Karen Ruiz Moreno - Don’t let Guatemala melt away like ice cream on a stick

I sat on the wooden chair, scratching my dozens of mosquito bites. It was two o’clock and I had my yellow Spanish notebook opened to a blank page in front of me. It was the first day of our Spanish classes, and to be frank, I had no idea what my teacher was going to do for the rest of the four hours. The first language I learned was Spanish and I was fortunate enough to be able to speak it at home on a daily basis. I kept thinking, what could my teacher tell me that I don’t already know? My teacher, Pati, had been getting coffee and came back to the table with a smile on her face. She greeted me and pulled out her book and  started  our class by conjugating verbs in the present, imperfect, preterite, future and the conditional tenses.

As the days went by, we started conjugating less and talking more, getting to know each other on a personal level. Pati had three children, all of them girls and all of them named Marias. She would mostly tell me about her youngest daughter, Dulce Maria, and how she loved playing card games, so during  some classes I would bring playing cards and teach her games so that she could show her daughter. I was even able to learn a few games myself. Most importantly, she would tell me about the traditions that her and her family would do (most of them included foods which I had never heard of).  Through these conversations I was able to realize how even though we’re both Hispanic women, our lives are completely different. Our conversations got deeper and deeper with topics including politics in Guatemala and the United States, immigration to the United States and even religion. She had even encouraged me to try all the flavors at the ice cream store near the school during our halfway break which is something that I was able to enjoy and accomplish. Towards the end of the trip our relationship grew and the classes didn’t feel four hours long anymore. At the beginning of the trip, our Spanish teachers had given us bracelets to wear for all three weeks, so I decided to return the favor and I gave her a bracelet. When the goodbye party came around, I had tears welling in my eyes as I hugged Pati for the last time. I was glad that I was able to make a new friend, but as always, it is hard to say goodbye.