People @ Personio: What Family Means to Us

Alberto and I have been together for eight years, and married for almost three. Alberto is from Madrid but we met in Dublin and spent four years living in Sydney before traveling and moving home to Ireland. Our cockapoo George is seven months old, and we have a baby girl due on the way in August. We can’t wait to become Dads!

What does family mean to me?

Family means being there for one another, through good times and bad, with unconditional love. COVID has reminded me how important our loved ones are, and that we should never take them for granted.

We are a multicultural family with 3 different nationalities among us: American, Chilean, and Italian! Our strong Chilean foundation means we love avocados and enjoy onces – tea and bread – rather than a standard dinner. Some of our favorite family activities are traveling (Francisco has been backpacking with us since he was 6 months!), Singing karaoke, and playing piano and guitar.

Since moving to Madrid we are discovering the city as much as the pandemic allows and dreaming of traveling again!

What does family mean to me?

Family is such a broad concept. It’s not a title you inherit through blood. To me, family is anyone who has an important place in your life, like close friends.

My brother and I are almost 6 years apart, but we’ve always been close, and especially now that we’re adults. We share the same sense of humor and sometimes burst into laughter while people around wonder what we are laughing about. We love sports and really enjoy traveling together – next stop is hopefully Lake Garda! I love having him around – it’s always fun to be together but also very relaxing and calming.

What does family mean to me?

There are so many aspects to family: home, love, laughter, fun, safety, fighting, debating … But family to me is also a place to go for advice. I would always ask their opinion before making a big decision.

My wife Lauren and I were introduced in 2012 by a mutual friend and got married in 2019. Somewhere in the middle we adopted a senior cat, Hamilton, who is very spoiled (we’re not sorry). And a few months ago all three of us packed up and moved from Seattle to Munich! Now we’re settling into our new home and building our new life together.

What does family mean to me?

Family is the people you choose and who also choose you. Family means being accepted and loved for who you are. For me, it’s the feeling that home isn’t a physical place, it’s wherever I’m together with my people.

I’ve been blessed with 3 siblings. The 4 of us are currently living far apart from each other: Aude in Besançon, France; Eloïse in Singapore; I’m in Munich; and my little brother Guillaume in Lyon, France.

What does family mean to me?

Being brothers and sisters means being there for each other despite the distance. They are my family and my friends, and I always know that when I need their support, they’ll be there to cheer me on.

My family are very close. Even though we’ve lived in different countries for years now (Spain, the UK and Germany) we still talk on the phone almost daily and find time for weekly Skype calls. It still feels as if we’re together in Madrid.

What does family mean to me?

Family to me means selfless and unconditional support.

Happy International Families Day to you and your loved ones, be they near or far! If you’d like to get to know the Personio team even more, don’t miss our biggest event of the year: HUG Digital!