![My life as a migratory bird is a bittersweet one...](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9059534/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/1000x1000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F38%2Fcc%2Fb2f30836481b99c7a2bd28a32c8b%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-01.jpg)
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This comic is an ode to all the migratory birds out there. As a first-gen Latinx living in the U.S., Natalia grapples with the joy and heartbreak of having two homes: One in Portland, where she is building her career, and Pereira, the small town in Colombia where her mother, family and childhood memories still reside.
Natalia Cardona Puerta is a Colombian illustrator based in Portland, Ore. Her work is inspired by 1990s nostalgia, her connection with nature and everything whimsical.
![My life as a migratory bird is a bittersweet one ...](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bc7ac9e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F38%2Fcc%2Fb2f30836481b99c7a2bd28a32c8b%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-01.jpg)
![After 5 years in the U.S., I traveled back to my hometown in Colombia](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a50ffd5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2F3e%2F31b4e76e4b05a4a8c8493f3b8269%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-02.jpg)
![My mother's garden cradled & surrounded me with her warmth, colors and love](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/aeb4097/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa0%2Fbe%2Fc750a0274521a742800b32619bf9%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-03.jpg)
![I was nurtured by my favorite meals & surrounded by my abuelas, tios y amigos ...](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a236ead/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1a%2Fce%2F130fcb574ce79615cf0d1f9d65f6%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-04.jpg)
![We basked in the sun and swimmed in the rivers. I enjoyed speaking Spanish and laughed at words I had forgotten.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/be2d6c6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F83%2F64%2F4f8e6b9a4cb9a20da35d2a9bbd19%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-05.jpg)
![I was able to reconnect with all the past versions of myself in the safety of my childhood bedroom](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e91cdb4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2F31%2F1564151842708600f6ef643bd227%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-06.jpg)
![Just being home made me feel whole again. Feeling supported by community was so healing ...](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d24bc53/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Faf%2F15%2F1a96b3ca4b8abe799b51d29f4b45%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-07.jpg)
![and when I had to say goodbye to my home and family, I couldn't hold back the tears ...](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b09a73b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F07%2F31%2Fddd430974282945ac66a07fe1f74%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-08.jpg)
![I know that my heart will always be divided between the place that made me and the place where I chose to become ...](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f6520ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Fb3%2F000444b5491981dfcac99688455d%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-09.jpg)
![To all the migratory birds out there & to my mom, te amo.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ea755d6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x2048+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2Fcc%2F53b27cc849aaa32fd4614ee56c76%2Fla-times-comic-july-2023-natalia-cardona-puerta-page-10.jpg)
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