From Ecuador to the Homeland of Her Ancestors, Croatia Changed Her Life

Because of her Croatian roots, she left Ecuador and came with her family to a country she had never visited before. Thirteen years later, Kristel Uscocovich does not hide her enthusiasm for life in Croatia. Safety, freedom for the children, and a peaceful family life are the reasons why they never continued their journey toward Italy, as they had originally planned.

"We adore Croatia. Croatia is our children's home," Kristel reveals in the "Foreigners in Croatia" segment of the show Dobro jutro, Hrvatska.

Kristel Uscocovich was born and raised in Ecuador, where she started her family. However, the desire to get to know her Croatian roots changed her life. Her great-great-grandfather comes from Sustjepan, and her great-great-grandmother is from Mokošica. Their descendants continued their lives in Ecuador, where the surname adjusted to the Spanish language.

Prompted by the stories of a friend from Split, Kristel arrived in Croatia in 2013 with her husband Filippo and their children. They lived in Split for 18 months and then moved to Zagreb. Her husband was responsible for the change of city, as he fell in love with the Croatian capital while participating in a marathon.

Although her husband Filippo has Italian roots and his family comes from Milan, Kristel wanted them to try living in Croatia first. "For the family and for the children, I think this is a better choice, because Croatia is safer and allowed us more time for family life. So I convinced him to come to Croatia first, try out life here, and then we could go to Italy. However, we stayed," Kristel recalls.

The greatest value of life in Croatia for Kristel is the feeling of safety. "Ecuador is not such a safe country, and we feel very, very comfortable here, especially because we don't have to worry about the children. They are free. That freedom is what we love the most, and we truly live a relaxed life. We adore Croatia," she emphasizes.

Croatia also taught her a different relationship with nature, which strongly influenced her artistic work. Kristel is a visual artist who paints and makes ceramics. She increasingly finds inspiration in Croatian nature, especially flowers. Together with her friend María Consuelo, she launched a joint brand of functional ceramic items called "María i María".

For a time, she taught Spanish and art in a kindergarten, and today, with her husband's support, she is dedicating herself more intensely to creativity once again.

Although Spanish is spoken within the family, Kristel's children mostly speak Croatian. "Their mother tongue is Croatian, and they speak mostly in the Croatian language," Kristel explains. The children also speak English and can communicate in Italian. "They adore life in Croatia. Croatia is their home," says Kristel, adding that she would be glad if the children spent part of their schooling abroad as well.

Kristel visited Sustjepan, the place where her great-great-grandfather comes from, but she was not able to find his family home. She would love to meet relatives and find out more about her family's past. She still maintains connections with Ecuador. Her brother, sister, and other family members live there, while her parents moved to Croatia a year after she did.

Although she misses her family, friends, and certain flavors of her native Ecuador, Kristel found what was most important to her in Croatia – safety, family peace, and a home in the land of her ancestors.

Source: HRT