Rose took out his photo, tore it up, and spat on it in front of him. He is her son. -Real story-
Life isn´t hard. Life is Life. And it could get better when you learn cultural codes that make or break expat founders in foreign markets.
The Rebelliam
2/13/20263 min read
"From today on, you're dead to me." Said Rose.
Just to be clear, she spat again on the torn pieces of her second son's photo.
Then she stepped on them.
This time, I won't tell you who this happened to.
It's someone very close to me, and I don't want to cause him pain if he reads this.
We'll call him Dennis.
That day Deniss and his older brother spied on their mother.
They were kids.
They were curious.
And they knew something off was happening behind that door. They peeked through the crack. And they saw it.
She was having sex with another man.
Back then, Dennis's father spent long periods away, sometimes months at a time.
Rose wasn't a nun. She did "things" during those absences. Dennis didn't give me details. But his father found out. And filed charges.
They put an 8-year-old on the stand.
He told what he saw.
Once at home, Rose called him over. Privately.
She pulled his photo from her wallet and tore it in front of him, and spat on it.
Her voice went soft—almost a whisper: "From today on, you're dead to me." Dennis didn't blink. He didn't understand what was happening. He was just a kid.
So to make it clear, she spat again on the torn pieces.
Then she stepped on them.
When Dennis got to this part, he stopped talking.
The light in his eyes went out. As if it were happening right now. Even though 53 years had passed.
Long and cold silence.
...
"Yes... That's what happened." Said with his gaze lost somewhere else.
Dennis hasn't had an easy life.
How could he after that?
But he didn't stay broken. He built great wealth. Several times. Lost it all. Then built again. And again.
Rose... Let's say life dealt her a bad hand. No judgments, no scandal, no drama. She played it the only way she knew how. Life isn't easy.
Only she understands the reasons she did what she did and said what she said.
Only mothers know what they feel for their children.
Actions speak louder than words.
Years later, Dennis faced prison.
Life sentence. Though he was innocent. Rose moved heaven and earth. And she did it. She saved him.
[Full story here]
Life isn't easy.
You'd better know how to play your cards right.
Yet those cards don't work the same when you change the game. They don't work the same back home as in the country where you're founding your company.
The game is called Cultural Code.
And it changes from place to place.
In Colombia, life makes sense when you live in the here and now—because life can end in the next hour...
In Germany, life makes sense when everything is in order, and we review it and realize everything is correct.
In the USA, life makes sense when we do things—we don't quite know what, but we'll figure it out along the way. - JUST DO IT-
There is no country where the cultural code of LIFE is to live to make money. Not a single one.
As an expat founder, you've changed the game.
You might be playing with cards that worked "there" but don't work "here."
Your communication style. Your way of pitching. How you build trust. How you negotiate. How you apologize, or don't. It all changes when the cultural code changes.
I know it's a lot.
Probably feels overwhelming.
That's why I'm making it easy for you. And for now, free.
Subscribe below if you want more real stories of cultural codes -and how to use them- to help you in foreign markets.
Write me 'MOM' if you want:
Business communication audit based on cultural codes
Ghostwriting/Storytelling for your brand
Play your cards well.