Thais Velasquez - 'Delia Ramirez de Parada'

Mama Yeya is what we called her, this amazing woman that we were so blessed to live with. Two days before leaving for Guatemala my roommates and I received an email from Hector Martinez and Christine Douglas saying that our house got changed last minute. It was supposedly better than the one we were originally placed in. Getting off of the bus in Antigua, our hearts were pounding. This house being a new house meant that Martinez was required to go and check the living space to ensure that it was suitable for us. Brenda, Ana and I prayed that the house was good because if that had not been the case then the three of us would have been separated. We lost one of our roommates due to the issue of citizenship and Trump, so we were not expecting the best. Luckily for us, Martinez approved the living space and that’s all we cared about. We did not care what the house looked like as long as we were together. Turns out, we got more than we expected. Not only did we get to stay together but we got an amazing house with an amazing host mother. Delia Ramirez is a heaven sent woman; she was so kind and caring, treated us like we were her children in a way that she showed us so much love and compassion, was understanding when it came to putting up with our constant laughter and play arguing, took time to sit with us, converse with us and share parts of her life that she was not obligated to, telling many stories, and we had great times laughing with her. The relationship that we built in the matter of 3 weeks was absolutely amazing. Before I had left for Guatemala, my mom and I did not have the best relationship, so Mama Yeya filled that void that I sort of felt like I was missing. Over time, my relationship with my mother improved but I was really happy to have someone like Mama Yeya. She made a very strong impact in my life and she is someone I am never going to forget. On our last night, we shared a moment with her where she cried about us leaving and told us how she was going to be lonely without us. She told us what wonderful girls we are and how she only wishes us the best in our futures. She sent her best regards and wishes to our families. At the end of the trip, she told us whenever we are back in Guatemala to visit her because her home will always be our home.