many to name here individually, so I'd like to thank them collectively: gracias a las 'chicas de zumba' y sus familias-mis queridas amigas de Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, España, Perú, Rep. Dominicana; a toda la comunidad latina dentro y fuera de OLAH; a nuestros queridos amigos mexicano-holandeses: los Menchaca, Toonders, van der Veen y López; Nayelli, aunque lejos, siempre has estado cerca. The melting pot of diverse Latin American cultures, but also Bulgarian, Greek, Indian, Indonesian, Russian-and of course Dutch and Mexican-enriches our lives. Bedankt aan onze vrienden groep van 'de meiden pony club' voor de vele mooie ervaringen in de afgelopen 15+ jaar samen met onze gezinnen, met de fantastische oud en nieuw feestjes als hoogtepunt! A big, special thank you to my best friend Yovita for the great conversations, laughs, good books and your medical advice. I'm always amazed by how many hours and hours we can talk in one go and yet, there is always something to say. Your friendship since day one at Wageningen University-more than twenty years ago-and your loving support during the rough periods of life, are priceless. Best wishes for you and Catrinus, die lieve man van je. Finally, I close with these lines dedicated to my dear family. My love and heartfelt gratitude go to my parents, whose encouragement and hard work to provide their children with a good education enabled us to pursue our dreams. Sadly, my dad passed away when I was 18, but the memory of his out-of-the-ordinary personality and love has had a lasting influence in my life. My mom's innate good mood, courage and tremendous energy have been a source of inspiration. Ma, mil gracias por tu apoyo y cariño, ¡te quiero! Esta tésis te la dedico a tí. Thanks to my brother and sisters for putting up with their bossy big sister, and for their love and support always. Tamer, Aniux, Pris, ¡los quiero! Abrazos para mis cuñados y bellas sobrinas. Mi cariño para todos los Carballo y los Cárdenas, siempre han estado presente. Aan mijn lieve schoonfamilie, ook Truus: een dikke knuffel voor jullie allemaal! Jammer dat ik dit moment niet meer met Ria heb kunnen delen. Although I don't say it enough, I am genuinely grateful to my lovely Dutchman, my life partner and the person for whom I moved to this, my adopted country. Lieve Ivo, ontzettend bedankt voor je steun en geduld al die jaren; het viel soms echt niet mee, maar dit boek is eindelijk af-letterlijk en figuurlijk. Ik hou van je en onze kindjes. Kyran y Melina, amores míos, ¡su mamá por fin terminó la escuela! Wageningen, March 2020 iv v C Co on nt te en nt ts s