With Praise for Me

I want to write about something that I kept to myself for a long time, thinking that it was a bad thing, but now it is one of my favorite jokes.

Writing is an art, anyone who has that gift should thank God. When you can write, people everywhere have the ability to know you without seeing you. Especially if you are a captive writer. I would love to write , but words don’t come easily.

Not too long ago, I was watching a musician, artist, singer, conductor, composer, song writer, etc.. He was asked how he was able to compose so easily the same song, different words, but same meaning. His response was, “I used to read 3 books a month.” Meaning besides the inspiration, his vocabulary was rich. There, I found the answer for my lacking.

Years ago, when I first came to the United States. Family and friends took me to a graduation. I was excited to see that many people. But on our way in, they had already started calling students. I heard So and So Cum Laude, So and So Magna Cum Laude, Cum Laude, Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude.

I did not say a word, but in my heart I said, “Wow, the whole family is graduating!”

After a few minutes, the program was handed to me, and I started reading and saw the meaning of cum laude. I felt relieved for two reasons: 1st I kept it to myself, and 2nd, to know that these words were not last names, but honorary words. I can grade myself with a B+ for being a great observer not talker.

~

Rose Marie Simon - Haiti

Heading to Adulthood

Since I was a child I have thought that many people rush through life and always get to the next stage. When they are children they want to be teenagers, when they are teenagers they want to be young adults. When they are young adults they want to be adults and when they are adults they want to be retired.

I enjoy each stage and I was not interested in getting ahead of myself in my childhood, adolescence or young adult stage. Now I am an adult (it is so weird hahaha).

Hi, I am Ania Irina from the capital of Colombia, Bogotá. I am 33 years old, some people say that I look younger and others say that I am an old soul in a young body.

In the last ten years I have done things that I had planned and others that I had not.

At first I was not sure what to study but to sum it up I have a Nursing Assistant diploma, certificates from make-up art classes and a degree in Business Administration.

I worked in a company in the arts sector, where I could pursue my career as a business administrator and be in contact with the arts and where, as time went on, I started as an administrative assistant and ended up as a professional specialized in supervision support. I had been working in the District Institute of the Artes (Idartes) for around 9 years and I resigned in September of this year.

My family and I opened an academy of arts for children and teenagers and I had been the teacher of dance and drama. We love this project but when the pandemic appeared we decided to close it. At the same time in the same location we have a customs store that is still open.

I am trying to have the best practices now that I am next to the most special person in the world apart from my family, my husband. This year on July 29 I got married and with him I am having a completely new adventure in my life with a change of country, language and customs .

My family members and currents of thought based on well-being as a result of respect, common sense and empathy with us and everything that is part of our environment are the biggest influences in my life.

My father died last year due to covid and that made me think on a deeper level about the way I was leading my life.

We will see what happens…

~

Ania Irina - Colombia

Maria on Mosaic

Maria, one of the active writers in our classes has broadcast an original essay on The Public's Radio's Mosaic podcast. We're proud to share the link to her essay and recording here.

Giving Birth in Poland

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!

~

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