Talking about me being born. I was born here (in the United States), born on December 14, 1992. I play outside with kids and I like to talk on the phone. I like skiing. I am so happy. I am always laughing. I am such a baby, crying. So this is a big story.
Guatemala is always hot. In the mornings it is cold, cold, cold. I see a lot of tv’s, police cars, birds, banks, same with here. Pizza, it’s the same as here. It’s the same with here. It’s the same there. Guatemala is the same thing over here. Buses, is old ones. It’s not the same here. Not the same time out there. Time over here is twelve, over there is one o’clock. It’s a one-hour difference my dad said. It’s my city, my culture. I have friends out there, my uncles, my cousins, mom’s sisters, my aunties, my friends, uncles and friends. So this year I will go again out there and I like pictures, so I don’t know.
With my friends I am talking, am me, okay? (I) go to school walking. Go to the library. Me, okay, talking to friends. It’s my work, these friends nice to me, always talking to me on the phone. I like pictures. It’s my art, pictures. I like art so much. Be inside here (my heart). I put my pictures on Facebook so people knows is my work. So people know.
My mom-pa (grandpa) died, right? This past year – so, so sad because my mom was crying.
“So Guatemala called my mom. Guatemala happened. So they call her saying your dad is dying. So me, my mom and me, packing so quick. Go out there. So it’s so sad. It happened there. So crying, crying. So it’s so sad, so him no here, so sad.”
My school is every day. Wednesday, Mondays and Tuesdays, and Wednesdays go PE. One hour. So after me finish my PE and finish my PE clothes, dress up and finish that, it’s one hour.
I go three days Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Three days. So I go computer class one hour. So I work. You know where me working, right? Inside a bank and Tuesdays I work pizza. I like that. So I like the job. People are nice to me at my job, nice to me at job. My boss is no come late, early, so I cut the paper, you know, cut the paper. Fix the books. So I like the job a lot. So I’m not changing that job. So I like this job now. So liking my job, so, so much. People love me so much so yeah.
I like to color. I like to color so much. It’s my favorite (thing to do). Eating dinner, I like pizza. I like to talk on the phone. I see my friends at the library over here. Nice person. Nice sister. I like go church. So every day, Sundays go to church. So it’s in Spanish. Nice weekend. Or go places. Go eat. So I like that.
My mom (is the most important woman in my life). My mom’s so sweet. So I’ll ask my mom hug me, take me a bus, school bus, so always, always, me ask her, “You nice day today?”
“Yes.”
So my mom said, “You, nice day at school?”
Yeah. I am so happy. So that’s the nice question, “So you nice work?” Yeah. So is nice, nice. Manners, right?
“So, that’s mom; always tired, always back home, working. Is she important to me? Yeah. My mom always takes me over here. Me, ok. My mom is taking care of me so much.”
So when we doing eat lunch, come early, so you waiting (for) me, so me, come home early.
My mom is scared about me so much: “Where you going today?” So my mom her knows I’m come here. So her said, “Where you go today?” Library. So her knows everything. Me go to parties. Go church. Go my friends. Her knows everything. Is a nice person. Is my mom and some times always quiet. So always everyday help me. So it’s I love her so much. So it’s mom and daughter, mom and daughter. Her no come over here–one car now.
I have a little sister. I have brother too. So my sister, always, always, always talks to me. “What you doing in school?” My sister is always busy– always. So texts me all time, all time so I ask my sister, no text me at night. So today I’m ask my sister no text me because I’m busy.
Storyteller Gloria Morales attended the Sharing Stories of the Latina Experience workshop at the Cesar Chavez Branch of the Oakland Public Library. Gloria wanted to share her story because she feels a deep connection to her ancestral homeland of Guatemala.
