Lina from Venezuela

Hello Steemians. I am Lina Figueira from Venezuela. I know, my last name doesn't sound like Latin American, and that's because I was born from a Portuguese "uterus” which travelled with my mom from Madeira to Venezuela. I am an Ob/Gyn graduated in Universidad Central de Venezuela (that’s why I couldn’t avoid mentioning my mom’s uterus). Since I was a medical student, I dreamed about becoming a professor of medicine in my University. And I did !. Since 2005, I have been teaching in Hospital Universitario de Caracas, not only to medical students, but also to OB/Gyn residents and pelvic floor fellows. Teaching is my passion. I really enjoy it. I learn from my students more than they could imagine. I keep my spirit young with them, even though my skin gets older. I laugh with them, share their jokes, their dreams, and their joy. I try to convince them that Venezuela is the best country in the world. It is not easy right now, but that’s another story.

This is my hospital "Hospital Universitario de Caracas" in Central University of Venezuela (Universidad Central de Venezuela)

I have 2 beautiful children who are grownups now, and remind me that I am not the young person I used to be. I really try to remind me this, because sometimes I think I am a kid locked in a body which gets older and older. My oldest child, Beatriz, the queen, is 25 y.o., and left home when she was 16 chasing her dreams. It wasn’t so hard because I still had princess Gabriela, but she just became 18, and left me to look for a better future, leaving my heart broken in one thousand pieces. To find consolation I repeat over and over again that famous phrase from a poem of Khalil Gibran “Your children are not your children, they are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself…” without succeeding too much.

This is Beatriz, the oldest

And this Gabriela, the youngest, and me

Well, this is it for now. I hope I didn’t bother you too much. If you survive to this first part, I will continue sharing a little bit of my life with you.