time that I was going to be cut off or cut myself off, and I tried to do that about 6 months ago. Our relationship is still complicated and I think it will always be, but its beautiful words like yours, Jo, that remind me that I am loved and that I do love my family. It's hard. And its draining some days, but I still care about them. Thank you for your beautiful soul.
I totally relate. I grew up in Australia from an English father and a Brazilian mother without cousins, aunts, uncles or grandparents. I have such tenuous connections to my relatives having seen them only once for each country 20 years ago. I started learning Portuguese at age 40. Hopefully I can travel soon. Tenho muito saudades. Preciso voltar logo. You are wise beyond your years Jo.
I understand the pain and struggle being apart from family, my family, me and my mom had immigrated to America my brothers and my father came too but they returned to Europe later on I had come to America at around 5 years old not understanding a damn word these people were saying and 7000 miles away from the rest of my family the only family I have is my mom. From a very young age I understood the importance of family and how it affects us as individual's no matter how small the family is or isnt even your biological family it's a connection that we all have with a group of crazy ass people. I remember each year going back to Lithuania and visiting for 2 months in the summer and cherishing the moments that I could connect with everyone that I miss so much and be able to build a separate life from the life in America. I'm currently still in the states but still retain the language culture my whole identity through my mom and the rest of my family we take family for granted espically at my age (im 16) but realize that they wont be around in a couple of decades. We all find or create our own family and it doesn't matter how it is it just is. Love you Damon and Jo and I hope everyone here learns to love oneself to love others and to remember not to take life as granted and to take chances when we need them the most.
Hi Jo! My name is Nicole, I’m Brazilian - born in Brazil and raised in Japan. My parents immigrated to Japan years and years ago. I have been living in Japan since I was 7, now I’m about to turn 22. I completely understand what you are saying in this video. I felt you! I really want to go back to Brazil someday to experience all those things that you mentioned in this video. 🇧🇷❤️Btw, eu amo os seus vídeos e os do Damon. Vocês são demais! Espero que um dia vocês venham conhecer o Japão.
I say A LOT that Brazil sucks, but the truth is that we're one of the few people who still got that warmth, you know? we make connections, we live for each other, we love, we vibrate in so many different energies, we care for one another, we empathize, we embrace everyone, we FEEL everyone, and feels so good to remember all this, remember where I come from, embrace my roots even though the actual situation of the country isn't the best, I still have hope, we never give up on faith neither on happiness, we are strong *quanto mais bate, mais forte a gente fica*
i’ve grown up in canada but my parents immigrated from poland before i was born. we make an effort as a family to fly out and see them every two years. it’s craxy to think what a different life this would be if they decided not to make such a huge decision of leaving their home land!
Although my experience is very different, I related to so much of this so deeply. I was born in England to English parents but moved to Portugal as a baby. I learned both languages at the same time and spent 11 years in Portuguese culture. I loved my life here. However, when I was 11, me and my mum moved back to England because my mum got sick and we couldn't afford to stay and had very little family here to support us. I then lived in England for 7 years, starting secondary school in a whole new culture. I loved my time in England but I never felt at home. So last year, I moved back to Portugal on my own. The thing is, Portuguese is no longer as easy for me and I have lost touch with the culture. I feel truly torn between the two and, as you said, I feel that I will always be Portuguese in England and English in Portugal. Wherever I am, I miss my family and my home. However, despite the struggles, it's a wonderful thing and I would not change it for anything. I am a mixture of the two cultures, of the two mindsets. It has given me a love of learning languages and of discovering, experiencing and gaining some simple understanding of other cultures. I am genuinely grateful to have this experience but that doesn't mean that it's always easy. Anyway, I never comment but I really felt this video and always love your content and think you are a wonderful person.
This video almost made me cry!!! I’ve only been to Mexico once when I was 13 and got to meet family. It’s been 10 years and I haven’t gone back because life is hectic. School , work , etc. My parents haven’t gone back either and it makes me genuinely so sad. I feel like we’ve lost roots there. I haven’t had the chance to build relationships with my family there. What happens when my parents pass? I will have basically no connections to my home land. It breaks my heart 😞
i started to feel like this when I began to interview my family for a project. I never realized it, but we're there for each other no matter what. When ever I feel alone, I can call up my family at anytime and talk to them. I only have 2 friends who are there for me sometimes, but my family is there for me all the time. I regret trying to burn those bridges with them in the past because of how they treated me. But now I realize why they do the things they do and that I should look past them trying to hurt me because they're just doing what they think is right. The only thing is now, I'm not really sure how to form a bond with them, because calling anyone makes me anxious. I'll figure it out though, and I know this project will change my relationship with them.
my family has always been my reference for everything, good and bad, but it's so good to have this group of people who know me and kind of accept me, who are so easy to talk to and there's so much no one understands but us. i feel like american culture and honestly, central and northern european culture, really ignore family ties to the point where a cousin is not someone you are close to at all, when to southeners and southern-hemisphere folks are super close to family. the grind culture even makes you alienate yourself from parents and siblings, so it doesn't surprise me that most ppl aren't at all close with their relatives. i hate being away from them. i hate missing the parties and the milestones. these people are all i have.
I kinda went through the same realizations when I went to visit my family in the Philippines this past summer. After not being in contact with them for such a long long time, it makes you realize how grateful you are to have a family to belong to, who support and love you (and vice versa) and even if we don't see each other everyday, we'll always be there for each other and carry our history throughout our lives
100% related to this and never thought about the copping mechanism part but it's so true... I came to the states at the age of 9 from Peru and I know that a lot of who I am today is part because of my peruvian culture and the way I was raised. It is a human need to feel like we belong somewhere and knowing that there is a place where you will always be welcomed is beautiful :3
This hit so hard, I’m Ecuadorian but for a big part of my life I was raised in the states. So the fact that someone put this into words is really helpful thank you.
This video resonated with me. My family is in Angola and Portugal but I grew up in the states. I don’t see my family often but when I do I feel at peace and at home in a place that isn’t “home”. I loved your video.
I can definitely relate to this as a Puerto Rican-American who grew up in NYC whose majority of my family lives in Puerto Rico. Yeah, waking up with the sound of roosters and chickens because my family lives in the countryside o campo plus hearing the coquis (tiny frogs) at night.
Mari seu relato. Para mim é um dos melhores vídeos que já acompanhei. Você está de parabéns por não só aceitar, como também acolher, respeitar e amar sua família (é parte de você). Você pertence a ela e essa família te pertence.
Thank Jo for this story. My mom was born in Brazil but was adopted and brought to the US. Semi-recently we found her biological family (she’s one of 12 children!). My dad is quite a bit older and all his family has passed away. I’ve felt the same way- no ties to extended family past my siblings and parents.Hopefully one day I can go to Brazil and meet my aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
Your Duality between your Western/Individualist and you Black Latin American Self is something most diasporic communities feel. Thank you for putting it into words 🥰
Your such an inspiration and so beautiful. This made me cry. 15 and alone with my best friend's family help through high school. My fam left to other countries and my brother was left in foster care. Were all strangers now years later. I met my grandma 4 times in my life before she passed but she didnt like me and hardly spoke to me because I am mixed with Spanish. I wish I was a factor in my families life. Its so hard doing more then a paycheck completely alone. 😢 i hope i get lucky like you and make a real friend who will not try to hurt me. Im actually looking into moving to Brasil for a simpler life.
I can definitely relate to many points that you make in this video. I’m the first generation (only child) that has been born in the United States and grew up here. Both of my parents are Angolan and so is the rest of my family. For most of my life most of my collective family lives in Angola and I’ve visited twice for a about a week when I was around 10 and 11 but I’m 16 now. I’ve realized from this video that I do kind of shut out the fact that I didn’t grow up with most of my family and it isn’t anyone’s fault but I need to be open to learning from them.
Oh God, I really know what you are feeling. My cousin has 5 yeas old and she leaves, now she is USA with my sister and her Dad, so, in the future maybe she will back for us. I so happy for you Jo.....Family is everything....
i kinda went through the same thing except my family was living in new york. it took my grandfather dying and my immediate family to go to his funeral to be reunited with cousins and aunts i didn’t even know existed.... also coming from an american lifestyle and living in brasil for a year i really found out what’s it’s like to live the sunday family dinner life. i grew to love my host grandma aunts uncles and cousins and it was so peculiar to me because i loved it but it was something i had always wanted
It's midnight here in Italy. I was watching this video and I started crying so hard that my mum came by to check me bc I never cry. Thank you Jo for this beatutiful, true and emotional video 💕
As a Brazilian who’s been living in America for 13 years I connect to this in so many ways. I miss Brazil so much 😭 the heart fulfillment we get from the simple interactions is simply incredible 💕
Both my parents and most their relatives were born and raised In Haiti 🇭🇹.The last time I went to Haiti was when I was a toddler, and I didn’t really think of how crazy that was until I got older. My whole life is influenced by my country and any ancestors back in Haiti. Even though the political / economic climate is tense rn, I will never stop loving where my family is from, and I can’t wait until I can go and really enjoy and soak in the rich history of Haiti and my family tree.
My family is hugely huge and I grew up very close to them but I feel so isolated, so disconected. I feel I don't belong and there are way more cons than pros (in my opinion). Me and my cousins were never allowed to say what we really think, to do what we really wanted to and that's sad because I miss my childhood so bad. That was the only time I thoroughly enjoyed being with my family. Looks like I grew up here in Brazil and turned out to be an American soul! Anyways, great video Jo!! You look stunning as always and so helpful... You've got me reflecting about every single thing about how I feel. Mad love from Brazil ♥️
This channel is so much more than just travel. It's so insightful to see that Jo misses family and realizes she needs/wants that in her life, despite achieving all she has. I'm touched.
“So many different people are responsible for creating me.”
I FELT that.
It takes a village!
Essa é a nossa brasileiraaaa
I rarely comment on videos. But this video felt really special to me -as a child of divorced parents, I never felt that I belonged to any side of my family. Maybe one day I’ll find the courage to seek out those family members of mine and build relationships with them. Find love and give love. Thank you Jo for sharing your story.
Hi Cai! I really understand you, just let me give you a humble advice, life is to short to keep waiting. As someone said: " If not now then, When? If you don't do it then, Who will? I send you all my blessings!
Hopefully when you do... it's a pleasant experience. I did last year and it was cool.
In Brazil divorce are extremely common
Hi Cai - I was just about to leave a similar comment. I'm a kid of divorced parents as well. I have a dad I haven't seen since I was 4 (so about 26 years). About two weeks ago a friend of his had the courage to let me know he was in the hospital. So I decided to call him. The last two weeks have been more fulfilling to me than years and years of my life. I feel like my world no longer has holes in it. He and I are almost exactly alike. It's worth it to take that chance, at least while you still have time. It's hard...but it's worth it.
just do it love
This is my favorite video of Jo’s in a long time. I loved it. I identify with it.
Thank you for the love!
DamonAndJo I love to watch videos of you and Damon talking. You’re both so intelligent, worldly, and insightful. 💛💛💛
Jo, as a Brazilian who went to high school in the US, I can say I feel you in so many levels. Before moving to Oregon, at age 15, I followed every step you and Damon took, watched every video, and aspired to live my life like you guys. Speaking English excited me, and traveling the world became a reachable dream. I moved there, and so much changed inside of me. I started realizing that trying to become like Americans was a force outside of me, a symptom of American imperialism. I felt like I had to diminish so much of me, so much of my expression and intensity to fit into American relationships. People admired me, but at the same time kept some distance. When I criticized the country in my classes, I could feel everyone's discomfort on my pores, even though 90% of my school was composed of liberals. From that, I started to realize how much Brazilian I was, and how amazing is this part of my identity. I didn't give a shit anymore if I would fit or not, and expressed more freely who I truly was. I realized how Americans are selling an individualistic culture to the world, showing how awesome and "modern" it is, through the massive entertainment industry, among so many other assertive ones. While the truth is that I had never seen so much depression, anxiety, loneliness, superficiality, paranoia and fear, like I did in the US. For the extroverted, communicative, profound and "touchy" personality of mine, it became almost impossible to stay there. Even my closest friends had a barrier. A barrier I could never cross. All relationships had a limit of expansion. Wow. So I went on a gap year after graduating, knowing I would never go back to live there. I followed your advices and travelled through Europe so cheaply, met amazing people, did a Yoga Teacher Training, and saw for myself a lifestyle I could take on for years. Traveler as a career. After three years far away from Brazil, I finally came back. So intense, so much culture shock. Right in the election month. It felt like a truck hit me. The Brazilian reality. Or the "Not European, nor North American" reality. The reality of the countries that until today are exploited and colonized. And traveling lost sense to me. The individualistic "I'm gonna live my best life traveling" lost space for the collectivist "Wow, I'm so privileged to chose to leave while my country is rotting under a fascist conservative movement". Which only took place because of Steve Bannon, Trump, and big American corporations who want to suck all of our goods, cheap labor, and wealth, destroying all kinds of social security policies and give us no chance to develop our own economy. And all of the sudden I can't watch your videos anymore, nor accompany a single "developed world" channel because this kind of entertainment doesn't make sense to me anymore. This is a personal phase. But I think you will definitely get me. I admire you and Damon a lot. And feel a strong connection to your values. I am so happy for you guys, I watched you grow and become so big. I know you guys never go really "political" in here, and that it's not the job you two developed. But you two are a bridge between the US and Brazil, and although things in the US are still relatively stable, and your content makes sense for a lot of people, it only makes sense for a very privileged minority here in Brazil. The circus is on fire. And we might go from an already crazy authoritarian government to a dictatorship. So please, I don't know if I'm asking something you don't feel like giving. But I would love to see your values and your story being applied to communicate what's going on over here, or even support and give voice to local movements. I feel like Americans don't understand 1% of what's going on here, and why so much of it has to do with American imperialism. That's why I'm writing this in English. My dream is that one day, the American working class realizes that US' capitalism seems to be fine for Americans only (even though very much exploited). And that it doesn't give two shits about democracy in any other country. Brazil as an example. The planet is coming to a ruin. And we need to talk about this. Us, the minor, dependent capitalism countries (the global south), are the first ones to ruin. And I beg you to explore this topic. As a Brazilian-American amazing woman. I recommend you to check "Tese Onze". Sabrina Fernandes' TH-cam channel. It's about political education. We need to get political asap, we need to develop class consciousness asap, and we need to organize our fight. I am counting on you, Jo. Estamos juntxs!
ai adorei
PERFEITO! Sou um brasileiro que está prestes a me mudar para o "norte" devido a caótica situação que se encontra nosso país. Já salvei o seu texto, para não correr o risco de esquecer quem sou e quais são os meus propósitos de vida. Obrigado!
@@chicooliveira432 É isso, irmão! Saiba teu propósito, e a caminhada será leve. Não se esqueça de levar contigo toda nossa história e nossas demandas pra fora. O "norte global" precisa sair desse mundo de conto de fadas e arcar com a miséria e a destruição global, que ele mesmo causou.
❤️👏🏼👏🏼
puts que foda ver um comentário que nem o seu por aqui.Eu parei de acompanhar esse tipo de conteúdo pela mesma maneira apesar de eu adorar o Damon e a Jo.São duas almas lindas.Mas é como você disse nao faz mais sentido pra mim... Mas ver a Jo se aproximando da realidade brasileira,da família e cultura puta merda,fiquei arrepiada assistindo esse video dela!!!
E sim,Tese Onze é um dos melhores canais atualmente que discutem politica pautando a realidade brasileira e ação direta.Recomendo Tempero Drag também,os vídeos são mais leves(nao significa que sejam superficiais) e com uma linguagem bem acessível,é um bom começo pra entrar nessa jornada.
I’m from Ireland and I can’t imagine not being at the centre of my massive family all of the time, they’re 100% my rock. I think the reason Irish people tend to get on so well with Latin Americans and Southern Europeans etc is that unlike most anglophone countries we’re much more collective. This videos had so many gems in it and was so full of wisdom and truth! It was so lovely to see your family and it made me feel gratitude for my own ❤️
Jo, é incrível ver sua brasilidade mesmo tendo sido criada nos EUA!
Eu sou brasileira, amo viajar e já morei fora um tempo, mas hoje prefiro estar em casa, no Brasil, e viajar por lazer, férias, aventura... porque nossa cultura é linda, e quando fico muito tempo longe sinto falta das pequenas coisas como abraços, beijinhos no rosto, informalidade entre amigos... enfim, essa cultura é parte de mim, e eu amo isso! 😍
The beauty just runs in the family! There’s 20+ people in the thumbnail and they’re all gorgeous!
"we have kids to thank all of those that came before us" -- this really hit hard. i haven't ever thought of having kids in this perspective. but what a better way to honour those who raised you by teaching what they taught you.. by passing on their legacy
To be honest there are better reasons not to have kids.
I was born and raised here in the United States 🇺🇸 in CA but my parents immigrated here from Mexico 🇲🇽 when they were young. I 100% agree with the comment of that here in the USA we barely cook! It sucks because I always have wished to have been raised with that rich culture, that knowledge of being hands on or all those things my family just grew up learning and doing! Not just cooking wise but in many aspects! I have also never felt “American or Mexican enough”! Thank you for this video, you just confirmed on the trip I was planning on doing to go to Mexico in the next month or so for the holidays♥️ Keep spreading the light and love Jo✨ Been watching you and Damon for more then 4years now, thank you for everything!!
This hits home in so many way. I grew up in NY but my parents and family are from Colombia. I remember going to Colombia a handful of times as a child but lately I've been craving to go back and connect to my roots. Even though theres a lot of Colombian culture here in NY, I feel like something is missing. I haven't visited Colombia as an adult and want to go back explore the country and just connect. I've traveled to so many parts of the world and always thought Colombia will always be there. My mindset was always I'd rather see new places than vacation in Colombia but after seeing this video it just made me realize I'm missing that family connection as well.
Wanderlust Beauty Dreams I feel the same way with Jamaica. My parents sent me there a ton as a child when my great grandmother was still alive. When my parents went back 2 years ago and did a road trip around the whole country I felt very jealous. I live overseas so more expensive get there compared to flying from the US but I’m saving up so I can do a long trip there.
Wanderlust Beauty Dreams Please go! I love in the US as well but I have a few close friends that live in that beautiful country and if I could go anytime that I wanted to, I totally would!! Colombia is home to some of the sweetest most humble souls I’ve ever encounter! A beautiful culture 🇨🇴 I hope you do get to go ✨
achei a parte que vc falou de cozinhar com a sua avó incrível e me fez lembrar da minha que sempre disse q a cozinha é o coração da casa brasileira, sempre achei isso tão bonito
I’m Sri Lankan, but have lived my entire life in England - which, like the US is very individual based (not to say all of the British Isles are though, I can’t speak for the Irish, Scottish or the Welsh etc.) but my parents made it a point to bring me back to Sri Lanka every couple years so that we can get to know all of our relations (my great granddad had 3 wives [not at the same time] and 14 children - and they all had, like 2 or 3 kids, and then they all had 2 or 3 kids, so we have a LOT of family) and my siblings have even travelled across the country with friends, only staying at the houses of relatives. So I feel a deep connection with where I’m from, while still feeling deeply British, & I haven’t found any conflict with these two aspects. As long as I remember to set aside any pride (you know: “I was raised in the UK, blah blah blah”) then I can see I have relatives from all over the country.
USA is family based too...
Samee! Sri Lankan / dutch here
Same! Sri Lankan/ Australian here. Sri Lanka culture is so incredibly family based and the concepts of deep generosity and hospitality even when not part of the family is beautiful. ❤
@@beyonceschild I feel like the USA can be too but not in the same 'collectivist' ways. In Sri Lankan culture it is common for grandparents to live with their sons/daughters and grandchildren. Leaving parents in a nursing home is uncommon and almost frowned upon. Children grow up around lots of family including elders. There's a greater readiness to cooperate with family members and extended kin on decisions affecting most aspects of life. The family supports the old; takes care of widows, never-married adults, and the disabled, assists during periods of unemployment, and provides security and a sense of support and togetherness.
“We have kids to thank those who came before us” holy shit immediate tears
I know this happened a long time ago and you are probably not going to see this but I am 17 and I just visited my family in puerto rico for the first time. My grandma is from there, by sisters have gone there, but it has been 16 years since our last reunion (which I was too young to remember).... We had such a similar experience!! I feel so connected to my cousins who I didn't even know existed, because we are just so similar! I was forced to think about capitalism and gained a lot of frustration towards my parents for never taking me. But this video just made me CRY because I feel you way too much!
This was so beautiful. I’m not Brazilian but I’m a somali and raised in London and I could understand this. This video made me tear up ❤️
as an immigrant kid I appreciate this vid SO MUCH. there’s so much to dive even deeper on: reconnecting with aunties/uncles/cousins as an adult, that weird tension that comes up sometimes bc you’re american and so many people want to build a life (or a business) here but cannot (and your fam back home thinks you’re rolling in the dough here in the states), spending time with elders and how special it is to pass on generational knowledge, understanding all the intersections of your identity a lil better the more time you spend with family :)
Jo has been on a higher frequency lately and I am here for this spiritual growth! We are growing and learning this 2019! Ridding ourselves of old narratives that do not help us grow and heal! 👏👏👏
I’m so glad I came to this TED Talk
I love these sit down intimate videos Jo!
Jo, eu tenho 70 anos e sou professora de matemática aposentada. Vivo e nasci no Brasil, mas meu pai veio da atual República Tcheca e minha mãe veio da Itália. Fomos criadas (eu e minha irmã) no amor e respeito pela terra onde nascemos. Alguns anos atrás, fomos a República Tcheca e a Itália conhecer os países de nossos pais. Eles não tyiveram a oportunidade de voltar à terra natal por causa da Guerra e porque não tinham dinheiro para tal. Você, com seu depoimento nos enche de orgulho de termos uma irmãzinha tão amorosa com seu país e com sua família. Parabéns!
“.. how crazy it is that so many different people are responsible for creating me.”
I really enjoyed this one. Thank you 💛👋🏽
Writing from Kenya. A cousin on mine moved to States about 25 years ago, married, had kids, and this year, over summer, was the first time he brought his wife and kids over to visit. We knew he was coming but didn't know he would bring the rest of the family over. Everyone's first encounter with them was amazing. Tight hugs, tears, love, more love, and to think we had only ever seen pictures of them! They came and blended in everywhere and with everyone, both in Nairobi and in the rural home where his parents live. If they don't get another chance to visit (because we all know how expensive traveling can be), they will never ever forget what home feels like.
Wow this is amazing I grew up with Jamaican immigrant parents and I’ve always felt a huge disconnect from my family in Jamaica. But this video has helped me to see that even though I feel so different from them, we really are so similar. I really loved how you said life is a balance. Traveling the world is awesome and life changing but it’s so important to recognize your core values and make them a bigger part of your life.💕
Omg this is literally me i am Jamaican too and what your saying is true
This is amazing. I’m half Brazilian. My dad is from Cabo Frío, Brazil, but we have family in Rio (a cidade). I’m going next year to meet more of that side and for a cousins wedding. I’m scared and nervous. But excited.
I hope you have a good time when you come here!!! 😄❤️
Cabo frio é lindoo
My mother is from Poland and my father is from New York and so all of my moms side of the family still lives in Poland. And going back, like you said, taking off our bracelets, rolling up our sleeves, making obiad, it is something that I’ll never forget. Or staying up and just talking until 11 pm and then listening to mass and saying our prayers at 11:30pm it is just so special to be able to share those moments and then go to bed peacefully and quietly. I feel like today’s world is so noisy that it is important to have quiet time and to really cherish those moments with our families.
não vejo meu avô paterno tem 13 anos, mandei mensagem pros meus tios agora mesmo, obrigada por isso
I need to reunite with my Brazilian family as well it’s been more than 12 years ..
I am African American and I think about this all the time. I actually began to pray to my ancestors because they went through so much with me in mind, without even knowing I would exist. Everything they did was with the hope that they could change the course of their families life and success. Family is so important, love without conditions.
I'm British but have an Irish grandma and I think the way she was brought up translated to how her kids were brought up and then to my generation. We do everything together, it's actually the best
Yessss girl, preach. Family (or chosen family) is everything. I feel like this is a perspective you gain with age when you widen your lens out from your own life and begin to see the bigger picture of humanity and your human experience on this planet. The relationships you have are the most important, most precious thing in life. Not money or material possessions or how many followers you have on Instagram. None of that is going to matter when you're on your deathbed and thinking about what you valued most in life. It's going to be the people. Sososo good to remind people of this at every opportunity. I admire you for using your platform to talk about this.
Also, I've been traveling for over a year now (straight through, no breaks, no apartment, no roots) all over the world. Now that it's time to choose somewhere to settle down for a bit, I find myself in the exact same position as you: I want to be somewhere where I can easily get to family. I want to live somewhere where if someone is ill, it won't take my 25+ hours in a plane to get to them. I don't want to move back to where I grew up, but I do want to visit more than once a year. So I feel you on that as well.
wow your grandmother's wisdom on having kids... never thought about it that way, it's really making me question some of my opinions. thank you for this!
I'm African-American, and your story about sitting in the kitchen cooking with your grandmother made me smile, it reminded me of doing the same with my mom, my aunts, and cousins. Somethings never change, eve across the diaspora.
Jo, para você uma frase de Carlos Drummond de Andrade "Ser Feliz sem MOTIVO, é a mais autêntica forma de FELICIDADE. E percebo isso em você. Felicidades...
Omg i Just move from Brasil I am living in Canada and I'm missing so much my family and Brazilian people culture
I love Brasil
I went back to Italy when i turned 18 on my own to see my family. I hadn’t been back since I had spent a summer when I was 5. That feeling of family, it’s in your bones. Once I saw them again, all I had were tears of joy. I could feel it in my core that I was linked in blood to these people. Seeing them again, spending evenings talking, laughing, eating didnt come near the discussions we had been having in social media all these years.
When I came back I felt it was a responsibility I had to carry on certain traditions as well as the language which I had never been taught. It truely put things in perspective and gave me a new found sense of identity I had been missing.
this really hit home. i moved to new zealand from guatemala when i was 5. i've always felt completely separate from all my relatives back home because in nz, it is just me and my immediate family and its really tricky to go back. Its nice to hear from someone who experienced that same thing but has found a way to reconnect.
I was born in Brazil but raised in a different country as well. Last summer I met my Brazilian family for the first time. Even though our stories are different I totally relate. Living the offline world now and going to live in Brazil next year for a long time. Thank you for sharing bjs
0:05 - 0:13 is maybe the happiest thing I’ve ever seen!!! Seeing this after the vid of your mom talking about immigrating is just so emotional!!!
You have me feeling feelings! Nós te amamos Jo!
you have such a beautiful mind ❤️ this kinda made me rethink my whole ass existence and im rly grateful. so happy for you!
Thank you for watching!
10:08 "because I'm unhappy if I have all of this success and have nobody to share it with"..👏👀👀
There's this Ed Sheeran lyric from the song The Man that goes: "success is nothing if you have no one there left to share it with"
I relate and identify to this video. As somebody who was born in Mexico but have been living in the USA for over 10 years yet most of my family is in Mexico, it is hard growing up away from the culture and experiences you’ve had in your home country. Yes, my home is here but so is there, though sometimes I just want to go back (don’t get me wrong, I love the USA and I can’t complain, but family and the small things back in Mexico just gives me happiness). Like Jo said, the reunions on Sundays and being together talking about different things while here I’m just in a repetitive cycle. Every time I visit Mexico I just smile more and I feel more in connection with everything around me. Never forget your culture, language, and where you’re from.
This is such a special video to me. I grew up in Japan and I’m half Japanese, half American- both very individualist countries. My dad doesn’t have a good relationship with his family, so I’ve never had one of those big family gatherings here in Japan, and when we visit America once in a while, I feel like an outsider. I look different and I’m from a completely different culture, and I never really had the time to built a relationship with anyone but my grandparents.
And the crazy thing is, just like Jo, just over a week ago we got the news that my grandma’s very ill. We’re going back in a few months. This video gives me hope that someday I might be able to have that family connection too. Or, that it’s ok to want to have it.
I can relate to this video a lot. I was born in the U.S., but my mother immigrated here from Guatemala. I grew up going every summer to visit family and it was honestly always the best time of my life. As money began to be tight and it was dependent on me to front the money for trips back home I began to go less and less because I wanted to see more of the world. & this is coming from a person who instead of having a typical Quincianera asked for a trip to Europe instead. In 2009 at 19 I visited my family and it wasn't until 2017 that I returned. It was sad to see everything that I missed and to hear my aunts and uncles embrace me and tell me how they may not be around when I decide to return. I promised that I wouldn't let time go by in this way again. It is ridiculous that we are forced to live with borders and separated from our families.
There is so much more, but this is the longest comment ever. So just want to say thank you for your pure content.
GIRL! Are you like my soul sister or something?! I am ALSO from Connecticut, ALSO born in Brasil and ALSO just got back from a trip to Brasil to visit my family for the first time after 23 years. My mind is blown lol especially since you basically put took of my emotions and thoughts out of my head and into this video. Brasil is such a beautiful place and I think it’s culture is so deeply rooted in us that we can’t ever escape it. I now even see why growing up I couldn’t always relate to other people. I realized how here in the states, we spend so much time worrying about the future and work and money and success and what other people are doing... but in Brasil, everything is so pure, simple and loving. Life is just about human, personal connection and enjoying moments with people you love. And that’s what life should be about! I’m so happy you had a great time ♥️🇧🇷🙏🏼
I did this recently too, traveled to Oromia for 2 months and went to my mothers village for 2 weeks, and it was honestly like a homecoming. Stepping in the same places my ancestors stepped was a spiritual experience that I can't put into words. I'm so glad you had this experience and are sharing it because more people need to connect with their roots.
I've been thinking about this so much lately, and I was trying to explain it to a friend but couldn't piece all the things together out loud for some reason. I'd recently visited my family in Central America, and I found an album with really old pictures of so many family members. I'm close to my family there and have grown up in a more collective culture, yet I hadn't truly sat to think about how so much of who I am is due to them and their stories. "So many different people are responsible for creating me. I was just so fascinated by who those people were." That's exactly I thought when I saw the album, and I feel now more than ever how important it is and how happy it makes me to learn about all of those who came before me.Thank you so much for eloquently putting it into words. I absolutely loved this video
Jo, I don't think that you were "supposed" to or "should have" grown up in Brazil. Your mom brought you to the United States for a reason, she made a choice for her kids so Connecticut is where you were supposed to and should have grown up, that's what happened. Although, Brazil is still your home in so many ways.
Beautifully said👏👏💕
Right!.🙌🏽👏🏽
I think that is implied. She should have grown in Brasil IF her mother hadn't choose to go to the US. Everything is a chain reaction.
I really wish that I could do the same=( My father exists out there in the world, with my brother. But they have made it so difficult to find them. My dad's side cut me off because I'm gay and they're super religious. I've learned that I have to create/choose my own family now
I am really sorry you have had to experience this. I hope one day we will live in a world where religion won't cloud people's judgement like this. You and thousands of other people do not deserve this kind of treatment. I hope you are surrounding yourself with a loving family you've chosen.
I am sorry!!! You can make friends and have a bigger family!!
A chosen family can be as special as your birth one. Hope you can be surrounded by people who love and respect you!
@@larissam.2299 True
As a christian im very sorry that you have to go through this. Family is the most important thing despite how dysfunctional a lot of the families we were born in are. I pray one day that they will wake up and remember that and you can have a beautiful new beginning with them.
Jo, you are so eloquent. You managed to encapsulate the feelings of so many diaspora peoples. This struggle of juggling multiple identities and cultures is SO REAL. Transnational identity is REAL. So grateful for this video as a Ghanaian living and primarily raised in America.
I can relate to this so deeply I actually ended up crying my eyes out while watching this. Thanks for sharing Jo!
Roberta Izzo same lmao
beautiful. I have a small family and their american lol and small minded so i tend not to be as close with them. Thank god i have sisters and i want to start a new generation of family with them
By 6:48 i started crying. It’s almost 4am here in Seoul, South Korea. I missed my grandma’s 90th birthday because of visa regulations but I luckily facetimed her and she understood it was out of my power to see her this year. i luckily saw her last year on her birthday. i am american but my mother is mexican and i grew up in california. But i am lucky in that i was able to visit my grandparents in mexico every summer since i was a toddler. I also realize from this video that i still retain a lot of values that i didn’t realize why i felt so isolated from american society at times. I am fiercely independent but i guess one of my core values is family. I’m only 21 but i feel a deep responsibility to be there for my family. I don’t miss California but i miss mexico. And when i moved to korea earlier this year parts of it immediately reminded me of mexico, and i thought “so then what is home?” Home is my grandparent’s house in mexico, home is my grandmother’s cooking and walking around the town. Home is mexico where i have a million relatives and a bunch of summer memories hanging with cousins. But home is also going to baseball days with my dad and my mother’s voice speaking spanish to me asking a million questions. Home is my dad’s quiet english asking me how was my day but implying he wants to give me space. I guess home is where family is. Thank you Jo, this gave me a lot of peace. I will be visiting my grandmother next summer and i’m very much looking forward to it.
You are so blessed. My immediate family (mom, dad, brother, grandmothers) died. I spent over a year trying to find cousins, anybody & when I FINALLY found them I can't describe the happiness, can't express how I exhaled. I wasn't gonna be alone anymore...My kids weren't going to be alone!
Only to have them shun me because I wasn't their religion.
Hold on to your family. Embrace your past. Create NEW memories.
My heart is so happy for you.
My heart goes out to you!
Thank you for making this video, Jo. In August, I went back home to the Republic of Congo for the first time to meet my family. I've moved around a bit growing up and I would always travel in college. The US never felt like a home base to me. I knew I was from Congo, but I didn't feel a connection. It wasn't until I landed in Brazzaville and walked out the airport that I said "I'm home." and truly meant it. I remember seeing my baby cousins and nearly crying (jk I cried) because I never got to see them grow up. I never was able to give them advice. I never played with them or got in trouble with them.Growing up in the states, it was just my parents and sisters so I never had the chance grow up and learn with my extended family. I connected with my family in France, but France is not my home. My french needs work lol, but I never got to learn lingala. This trip has encouraged me to practice more with my parents so I can pass on lingala to my children. This trip also gave me the opportunity to build a better connected with my culture and be comfortable in the skin I'm in. I know who I am. I have acquired land in my country and I will continue to go back home until the day I die. Thank you so much for this! :)
I am an Afro Latina born in America from a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father. I was raised in the Bronx but inside our home it was Cuba and Puerto Rico. My Cuban grandmother lived with me, my parents, my sister and my brother in a tiny project apartment in the South Bronx. Our house was happy, full of salsa music, Afro Cuban folklorico music and good food always cooking. My sister and me from the time we were 4 years old, cooked all our meals with my mother and my grandmother. Our living space was tiny but so clean you could eat off the floor, with us all scrubbing floors, walls like abuelita demanded. I left home at 20, receiving a scholarship to go to college in ltaly. I thought l wanted to be this high powered international lawyer. I got my degree in Rome but l also met the love of my life in school. We were married after l graduated. 13 years and four babies later, l lead a blissfully happy life. My family is everything to me, the international lawyer dream took a detour, working instead for an NGO, helping African migrants and raising my kids with the man of my dreams. l am essentially my grandmother, with a Master's degree. The most important thing to me is family, passing down traditions to my kids not $$$. I love the time l spend cooking with my kids, teaching them Cuban lullabys taught to me by my grandmother, songs passed down in our family. My grandmother was an old school black Cuban woman, a woman of high moral standards. She was a santera, who smoked cigars, believing in messages from ancestral dreams and she prayed reverently to African orishas like her great grandfather who was an African slave from Nigeria who lived to be 103. She always talked about our ancestors who came across the sea on slave ships. She said," canelita" All those people survive only through us. When I see my kids smiling little faces, watching their tiny hands helping me make Cuban bollitos, l smile, knowing that l continued my grandmother's life and all those other souls who came before me. Your wealth is your family. America makes us forget that truth. But life has no meaning without family. My children are my greatest accomplishment. They are my wealth.
I’m holding my tears right now. I’m also the one who stepped out of the box from a Brazilian family and culture try a better life in the US, but the difference is that the choice was mine, not my mom’s. It hurts me every day not being able to go back and reconnect with them. Even though I grew up in Brazil, my mom had such a hard life while growing up, that she eventually drifted away from that warmth of Brazilian big family reunion kind of thing, which consequently made me grow up having only her, my brother and grandparents as family. I feel you in so many ways, and feel really happy for you achieving the point where you realized and are willing to change it. Unfortunately I still don’t have the power to do the same, but you surely gave me some inspiration. Obrigada por compartilhar. ❤️
Aww Jo I got a little choked up watching this video because I related to it so much. I did a year long internship in Rio de Janeiro in 2017 and living in Brazil as a Black American woman taught me so much about appreciating the little things in life and taking time out for family. When I returned to the USA I took a whole month and visited my entire family. I realized those small moments with family you can never replace and are to be cherished at every opportunity. We’ve never met but I see so much of myself in you. You’re like my bff in my head lol. Keep doing your thing girl! Love this video 🤗
My background is Greek, but born and raised in Australia. We're very family oriented but with the hustle and bustle of work, uni and social life, it takes a tole on properly spending time with my grandparents. Seeing this made me rethink everything, put everything back to basics and I'm going to try so hard to make this all work.
I was literally just having this conversation with a coworker of mine. We talked about making wishes at 11:11 and I said I usually just say thank you, thank you for this day, thank you for giving me these opportunities, thank you to God, and thank you to my ancestors because of everything they did to get me to where I am. Obrigado por compartilhar Joana
jo, the way you have with words moves the deepest parts of my soul! thank you for this, truly!
I've been in a very similar mood. When I was little my mom and I moved a couple of provinces away and I just saw my dad's side of the family for the first time in 20 years because it's been too expensive to go back. It was amazing to go back, and the feelings. I spent a week outside almost the whole time, phones only used to check time, enjoying food, and conversations, and storytelling. I enjoyed seeing the bigger skies and stars at night. It was amazing.
The culture in my home province is collective, they're farmers and they work together to provide for themselves the community and at one point to sell and share all over the world. I was raised in more individualistic settings as my mom's side is more individualistic. So I enjoy both parts, but now I have a home base to get back to. My mom is also from the same province as my dad, coming to the one we're in now was a dream of my grandfather's that he never lived. We are living it for him, but plan to go back home when the time is right.
Within the first 10 minutes of this video I paused it and called my grandmother. She lives right down the road, but I never just call her to call her. By the time we hung up she said I made her day so much better by calling, so thank you for reminding me the small things come first.
I’m Jamaican American but never felt very American. Mom (Afr-American) always had a very worldly outlook so my sister (& eventually my brother) grew up with listening to music of other cultures on a military base. My fam lives near our mom’s side of the family but they always get on our nerves so we don’t visit very often.
Our Jamaican father was in the military & deployed often, so I don’t speak the language but I know the food well! Didn’t visit Jamaica until I was 18 and the time I had there was pretty good. I admire your outlook, Jo and I would like to visit my family there more often.
I can't begin to explain how close I will keep this video in the back of my thoughts for the rest of my life. Jo! Your words truly moved me because I myself am a traveller that's visited 9 countries on my part time job money this year as a way of coping and running away from my family. Your words have left such an impact on my life, and really made me think about what I prioritise. You're so right when you said "I'm not happy if I can't share my success with my family". Like damn, nobody has ever made me this emotional in years. Long story short, I've completely cut off my fathers side of the family, and in hand-sight have neglected my motherland all together for the last 3 years in fear of returning and confrontation. I'm now rethinking that decision and truly trying to think about what family actually *IS*.
I never comment on videos, but the impact this has had on me, and I'm sure thousands of others will definitely start an internal conversation. Jo, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU. And please use your voice and share your wisdom in the form of these videos (in your own time ofcourse) because your words have power to make change. Sending all my love to you, and your loved ones, Tina.
This video could not have come at a more perfect time. I am living in South Korea right now and woke up today feeling the same sadness. I have everything I need here, but no one to share it with. I am a first-gen American, so often times I feel disconnected to my Haitian and Jamaican family and roots. The older I get, there more of a yearning there is to go back and see where I come from. This video gives me a push to do so. Thank you.
I'm from Canada, so I am from an individualist culture, but at the same time, my family has always been there for each other. We value unity and coming together to help each other, so I think I'm pretty balanced between the two. I feel very connected to my family, both extended and immediate, and also to my ancestors. I really enjoyed this video and I'm so glad that you've been able to reconnect with your family!
Jo....this is so beautiful.❤️
My father came to America to New York from Jamaica for work and met my mom, she got pregnant and they got married. 4 kids later and a dead beat dad. Yet, I still want to go to Jamaica and meet my other side of my family. I only saw my aunt when I was very little & I don’t remember her, I remember seeing my uncle helping my dad move out, I remember my 2 cousins when I was little. That’s it. My mom says my father side in Jamaica does voodoo, but I don’t think so...I just think she doesn’t want us to go and that we also do not have money. I am longing for my Jamaica heritage, when I was little and when he was there he made food and played songs that were Jamaican. I love that, I loved Jamaica pride day in Brooklyn, New York. I missed eat authentic beef patties. I miss my Jamaica heritage, I barley understand him because his accent is so thick. I do not speak to him because he isn’t in our life and stopped giving us money after my mom wanted a divorce and did not want tot work it out, they still haven’t. I am sad that as he is getting older, I am kinda sad that a man who raised me in and out and gave me happiness....but anger (not sadness surprisingly) is going tot fade away. My connection to Jamaica would be cut in a way. I know when I grow up and get money, first place I’m going on my own money is Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica.
Jo - you addressed 100% of what has always bugged me about American culture and also a little bit about your channel. All this "follow your dreams" and "be successful!" talk sounds nice until you think about the other side of that, of what you lose. Life always has opportunity costs (I'm an economist) and while you can't always count them numerically, you can still evaluate what you want in life.
I'm happy that you found this truth for you and the message twitches at my heartstrings because you managed to put into conscise words what I've been figuring out throughout my 20s. The only downer is that I guess it means that your channel will be fundamentally changing now, as many have been feeling for a few months now. But you guys are real people and it's a pleasure and a privilege that we get to watch you evolve and grow.
Loved this video. I can absolutely relate. I am an American born to a Guatemalan mother and American father. My dad's side is an American anomaly because they are very much community oriented. I didn't grow up with my mother's family because they're mostly in Guate still. I wanted to know where and who I came from. So I moved to Guatemala and lived there for almost 2 years. It was an amazing experience being so close to my family. I learned a lot about myself and and where I come from. I also realized that I have to have both the community and the individuality in my life.
Giving you a round of applause! Everything you have said resonates with me. I left Venezuela when I was 4 and moved to Canada. Thank you for doing you and sharing your experience!
I moved away for school a couple months back and I can already tell that by having this space with my family, it allowed for more love to come in. I thought for the longest time that I was going to be cut off or cut myself off, and I tried to do that about 6 months ago. Our relationship is still complicated and I think it will always be, but its beautiful words like yours, Jo, that remind me that I am loved and that I do love my family. It's hard. And its draining some days, but I still care about them.
Thank you for your beautiful soul.
I totally relate. I grew up in Australia from an English father and a Brazilian mother without cousins, aunts, uncles or grandparents. I have such tenuous connections to my relatives having seen them only once for each country 20 years ago. I started learning Portuguese at age 40. Hopefully I can travel soon. Tenho muito saudades. Preciso voltar logo. You are wise beyond your years Jo.
I understand the pain and struggle being apart from family, my family, me and my mom had immigrated to America my brothers and my father came too but they returned to Europe later on I had come to America at around 5 years old not understanding a damn word these people were saying and 7000 miles away from the rest of my family the only family I have is my mom. From a very young age I understood the importance of family and how it affects us as individual's no matter how small the family is or isnt even your biological family it's a connection that we all have with a group of crazy ass people. I remember each year going back to Lithuania and visiting for 2 months in the summer and cherishing the moments that I could connect with everyone that I miss so much and be able to build a separate life from the life in America. I'm currently still in the states but still retain the language culture my whole identity through my mom and the rest of my family we take family for granted espically at my age (im 16) but realize that they wont be around in a couple of decades. We all find or create our own family and it doesn't matter how it is it just is. Love you Damon and Jo and I hope everyone here learns to love oneself to love others and to remember not to take life as granted and to take chances when we need them the most.
Hi Jo! My name is Nicole, I’m Brazilian - born in Brazil and raised in Japan. My parents immigrated to Japan years and years ago. I have been living in Japan since I was 7, now I’m about to turn 22. I completely understand what you are saying in this video. I felt you! I really want to go back to Brazil someday to experience all those things that you mentioned in this video. 🇧🇷❤️Btw, eu amo os seus vídeos e os do Damon. Vocês são demais! Espero que um dia vocês venham conhecer o Japão.
I say A LOT that Brazil sucks, but the truth is that we're one of the few people who still got that warmth, you know? we make connections, we live for each other, we love, we vibrate in so many different energies, we care for one another, we empathize, we embrace everyone, we FEEL everyone, and feels so good to remember all this, remember where I come from, embrace my roots even though the actual situation of the country isn't the best, I still have hope, we never give up on faith neither on happiness, we are strong
*quanto mais bate, mais forte a gente fica*
i’ve grown up in canada but my parents immigrated from poland before i was born. we make an effort as a family to fly out and see them every two years. it’s craxy to think what a different life this would be if they decided not to make such a huge decision of leaving their home land!
As a third culture kid myself, I relate to this SOOO much. Love you Jo and thanks for sharing.
Although my experience is very different, I related to so much of this so deeply. I was born in England to English parents but moved to Portugal as a baby. I learned both languages at the same time and spent 11 years in Portuguese culture. I loved my life here. However, when I was 11, me and my mum moved back to England because my mum got sick and we couldn't afford to stay and had very little family here to support us. I then lived in England for 7 years, starting secondary school in a whole new culture. I loved my time in England but I never felt at home. So last year, I moved back to Portugal on my own. The thing is, Portuguese is no longer as easy for me and I have lost touch with the culture. I feel truly torn between the two and, as you said, I feel that I will always be Portuguese in England and English in Portugal. Wherever I am, I miss my family and my home. However, despite the struggles, it's a wonderful thing and I would not change it for anything. I am a mixture of the two cultures, of the two mindsets. It has given me a love of learning languages and of discovering, experiencing and gaining some simple understanding of other cultures. I am genuinely grateful to have this experience but that doesn't mean that it's always easy.
Anyway, I never comment but I really felt this video and always love your content and think you are a wonderful person.
This video almost made me cry!!! I’ve only been to Mexico once when I was 13 and got to meet family. It’s been 10 years and I haven’t gone back because life is hectic. School , work , etc. My parents haven’t gone back either and it makes me genuinely so sad. I feel like we’ve lost roots there. I haven’t had the chance to build relationships with my family there. What happens when my parents pass? I will have basically no connections to my home land. It breaks my heart 😞
i started to feel like this when I began to interview my family for a project. I never realized it, but we're there for each other no matter what. When ever I feel alone, I can call up my family at anytime and talk to them. I only have 2 friends who are there for me sometimes, but my family is there for me all the time. I regret trying to burn those bridges with them in the past because of how they treated me. But now I realize why they do the things they do and that I should look past them trying to hurt me because they're just doing what they think is right. The only thing is now, I'm not really sure how to form a bond with them, because calling anyone makes me anxious. I'll figure it out though, and I know this project will change my relationship with them.
my family has always been my reference for everything, good and bad, but it's so good to have this group of people who know me and kind of accept me, who are so easy to talk to and there's so much no one understands but us.
i feel like american culture and honestly, central and northern european culture, really ignore family ties to the point where a cousin is not someone you are close to at all, when to southeners and southern-hemisphere folks are super close to family. the grind culture even makes you alienate yourself from parents and siblings, so it doesn't surprise me that most ppl aren't at all close with their relatives.
i hate being away from them. i hate missing the parties and the milestones. these people are all i have.
I kinda went through the same realizations when I went to visit my family in the Philippines this past summer. After not being in contact with them for such a long long time, it makes you realize how grateful you are to have a family to belong to, who support and love you (and vice versa) and even if we don't see each other everyday, we'll always be there for each other and carry our history throughout our lives
100% related to this and never thought about the copping mechanism part but it's so true... I came to the states at the age of 9 from Peru and I know that a lot of who I am today is part because of my peruvian culture and the way I was raised. It is a human need to feel like we belong somewhere and knowing that there is a place where you will always be welcomed is beautiful :3
This hit so hard, I’m Ecuadorian but for a big part of my life I was raised in the states. So the fact that someone put this into words is really helpful thank you.
This video resonated with me. My family is in Angola and Portugal but I grew up in the states. I don’t see my family often but when I do I feel at peace and at home in a place that isn’t “home”. I loved your video.
I can definitely relate to this as a Puerto Rican-American who grew up in NYC whose majority of my family lives in Puerto Rico. Yeah, waking up with the sound of roosters and chickens because my family lives in the countryside o campo plus hearing the coquis (tiny frogs) at night.
I need more Jo and Damon content, like the ones before they blew up.
Mari seu relato. Para mim é um dos melhores vídeos que já acompanhei. Você está de parabéns por não só aceitar, como também acolher, respeitar e amar sua família (é parte de você). Você pertence a ela e essa família te pertence.
Thank Jo for this story. My mom was born in Brazil but was adopted and brought to the US. Semi-recently we found her biological family (she’s one of 12 children!). My dad is quite a bit older and all his family has passed away. I’ve felt the same way- no ties to extended family past my siblings and parents.Hopefully one day I can go to Brazil and meet my aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
Your Duality between your Western/Individualist and you Black Latin American Self is something most diasporic communities feel. Thank you for putting it into words 🥰
It’s totallllly the culture of being in between cultures
@@DamonAndJo The culture of between cultures, I rate it 🖤
Your such an inspiration and so beautiful. This made me cry. 15 and alone with my best friend's family help through high school. My fam left to other countries and my brother was left in foster care. Were all strangers now years later. I met my grandma 4 times in my life before she passed but she didnt like me and hardly spoke to me because I am mixed with Spanish. I wish I was a factor in my families life. Its so hard doing more then a paycheck completely alone. 😢 i hope i get lucky like you and make a real friend who will not try to hurt me. Im actually looking into moving to Brasil for a simpler life.
I can definitely relate to many points that you make in this video. I’m the first generation (only child) that has been born in the United States and grew up here. Both of my parents are Angolan and so is the rest of my family. For most of my life most of my collective family lives in Angola and I’ve visited twice for a about a week when I was around 10 and 11 but I’m 16 now. I’ve realized from this video that I do kind of shut out the fact that I didn’t grow up with most of my family and it isn’t anyone’s fault but I need to be open to learning from them.
Oh God, I really know what you are feeling. My cousin has 5 yeas old and she leaves, now she is USA with my sister and her Dad, so, in the future maybe she will back for us.
I so happy for you Jo.....Family is everything....
i kinda went through the same thing except my family was living in new york. it took my grandfather dying and my immediate family to go to his funeral to be reunited with cousins and aunts i didn’t even know existed.... also coming from an american lifestyle and living in brasil for a year i really found out what’s it’s like to live the sunday family dinner life. i grew to love my host grandma aunts uncles and cousins and it was so peculiar to me because i loved it but it was something i had always wanted
It's midnight here in Italy. I was watching this video and I started crying so hard that my mum came by to check me bc I never cry. Thank you Jo for this beatutiful, true and emotional video 💕
As a Brazilian who’s been living in America for 13 years I connect to this in so many ways. I miss Brazil so much 😭 the heart fulfillment we get from the simple interactions is simply incredible 💕
I’m from the US but am now living in Brazil and trying to learn Portuguese. It’s a very different way of living and I’m excited to be a part of it
Both my parents and most their relatives were born and raised In Haiti 🇭🇹.The last time I went to Haiti was when I was a toddler, and I didn’t really think of how crazy that was until I got older. My whole life is influenced by my country and any ancestors back in Haiti. Even though the political / economic climate is tense rn, I will never stop loving where my family is from, and I can’t wait until I can go and really enjoy and soak in the rich history of Haiti and my family tree.
My family is hugely huge and I grew up very close to them but I feel so isolated, so disconected. I feel I don't belong and there are way more cons than pros (in my opinion). Me and my cousins were never allowed to say what we really think, to do what we really wanted to and that's sad because I miss my childhood so bad. That was the only time I thoroughly enjoyed being with my family. Looks like I grew up here in Brazil and turned out to be an American soul! Anyways, great video Jo!! You look stunning as always and so helpful... You've got me reflecting about every single thing about how I feel. Mad love from Brazil ♥️
This channel is so much more than just travel. It's so insightful to see that Jo misses family and realizes she needs/wants that in her life, despite achieving all she has. I'm touched.