Today I'm thankful for my opportunities to practice my español
with the Latino communities I am working with. I'm thankful to be able
to surround myself with Mexican accents that will help me prepare better
for my upcoming year on the Tucson-Mexico border than my still-amazing
adventures to Spain, Nicaragua, and Cuba have. I'm thankful to try to
overcome language barriers to be a better advocate and hear the stories
of those who have made arduous journeys to Northfield, Minnesota, where
they are oftentimes still in the shadows.
I'm thankful to
have met an aunt who brought her nieces and nephews to my summer lunch
program (and their chihuahua Taco!), and to have been someone she could
open up to about how she was just one of the thousands who have crossed
the border to Arizona and walked through the desert for days. She met
her sisters here while her own children are still back in Mexico
struggling for pesos. She, heartbroken for them, makes her living here
by housework and taking care of others' children (and Taco!).
I'm
thankful to have met a father who seems newer to this community, admits
learning English is hard, and was pleasantly surprised by my attempts
to speak Spanish with him, asking where I learned it. "High school, and
there's still so much vocabulary I don't know!" But it was so nice to be
able to let my volunteers fend for themselves and entrust them to keep
things running smoothly so I could talk with this new father and the two
adorable girls he brought with him. I'm thankful that I had the
opportunity to explain the TORCH program that these girls may be in when
middle school rolls around and make jokes about nail polish and trains
with a four-year-old who cannot yet roll her "r"s.
I'm also thankful for salsa dancing, lime, cilantro, and spices that make this Minnesota white girl sweat...
... for new roommate bonding over rolled-up cuisine, aka crepes one day and enchiladas the next....
...for old roommate and other close Carleton friend re-bonding over the phone...
...for
old high school friend revitalization with a weekend of good times with
her family, volunteering with her family friends, and registering (for
free!) to be on the bone marrow donor registry to possibly save a life
someday...
...and I'm thankful for warm summer days and crisp
summer nights. If the weather would make up its mind, that would be even
more ideal. But for now, I am thankful for Spanish and for summer.
Buenas noches!
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