A Beloved Visit

When I was a child, she was a very tall, elegant, imposing woman who always smelled good. She lived in France during her postgraduate studies, so her outfits and perfumes were a reflection of her life in that country. The culinary skills she learned there and brought home to her Mexican family were delightful. With a curvaceous body, brown eyes and fair skin, her glasses, scarves and a coin purse in the shape of a little black mouse were always part of her outfit.

She has been an important figure in my life, present at all times, whether near or far, always connected. Every time she came to visit us, she brightened the day with her hugs, playfulness, smiles and signs of love, perhaps the ones she missed from her own home. Smart, hard-working and with subtle mischief in which she wraps her comments (which can sometimes sound a bit bossy), they are just a token of her love and guidance to help you grow up. She is someone I am proud to call my beloved aunt and adopted godmother, Natalia.

With a name inherited from my great-grandmother and now passed on to me, Natalia is the oldest sister of my mom's family. They are seven sisters and a brother who died when he was a baby. My mom is the youngest daughter, which I think may be the reason my aunt took care of my mom and her family. Natalia never got married or had children, which made all her nieces and nephews like her own.

When she came back from France she started to work in a scientific research center where she got a prize in her name for her contributions in science and also she got her name on one of the main entrance buildings of that center. That was the same place where I received my master’s degree and worked with some of her colleagues, which sometimes meant being in her shadow, as they expected me to meet and achieve the high standards and goals they came to expect from her.

She was the first person in the family to get a PhD. That inspired me to reach for this same goal, which proved more difficult than I expected but I also achieved it. Unfortunately she paid more attention to her work than her health and she started to go down little by little like many other scientists at the research center. In the end, she decided to retire early and to focus on her health. All this made me realize the importance of family and the urgent need to pay attention to avoid burning out at work, and to try to keep a balance between work and personal life. As Hilary Clinton once said, “Do not confuse having a career with having a life.”

The time has passed and the moment to reap what she has sown has arrived. I hope in the near future to be able to repay at least a portion of everything she has given to her family, friends, colleagues, students and people around her. I just can't thank her enough for being a positive role model in my life, to encourage me when I am doubtful and inspire me to be the best version of myself. I’m blessed to have her in my life.

~

Natalie Sonntag - Mexico

How Polish People Celebrate the Day After Halloween

I would like to go back to my childhood and say something about the day after Halloween and how Polish people celebrate that day.

Poland does not celebrate Halloween, but decorates its cemeteries which are full of bright candlelight. Cemeteries are the most beautiful places to be on November 1st. For two days we celebrate and visit the graves of family members. November 1st and 2nd are All Saints’ Days. The gravestones are decorated with colorful flowers and millions of grave candles which symbolize the presence of God and remains of the prayers that have been said in a moment of reflection for those who passed before us.

Those days are very silent and emotional to us because we miss the people who are not with us in this world anymore.This special time of the year creates a very melancholic atmosphere full of spirituality. We spend the whole day visiting all the people who made our lives special and incredible.

But this is not the only thing that we do over two days. At night, when it is getting dark, all the young teenagers go out and again sit in the cemeteries. Then we grab the liquid oil from candles and put it on our hands and make figures. For example, some animals, things that we really like, etc. This is the moment for young people to spend time with each other and talk about our friends, neighbors at our age who are not with us. It’s a very difficult time for young adults. Time goes slower, lots of good and bad memories come back to us but this makes us stronger!

These days are also important for adults. Family and relatives meet and talk for hours sharing stories or memories. The Polish community has the conviction that after death not everything dies inside us.The atmosphere that is perceived during this day in Poland is a unique opportunity to think and meditate.This is a remarkable insight for us. I will never forget how this time kept us tight!

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Maria - Poland

Mrs. Gloria, A Special Visit

Mrs.Gloria, or simply Gloria, as I remember everybody called her, was a neighbor who used to visit us in Sabana de la Mar. I have to admit that we received visits every day in my house. I guess it was due to my friendly and talkative dad, and because our guests were treated so well.

Gloria was a regular one. At 6 pm she liked to watch a soap opera and our dining room was her TV room. Gloria was a tall lady with black hair and a wrinkled face. I don't know her age, but she looked old, like my grandma. Gloria tended to talk about her youth. Her life in Santo Domingo, where she lived and got married. The story always ended with tears because of her daughter’s death. She was a dancer and lived in the United States. One day, after a show, a guy stabbed and killed her. No one was arrested for that, and Gloria was waiting for justice.

Gloria had a sweet, and slow voice. She talked, making frequent pauses, as if she needed to think a lot about what to say. The problem was that she didn't care about the other people that were watching TV, too. She talked and made the others get mad because of her constant interruptions. She didn't wait until commercials to talk and I remember my mom saying she didn't want her to visit us at this time, but never asked her to stop coming. Maybe out of respect. Another reason was that Gloria liked to smoke tobacco. It smelled too much and none of us felt comfortable while she was smoking.

I always remember Gloria. She died more than 20 years ago. I moved to Santo Domingo when I finished high school and during my vacation time, I always stopped at Gloria’s house to say hello. She always gave me a nice and candid smile. Despite her smoking and the stories during TV time, she was a good person and a woman who carried a lot of sorrow in her soul. I think, like me, the rest of my family enjoyed her visits too.

~

Ogalis Hernandez - Dominican Republic

Uncle Chalo

When I was a child I lived with my mom, my sister and my dad in a pretty house in Bogotá, Colombia. My sister and I have a lot of uncles and aunts, but one of our uncles that I most remember was my Uncle Chalo. His name was Gonzalo but everybody called him Chalo. He was the eldest son on my father´s side of the family and he lived with his family in Miami, Florida. He was tall, had black hair and a good sense of humor, as did my dad. Besides that, he had two sons about our age, and he worked in his own company of curtains and blinds.

When he visited us he used to give us presents like Barbies or super cool toys, and we played with our cousins since my mom and dad had a good time with him and his wife. One time he helped us to apply for visas to the United States because we wanted to go to Disney Land and it was a complete success. We had a wonderful time. I think that was one of my favorite trips in my life.

On my father’s side of the family, he had the most authority and everybody asked for his advice. Over time, we saw each other less and sometimes when we talked about politics or social situations in Colombia we had differences, but we loved him a lot. Unfortunately, he died from a heart attack about two years ago, but I remember him well because he was one the uncles that we cared about most and he was an inspiration to some members of the family.

~

Ania - Colombia

Lina

Lina was a woman with a thin physique, but she had a lot of strength in her muscles.

Last Saturday I went to visit some friends in Pawtucket who lost their mother and shortly afterward Lina arrived and I didn't recognize her. She has a fuller body, lighter skin, rosy face, very pretty. During the conversation, I told her that she looked very familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where.

Did she reply, “Really”? When I heard her voice, the memories took over my mind, and I asked “Lina are you Lina”?

We held each other tight for a long time and then we started reliving the past with a lot of emotion.

Lina sold cow's and goat's milk. She lived in a very remote village on my island, island of Brava in Cape Verde, and had no access to transport up to a certain point along the way. She had to climb a lot of steep hills to get to the main road, when she got there she didn't take a ride.

She carried a bowl on her head full of bottles with about 5L of milk each and mugs to measure the milk, she went all the way uphill from Lavadura disassigning milk until she reached the city of Nova Sintra where I lived.

Around noon Lina arrived at our house to deliver the milk, which was her last delivery. She was very skinny, arrived very tired, with the bowl on her head where she always wore a flowered scarf, with her slippers full of dust from walking and full of sweat, she often arrived accompanied by her oldest daughter, Patricia, and screamed by far, “djam bem” which means “I`ve arrived”.

She spoke quickly and in a high tone of voice, typical of people who live in villages that have no communication, taking care of animals and talking from one house to another screaming.

We offered water and lunch, but first she would wash her feet and face to freshen up. After lunch, we would sit and watch Brazilian soap operas and while the soap operas were not over, she would not leave.

After a while she emigrated to the United States and I to Portugal, we lost all contact until we met again in the city of Pawtucket.

~

Margarida Rodrigues - Cape Verde
10/03/2022

Experience with Fireworks in America

A couple of months after I came to the United States, my kids and I were in the house but they were sleeping. Around 10 o’clock at night I saw a huge fire light outside beside our house that was sparkling. It made me think it was transformer was burning. I shouted and called my children. I was so scared and shouted fire! Fire!! Fire!!!

I was running out of the house, and they tried to stop me, but I was too scared to wait for them. I continued running into the street and they also ran, following me and asked what was burning. My elder daugher decided to call her dad and he called me immediately to ask what was going on, and I told him that the transformer had exploded. He laughed at me and told me it was not, that it was fireworks. I asked him what they call it. And he told me it’s bounger, which is what we call fireworks in Nigeria. I was surprised because in my country we have them from November to December. It was so much fun when we would light fireworks back home.

When I came back into the house my kids were laughing at me. I was laughing too. After that, they brought me to see the fireworks at McCoy Stadium and I saw a lot of fireworks there. When my husband came back home he was still laughing at me.

~

Adesola - Nigeria

Being an American Driver

Being an American driver is a little harder than in Nigeria. I was afraid to drive here because of the laws about driving, but I haven't had a choice because no one has time to take me wherever I want. My husband needs to go to work and my kids go to school. I also needed to go to the library to attend English class and go to stores. so I had to take an Uber wherever I went.

I made a decision to start learning how to drive with a family member who gave me a little confidence and helped make the journey fast. But guess what! I still have fear when I'm driving alone because of the police. That's why I couldn’t drive far away from my house until my daughter suggested driving school. It took me five good weeks. My tutor was very nice and calm, even though he didn’t show up at the beginning, but sent his wife to teach me but she was also nice.

I applied for a road test at the DMV after some practice. I was looking forward to the schedule. To be honest, I was a little nervous about waiting for another month. I was glad to go with my tutor and it was amazing to pass the test. Now I am bold enough and more confident to go wherever I want to by driving myself. I drive without fearing the police, and continue to obey the law to avoid attracting them.

It’s great to drive without calling an Uber or waiting for my husband before I go out. This made it easy for my youngest daughter to take a job during the holiday. I was able to give her a ride and pick her up when she was done at work. I'm looking forward to working as well.

Being an American driver is a great privilege, but without driving by yourself and speaking English, life will be hard to make your dream come true. Now I am the newest driver in my city and thank God things are easier for me. I also give thanks to my teacher, Jon, for encouraging and supporting me with my English.

~

Adesola - Nigeria