Memorias Grabadas

Memorias grabadas

THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN BY THE STUDENTS OF MR. ANDRES R. MARTINEZ CRUZ IN THEIR ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT LEVEL 2 CLASS AT THEODORE ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL, FALL SEMESTER OF 2023-2024.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826LA. We support student publishing and are thrilled you picked this book up.

Las opiniones expresadas en este libro son las de los autores y no reflejan necesariamente las de 826LA. Apoyamos la publicacion de jovenes autores y estamos felices que haya recogido este libro.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Editor(s):

Wendy Beltran

America Melchor Leon

Memorias grabadas

Written by the Engligh Language Development Students of Theodore Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, CA

Cover Artwork and Book Design: Elizabeth Fernandez

INTRODUCTION

LA DESPEDIDA Alejandro M.

NOS VOLVEREMOS A VER Ritzia A.

EL SUEÑO DE UN MIGRANTE GUATEMALTECO Bryan C.

MI CORAZÓN LLORA Y SUSPIRA Daniela C.

MI ABUELITA Y YO Y MI CAMINO HACIA ADELANTE Karla L.

WHEN I SAW YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME Etna X.

SIEMPRE SERÉ TU MAMÁ Yamilet J.

EL CAIMÁN QUE LLORA John A.

MI BELLO ANGEL Sheily X.

PA’ MI HERMANO Yaneli C.

UN DÍA DEDICADO A TI Michelle C.

SIEMPRE VIVIRAS EN MI CORAZÓN ABUELITA Danna S.

UN MOMENTO FELIZ Angel T. P.

EL DIA EN EL QUE LLEGASTE TU Valerin R.

CANELA Mariana S.

GOOD BIKE Ricardo Z.

EL TREBOL Y EL ESTUDIANTE Jose O.

YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL Celina F.

MI FAMILIA Y YO D. Uribe

DE VACACIONES Martin L.

introduction

Music possesses the power to transport you. Regardless of where you are or what you’re doing, when a particular song plays, you may find yourself traveling through memories, overcome with the emotions of that time. Whether it was playing in the background or its lyrics spoke words you could not, a song can become a key to reliving the past.

This book began as an assignment but evolved into something more. English learners were tasked with connecting songs to people, moments, or places they wished to immortalize. The outcome was a collection of vignettes inspired by the students’ experiences, each carrying messages of hope, joy, love, and healing. They embraced the challenge of growing their storytelling skills by weaving literary devices, sensory details, and descriptive language into their work, resulting in beautiful stories they are proud of.

Memorias Grabadas features the stories of young people from El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Cuba, Colombia, Nicaragua, and Honduras who wrote in Spanish and worked hard to translate their words into English while preserving their original depth and significance. Each story depicts the aspirations, dreams, and worries of teenagers navigating the unfamiliar. These authors graciously invite readers to step into their memories, hoping that their writing can serve as a source of inspiration for those who, like them, have uprooted their world and embraced a new chapter in their lives.

To all who participated in this project, it has been a privilege and an honor to edit your work. Wherever the future finds each of you, may this book serve as a reminder that you are brave, strong, and talented individuals who are capable of anything.

A todos los que participaron en este proyecto, ha sido un privilegio y un honor editar sus historias. Dondequiera que el futuro los encuentre, que este libro sea un recordatorio que son personas valientes, fuertes y talentosos, capaces de cualquier cosa.

Wendy Beltran Writers’ Room Program Coordinator, Roosevelt High School

La Despedida

Alejandro M.

Hoy ya no quiero que pasen los años

Porque mi padre ya está viejo

We got up at dawn because we were going to start the trip from El Salvador to Guatemala to continue to Mexico and from there to the United States. I heard the beautiful sounds of the birds flying over my window in the early morning. You could see the beautiful landscape when the sun came out, it felt good to feel the sunshine and the icy wind along with the warm rays taking in the energy of the light. I drank fresh water and felt very hydrated. I also drank my favorite drink called Electrolit, it had a very good coconut flavor and the sun was just rising. I felt the fresh wind. I saw my dad with a sad look. He didn’t want to say goodbye to not cry. Empty and without fear, I opened the car door and the handle of the car was wet. My hand was wet with rainwater since rain had fallen the night before. The water was cold.

Se la han cubierto de arrugas sus manos u Y de nieve sus cabellos

O señor detén el tiempo te pido

Porque tú puedes hacerlo

Suddenly it was late in the day and I felt exhausted since we had traveled through Guatemala. In Guatemala, there were many people and I felt uncomfortable because of some of the smells, but its capital was beautiful. On the drive from El Salvador to Guatemala, I remembered I smelled pupusas, a tasty smell I couldn’t resist wanting to try a couple of those pupusas. It reminded me of the last time my friends invited me to some pupusas. I wanted to go buy pupusas since I was leaving El Salvador at 6:00 am the next morning.

Porque yo en verdad no entiendo Dios mío, por qué se nos va lo bueno

Looking back to the last time I was together with my parents. I realized that I now could not hear my father’s important voice. I could not give him a last hug. This empty feeling of missing a person so much. My father had to be strong as he saw his, “cría volar a otro cielo.”

Cuando se cansen un día tus pasos

When my parents went to drop me off by car to the bus terminal in Guatemala, He went with us but I didn’t hug him. My dad stayed there and my mom continued with me. We got on the bus and we talked about my life path and how I should follow the good path and not the bad ones. Que me pusiera las pilas. I observed how valuable I was to my mother since she was crying in silence and I felt bad. I even thought about not continuing the path. We spent very little time together. She was able to hug me. I felt better. The anguish of a person. I was missing my mom. My mom and I arrived at a house and they gave us food and then we went to sleep.

I think about how my dad went with us and I didn’t hug him. I want to tell him that I did get to the USA, that I was doing well, and that I understood his frustration because of my bad habits and actions. Now that I am alone, I miss my parents so much since I have to take care of myself. I seriously need them but I know I will see them later on.

Yo quiero ser quien los cuide mientras tanto dame el brazo

Y vamos a ver, a ver qué vas a decirme

Some nights I feel like I return to that moment and I see them again and I hear that song. I see trees and cars, the mountains and the houses I knew. The smell of a familiar car. My dad and I only saw each other and we didn’t say goodbye. I didn’t feel anything just thinking about what was about to happen later. I saw my father’s face and I saw him worried about my future and my trip. He didn’t want to say goodbye to the only son who grew up with him. After two months I wanted to go back and hug him.

Song Title and Artist: Cuando To Queria Ser Grande by Vicente Fernandez

Nos Volveremos a Ver

Ritzia A.

This chapter of my life takes place on what was a very sunny and hot day at the international airport in San Salvador, El Salvador in February as I said goodbye to my two maternal uncles, my best friend, and my older sister. I felt devastated, an immense pain flooded my heart for leaving everything I knew, my friends, my sister, and my family, and going to a country unknown, but I was also excited.

Y cada noche vendrá una estrella a hacerme compañía

I was screaming with joy because I would see my dad again. After a long time, I would see many places and I would meet new people and new experiences, but I was also scared of everything that awaited me for not being able to communicate since I didn’t know how to speak English or what the country would be like or if I would be able to make new friends. Then we went to immigration. The place was cold and dark like a winter night. They checked if we had a plane ticket, our passport, and a permit to leave my country. Given that I was a minor, I almost could not leave with my mother because the permit that my dad had signed was no longer valid. They said without that permit I had to stay in the country, and it terrified me. I felt immense anguish. I felt devastated because I never left my mother. I felt like fear invaded my body, but they told us that since I was traveling with my mother, and we were going to my father’s house, they were going to let me leave the country, and at that moment my soul returned to my body. I felt at peace.

Que te cuente cómo estoy y sepas lo que hay

We were then taken to the waiting room to say goodbye to our loved ones and wait for the flight. There I said goodbye alone to my uncles and my best friend. I needed to say goodbye to my sister and as I separated from her, heartbroken by the separation, I hugged my sister with all my strength, and our bodies merged. The warmth of her presence washed over me, like a cozy blanket offering me comfort in the cold. I gathered all my strength, determined to be strong, but our separation was too painful to bear the pain that it invaded my heart. A tear welled up and fell down my warm cheek. I couldn’t contain my emotions, that tear reflected the pain inside my

soul. Although sadness gripped my heart, deep down I had hope that our paths would meet once again like two stars destined to meet in the night sky. I had to separate to board the plane. Parting with her was the most painful thing I ever experienced.

Dime amor, amor, amor, estoy aquí, ¿no ves?

While waiting to board I heard the planes take off. I was very sad and anxious, but my mother was there comforting me. I know she was also devastated. I couldn’t imagine the pain of leaving her daughter must have caused her but she didn’t show it to not to make me sadder, but I know that I will see my sister again. I know it with all my heart.

Si no vuelves no habrá vida, no sé lo que haré

Aunque a veces no lo demuestro, te amo con todo mi corazón y este capítulo es sobre ti hermana.

Song Title and Artist: Si Tú No Vuelves by Miguel Bosé

El Sueño de un Migrante Guatemalteco

Bryan C.

Aquí estamos

Porque acá fue donde nos puso la vida

This started when I thought about a dream of arriving in the United States. My dream was to arrive in Los Angeles, California, but for me, it seemed a little sad to leave my family and be so far from home. Once I was here, my life changed. Now life is very different living with an uncle because you can’t ask him what you need and you can’t have a lot of food, which I thought about a lot and about a lot of other things too.

Dejé todo

Mis amigos, mi familia y mi ilusión

Before, when I told my parents about my dream of arriving in America for a better life. The advice they told me was: “You have to take good care of yourself and not go out with people you don’t know. You have to respect your uncle, and when you work you have to save your money to build a house in our country and you have to take care of your health forever.”

Y aunque allá

He pasado los mejores años de mi vida

Even though my little brother is only 5 years old, he misses me more and I miss him too. I saw that my dad was very sad because of his face. I can see that he feels very sad for me because I was the oldest son. I was also very sad because I missed the delicious food that my mother prepared like carne asada and also breakfasts like beans with tortilla chips. My mother also felt sad because she would send me to bring firewood and she also helped me pay my tuition. I helped her clean, organize things in the house, and cook.

Decir esto da tristeza, pero acá estamos mejor

Pero acá estamos mejor

When the day came that I had to take a very long trip, at that moment I felt a little sad and happy at the same time because I knew that I was going to live in another country. On my trip I saw many things such as the change in the climate. When it was very hot I felt a little strange because where we lived in Guatemala, the climate was not like that. When it was very cold, we all felt uncomfortable because it was cold that we felt could make us sick. There were some very nice places. We passed through some large ranches and at the ranch that we stopped at, there was a river that was very wide and looked pretty. There were different plants than the ones I knew in Guatemala. At sunset, the sun turned a pale, dark yellow. At night when it got dark the crickets would come out and make a noise that was part of nature.

Cómo extraño

Ver llover y ese sazón de mi viejita

During my time in Mexico, it was very different from my country Guatemala because the climate was very different. For example, in some parts of Mexico, it was very hot and very cold sometimes. It felt a little confusing because everything in Mexico was very different from Guatemala. There were bulls and horses that the workers were feeding. During the two days we spent there, the people at the ranch were very friendly and fed us three meals a day and gave us a place to sleep. The taste of the food was different taste than what we knew. The food was spicier and more acidic than what I was used to.

Tengo ganas

De volver, pero no es el tiempo aún

When I arrived with my uncle I didn’t even know my uncle and it was the first time I met him in person. I was a little afraid because I didn’t know if he was my real uncle because he was no longer with his mother when I arrived. I was born and that’s why I didn’t meet them in person. When I was with my uncle, my dad felt a little happy because, for him and my mom it was very difficult because we are only two brothers and I was the eldest son. I always helped my mom and dad with the work we do at home and that’s why it’s hard for me when I get away from them.

Song Title and Artist: La Casita by Banda MS

mi Corazón Llora y Suspira

Daniela C.

¿Dónde andará Mi consentida?

El Salvador is full of bizarre magical places, with purple and gold skies where people smile at you, dance, and sing at the top of their lungs but it is a country where people have nowhere to live, where the economy is not enough to survive in. It was then that my mother decided to emigrate to the United States to give me a better future to finish my studies. My heart cried for not being with her. Growing up I was the girl at home who liked to spend time with my grandparents learning new things about what life was like when they grew up. I helped them do what they did around the house. I liked helping my grandfather plant plants to grow vegetables with a farmer. I spent beautiful moments in the field with them.

¿Dónde andarán Aquellos ojos soñadores?

But as the years went by, time changed, we began to explore, and things changed in El Salvador. It was no longer the same as when I was 10 years old, and that filled me with sadness to see how my family was becoming distant. The days became more difficult. It got to the point that I had to leave my grandparents in El Salvador to meet my mother in the United States and make a new life.

Mi

corazón Llora y suspira

My grandparents would sing and play instruments at night. We would watch the stars and they would tell stories about when they were young. That last night in El Salvador shone brighter than the previous night’s. There were tiny droplets of water that began to fall as a breeze came that gave us a chill and a delicious smell of hot chocolate made by grandma. Eating the sweet spongy bread, made by my grandma and hearing the birds singing. Looking at my grandfather, he had a couple of wrinkles on his face, and when he would start to sing with his voice so thick and pretty. He gave tone to the melodies and the sound of him playing his favorite guitar, was

so special for him to sing with it, made me forget how alone I felt sometimes and to be just as brave, strong, and hardworking like singing in a mariachi group. Playing the guitar as well as he usually does and those beautiful memories that we shared together remain vivid in my memory like a song, and I valued every minute I spent with my grandparents.

Pues le hace falta El calor de sus amores

Now I am with my mother far from my grandparents but recreating a new life to be someone in life and make my family proud. Things are different here, my grandparents are far from me. It fills me with great sadness to know that the years pass and every time I see them on calls, I see them much older. But I had the best childhood with them and that makes me happy. One day I will see them again and that is how my history is summarized in joy with memories I will never forget.

“No necesitas tener riqueza Para ser feliz”

Song Title and Artist: Ojitos Soñadores by Dueto América

Mi Abuelita y Yo y Mi

Camino Hacia Adelante

Karla L.

Los caminos de la vida

No son como yo pensaba[…]

Difícil de caminarlos

I lived with my grandmother and took care of her. It was just her and I living together in her house. My grandmother is very beautiful, special, and a person with a big heart in every way. She is quiet, humble, a homemaker, hardworking, and she is known by many people in the community where she lives.

We always liked to have very hot coffee and pan dulce for breakfast. When it rained and we felt very cold, we liked to watch movies in the living room. We sat down to watch movies, ate calmly, and relaxed until the sun came up. We would leave the house to walk into a field, to see people playing soccer. We went to events to cool off with the lovely breeze that brushed and touched our skin, enjoying a beautiful day of life.

Yo pensaba que la vida era distinta Cuando estaba pequeñito

We lived very well. We had fun and sometimes we went out shopping for clothes, ate out, went for walks, and every afternoon we bought fresh food and churros. We talked on the phone with my mother. During fruit seasons we made mango salad and enjoyed those delicious fruits. We liked to hear the rainfall and the smell of the house. We cleaned the floor of the house with aroma and felt such a nice feeling of being at home relaxing and enjoying those warm and beautiful days.

Farewell:

A few days before the day of my departure from my country was coming up, I felt sad, and happy at the same time. One reason for the sadness I felt was that I would no longer be able to keep my dear grandmother’s company from that day on. My reason for my happiness was that I was going to see my mother again after five years without seeing her. But things happen for a reason and you have to enjoy every moment and

opportunity when God puts them in your path and destiny for a better life. For me those days were nostalgic.

A day before I departed, I prepared everything I would need for the trip and the next day was my moment where I felt everything: sadness, joy, amazement, love, fear, emotion, etc. At 8 in the morning the next day, I remember that my grandmother made me some flour tortillas, the typical food in our country, which are baleadas made with flour tortillas and with beans and cheese. After I ate I took photos with her, and she gave me a huge hug. We cried with sadness and joy, and after that, she went to accompany me from where they were going to pick me up. When we arrived at 10 in the morning, I said goodbye to her. I got into the car and looked at her one last time through the car window as I drove away from her. Even so, I carry her in my heart and will always remember her wherever I am or go.

Y por mi vieja, lucharé hasta el fin

It mentally hurt me to leave my grandmother alone because while I lived with her I had a great time and now that I am in this country in the United States getting ahead with my life, fighting day by day for my future, I see myself being someone in life, enough for my grandmother to feel happy. I call my grandmother even if it’s through the phone since I can’t see her in person. I have faith that one day I will see her again. I’m doing my own thing. I have many plans and goals to fulfill to enjoy life by having a family, traveling, and having my own home. I want to continue studying and graduate to give a good life to my future sons or daughters.

There will always be good and bad times. Not everything is easy in this life but nothing is impossible either. My grandmother helped me believe in myself and from afar she still supports me. I am older now sixteen years old and I grew up in a very simple and beautiful town. Since I was little I liked to see the stars. I thought as I looked at the sky. When there were clouds, I thought that the clouds were chasing me, that was my imagination. Now that I am older, my imagination has changed because I am no longer a little girl, and for me, it is like a reflection of the way I am no longer close to my grandmother. She always considered me a good girl. I have always been humble, and quiet and I like to observe people and animals and things. I am reserved and a little isolated from people. I am antisocial but I like to experience things that I have not experienced yet in life like a boat floating in the water letting everything flow and my grandmother feeling proud of the people we are. I am from Honduras.

Dear grandmother, I miss you and I propose to myself to see you again. I am and I will get through it. You will be proud of me as I am of you. Sometimes life throws us obstacles, but no matter how high a mountain is, there is always a way to the top.

Mensaje: Querida abuela, te extraño y me propongo a mi misma volverte a ver estoy y saldré adelante. Te sentirás orgullosa de mi como yo de ti. A veces la vida nos pone obstáculos, pero por muy alta que sea una montaña, siempre hay un camino hacia la cima.

Song Title and Artist: Los Caminos De La Vida by Los Diablitos

when i

saw you for the first time

Etna X.

One afternoon I felt bad and I didn’t know what I had. I took a pregnancy test and it came out positive. I came here to the United States for a good future for my son and so that l could also have a better future. When I arrived it was spring and my baby was born. He is the one I am here fighting for. I am trying hard to make sure he is well.

Cuando te vi por primera vez Me flechaste tú

I remember one day I had an appointment with my pediatrician. There was a lot of sun between the clinic wings. My sister-in-law accompanied me to the appointment. Then there were many patients, I waited and then the nurse called me. The nurse and doctor checked me and the baby. They told me that the baby was fine but that my blood pressure was high and told me to lie down. I laid down but my blood pressure didn’t go down. He told the nurse to take me to the hospital. The hospital was nearby and my sister-in-law stayed outside waiting for me. I called her. They passed all my information to the hospital. The nurse was already waiting for me at the door and took me into a room. I went to bed. I was very nervous. I put on my gown. They checked me out, and I stayed in the hospital for a week. I had low blood pressure but they gave me medication so my baby could be born. But I didn’t like being there. I didn’t like the food. My brother visited me and brought me food.

Un regalo del cielo enviado

Tu dulce presencia ha llegado

During that week as the days went by they told me that I could not eat anymore. One day I didn’t eat. More days passed and I was very cold, they gave me a blanket and I was very sleepy and then I got very hot. The nurse came and it was at 10 in the morning when my water broke. I didn’t know why he came in until I saw he brought an oxygen tank and that’s when I got nervous. I said in my mind that my baby was going to be born. I was alone. My sister-in-law worked. I called her and told her my water had broken. She came quickly. Hours passed. Then at 9 pm, my baby was born. I heard his first cry. I felt excited and full of love. I felt supported. I fell in

love with my son. There I knew that I was going to have a prince by my side who would never leave me alone. The nurse put him on my chest. Then they cleaned him and put him in an incubator to weigh him. He weighed 7 lb. They put a hat on him with a small blanket that was blue and white. I hugged him. I touched his soft little hands and his little eyes. He had very long eyelashes. His hair was smooth black and short. His skin was dark and he had dimples on his little face. He couldn’t see me

Cuando te tuve entre mis brazos

Amor nunca imaginado

Then they moved us to another room. I fed him and he fell asleep. I fell asleep too. He woke up in the early morning and the nurse came to change his diaper. He fell asleep again and the next day they came to check on him again and see if everything was fine. I only stayed one more day at the hospital, then they discharged me and my baby stayed there for two more days. They put some bracelets on me that had my baby’s name on them because he stayed there. They had to check on him to see if everything was okay. He didn’t have a health problem, everything is fine. Two days passed, and they called me to go get him. I went to grab him with my mother-in-law and we put him in the car. The day was hot. We arrived to my house and my mother-in-law’s family was waiting for us. I felt so happy and felt tired with tears in my eyes. I have never felt like this before. That night was a very special night for me. I will never forget that night, it changed my life. I named him after my dad who I never met because I was 1 year old when my dad died. Now I have a son that reminds me of my dad.

Cada mirada un suspiro

Y cada llanto un latido

This is for you, son. I will never forget the day I held you for the first time in my arms. I love you so much. You changed my life, you are my reason to fight, and I will be everything for you so that you are well. I love you, son, with all of my soul.

Song Title and Artist: Regalo Divino by Irene

Siempre Seré tu Mamá

Yamilet J.

This chapter of my life takes place in March, it was a very beautiful morning and the sun was shining. The sun was very bright and big and it shone as brightly as the brilliance of a diamond. I looked out my window while I watched the birds flying from one side to the other in a very blue and beautiful sky. The blue sky was full of clouds that looked like floating cotton candy, full of many birds with small yellow and black wings. Their wings were as yellow and resplendent as the sun itself.

No sé si he hecho bien en traerte a este mundo de locos

Yo quiero pensar que acerté y te sabré proteger

I was in a hospital bed awaiting the birth of my daughter, a moment for which I had prepared myself many months ago. I felt so many emotions that inside me there was a whirlwind of so many different feelings. I felt a tear run down my red cheeks and my whole body was sweating as if I had been wet with water because on the one hand, I felt very excited and this was the biggest moment of my life, but I was experiencing my biggest fear.

Hay besos eternos que no se terminan

Y risas que nunca podrás comparar

This day was the most beautiful day of my life. I could feel our first skin-to-skin contact. Her skin was as red as blood itself and as soft as if it were cotton. Her skin was so soft that my hands slid all over her body. At this moment I was able to put my nose close to her beautiful black and silky hair. I was also able to smell that incomparable smell of baby

No sé si he hecho bien, pero cuando te miro a los ojos

El mundo parece más grande y yo puedo volar

When she opened her eyes I discovered that they were as dark as the night itself. In her eyes, I could see a future with her. At that moment I imagined her triumphing in life and achieving everything she set out to do. At that moment, fear took over me, and I only thought about how I could protect her and take care of her because I was very afraid that everything that happened to me at some point could happen to her. I was very afraid

because I had an immense love for her, from the first moment I loved her like I had never done before. I felt so much love, it was something that also caused me fear because I knew that with just one word she said I would be at her feet. From that day I knew that I wanted to take care of her and protect her to prevent all the things that had tormented me so much from happening to her too.

Over time I discovered that having my daughter was the most beautiful thing that could have happened to me. All that fear of facing a new stage in my life turned into love. When we play and I look at her beautiful smile I realize that every night of dedication and sacrifice has been worth it. When she hugs me and touches my face with her small, soft hands, this immense love takes over me. When she calls me mom I know it’s the best thing that could have happened to me. I discovered that after being afraid to face being a mother, now I simply cannot think of a life without her.

Song Title and Artist: El Viaje by Conchita

El Caimán Que Llora

John A.

Cuba, a beautiful island of green mountains, crystal clear beaches with diamond sand, people with beautiful smiles without worry, parties, mojitos, music and so much more…

Hoy yo te invito a caminar por mis solares

I was there, I felt it, I felt my Cuba in all its splendor. I felt the wind that sounded like the national anthem, mouths that said hunger without using words. Gods of deception lived in my Olympus, gods magnified and empowered by themselves, murderous gods without restraint.

I saw it, I saw the grandmothers talking to the sky. I lived nights in which darkness reigned in my house. I felt each of the spanks without violence on my body, I could feel more and more each time. I enjoyed the taste of coffee without sugar or coffee. I savored bread without flour, yeast, or salt. I ate deceitful steaks, normal rice and beans, what else? I saw people scream and die on the spot, I didn’t understand why. I heard songs with lyrics against my gods, I didn’t understand why, “Tu, un cinco nueve, yo un doble dos” were meaningless words. Words of freedom if I was not imprisoned, suddenly the bad become good for some. What was happening?

Pa’

demostrarte de qué sirven tus ideales

I lived with the figure of some Castro, I idolized him, we all or almost all of us did. They kidnapped me for years in a room full of images of his figure for hours, every eight hours from Monday to Friday. They didn’t stop. My brain was washed, like everyone else’s, I was one more who was whipped, robbed, strangled, beaten, and shouted live Castro. He was a puppet in a theater of lies, he was the main actor in a fool’s play. He was smiling sadness. He was a simple blind bug who was being cut off without the possibility of expressing itself; worms don’t speak but in my Cuba, they could speak more than me. I was fury and I was happy, I was a student, I worked and fought in a war, I was like an Argentine, I was a thief and a police officer, I was an athlete with vices, I was health and illness; I was all the bad and all the good, without knowing it I was the voice of deception and deceived.

Somos humanos aunque no pensemos iguales

The place where I am at this moment, was born and died on the first day of January in the year 59. My country became richer and poorer every day since that day. If you saw from my eyes filled with tears, if you could see what I see, only then could you feel how I feel when I think about it. Sitting in the lap of my homeland while I see how it crumbles, seeing my Cuban grandparents begging, my Cuban children suffering, my young Cubans crossing jungles in search of their freedom, seeing so many in the streets without knowing their fate, shouting for all of us who have suffered, suffer, and will suffer, sending them to Russia as inexperienced soldiers, like an animal slaughterhouse that never stops producing viscera and a bad smell. Being a child who doesn’t dream, they make him dream. Have a name in a small notebook so you can eat every day. Growing up lucky, seeing how others suffer greater poverty and behaving like a stupid child; I don’t know, there are too many traumas.

No nos tratemos ni matemos como animales

I opened my eyes like a child when I saw the world for the first time and that’s how I felt, that’s what it was, that’s what we are. I only have one thought and one dream every night, how gratifying it is to imagine a table with food, a beautiful and clean city, my united people bathed in freedom. The cries of hungry children turned into laughter, may my people shine, may there be no dark days, may he who speaks not die and may he who dies be happy and live with dignity. That young people have a future, that our sick people have hospitals and medicines, that mothers do not lose their children in compulsory military service, that “todos vivamos en el monstruo conociendo sus entrañas.”

Many phrases will not be understood, many things will be difficult to believe, but it is the reality of a child who feels for his country, a child who suffers like an adult, a child who cries for not being with his own, a child who had to flee from an alley full of murderers, from a jungle full of snakes; “Despertar de un sueño pesadillesco donde ya no existimos.” I was happy, I don’t deny it, but the clear darkness made all of us stronger who were happily suffering, all of us who lost our lives without knowing it, all of us who lived on Olympus with clouds of tears and gods of lies.

Song Title and Artist: Patria y Vida by Yotuel

mi bello angel

Sheily X.

I will talk about my grandmother who treated me well. She is the person who has been with me since I was a baby. She and my mother are the people I love the most in this world.

Tú mi bello ángel que cayó del cielo

I was 11 when my grandmother was with me. She always called me to help her do her hair. Her hair was black and thin, soft like cotton candy and the scent was refreshing. She was as soft as a cloud but she was human, yet she still had tangles in her hair that were rough. I treated her so gently as if she was a porcelain doll. By that, I mean she was so delicate that if you treat her badly, her hair may fall out, and the more delicate you treat, the better it will grow. Her hair was so soft, like the softest clouds in the entire universe. It smelled like a rose that bloomed in spring.

I felt so happy that my heart beat slowly because it was a beautiful pastime and I was able to enjoy these moments with her. I had a big smile that I couldn’t even imagine that the smile reached my eyes and when I laughed tears of happiness came out because she meant everything to me. She was like my beautiful angel because that’s what she was. A beautiful angel, she didn’t have wings, but she could fly and she was the only person who was there for me in good and bad times, just like my mom.

La que me emociona, Por ti pierdo el rumbo

I remember before my grandmother passed away she got sad because she didn’t like seeing me sad. One Saturday, without me knowing anything, she came back with a kitten. She was small and furry with a soft face and tiny eyes in a color like leaves shining in their first snowfall and she gave it to me. I was very happy and I helped her bring in the groceries because I was filled with joy. At that time I was still living in Guatemala.

She changed my life because she taught me that I never have to give up, even if it is my worst moments, that I always have to be strong, and that if I fall I get up. Even though my grandmother has already died, I will always have her in my heart. And when my mother is not with me, I will be strong for her.

Es que yo pierdo el ritmo cuando me abandonas

She had the most delicate face and she looked pretty. Her eyes were brown and her smile was as bright as the sun. She dressed in traditional clothing, she was so pretty, it was like you had seen a work of art. She always had an apron on, wherever she went. Her shoes were as delicate as her hands and her perfume was so sweet. She was always there for us to give advice to not make bad decisions, to be someone in life, and to not end up on the street begging for money but instead that we have to finish school to be considered important. And that the people who do not believe that we will get ahead one day, will say that they once wished the worst on us and judged us on what we wore and that they will realize that it is not good to judge someone without knowing the suffering they have experienced in order to get ahead. That is what I have learned from her and now I thank her for giving me that great advice because thanks to her I do want to be someone in life. She also taught me to forgive the people who have hurt us because if we don’t forgive, God won’t forgive us either and I know it hurts but we have to do the right thing and forgive.

She is very special to me. I remember her when the birds sing. I always heard her singing and she always got up early so that we could all be full and have more energy. That was the moment when I got the biggest smile of my life.

And well that’s the end of my story although there is more to tell but I don’t want to tell that anymore because it makes me feel bad.

Y me quedo solo, solo sin ti

I dedicate this story to my grandmother for those very nice moments I spent with her. I thank my grandmother for making me happy and for giving me such a nice moment.

To: The best grandmother in the world, I love you very much, grandmother.

Sincerely, Your granddaughter who loves you very much and will always carry you in her heart.

Song Title and Artist: Mi Bello Angel by Natanael Cano

Pa’ Mi Hermano

Yaneli C.

I hope I don’t remember that day. Instead, I will remember my favorite day I spent with him. That day I was wearing a red blouse and dark blue pants, if you looked closely they looked as black as the night. I felt so beautiful and confident. One day I was sitting outside playing, the day was sunny but it looked like it was going to rain, as if the sun was holding back tears. My brother came home after buying cookies. These were the type of cookies that were filled with white and pink cream that crumbled every time I took a bite, letting out a sweet and tempting aroma. When I tasted them, I felt like they were melting in my mouth, releasing their soft and creamy flavor. Later he told me he was hungry.

Vienes a mi, me abrazas, me despierto ¿Dónde estás que ya no puedo verte?

Pero sigues conmigo eternamente

My sister was making tortillas by hand, her soft, pale hands caressed the dough, masterfully giving it shape and texture. The aroma of the freshly poured tortillas filled the kitchen, enveloping me in it’s comforting and homely feeling. I was angry with my brother and he asked me to prepare food for him instead of her. He wanted eggs and beans, a classic and comforting combination. I carefully cooked his food, feeling the heat of the stove and the tempting aroma of the ingredients mixing in the pan. I prepared his food while he lay peacefully in the hammock. While he was eating I prepared his clothes so he could take a shower.

A veces, necesito tus palabras

Pero no puedo hablar con los recuerdos

Se me deshace toda la esperanza

He went to where my uncle went to lend money because he wanted to go to work in the capital. Emotion and anticipation filled the air, as we imagined the opportunities and challenges that awaited him in his new work adventure. He left around 6 pm. It was a very quiet night. The air was filled with the joyful songs of birds, their songs intertwined to create a symphony of nature, the rustling of the leaves, and the soft whisper of the wind. My mother loved him very much because that was the first son she had.

Well, I didn’t spend much time with my brother, but I was very fond of him and sometimes we fought, but those are sibling things.

Y no alcanzo a entender tanta distancia Sabes que te extraño

A veces me parece oír tu risa

That happens in life, but everything turns out well and the day he left this world, he left them behind with piercing pain in our hearts but, I said he’s in a better place. Our whole family came to the funeral and they brought recado de pollo, tortillas, and lots of food and my cousins attended. I was also praying for my mother, father, and my brothers to overcome this moment.

Dicen que en el cielo

Uno es feliz, no existe la tristeza

And after they killed him we felt very sad, he left a mark on our hearts but God gave us strength all this time. We miss him a lot, my mother, my father, my other siblings, and I are very sad, but we know he is in a better place.

Song Title and Artist: Pa’ Mi Hermano by Droow

Un Día Dedicado a Ti

Michelle C.

Y cuando allá adentro se apaga

La luz de una calle perdida

A memory that I like to remember is when I went out to the park with my step dad when I was 11. It was a warm day back in Colombia. That afternoon there was a beautiful, bright sun that made the light-green grass that smelled like lemon, shine. We sat on a soft purple blanket covered in hints of red and laid upon the grass. It was like sitting on a cloud. I saw children playing and heard cars driving by along with birds singing their songs. When I smelled the dirt, I could tell it was wet but we sat there anyway. There was a pond that was as transparent as glass with ducks swimming in flocks. Fish that were so quick to vanish into the deep side of the pond. It was a day that you could only see in the movies.

Es duro empujar las paredes buscando salida

Con rumbo a la vida

When we sat, he began talking and he was giving me advice. My father looked at me with such happiness in the park that day. His short, blonde hair, his big, green eyes, and his smile make him so hard to forget. He joked and laughed, but his advice helped me a lot and has stuck with me in these times. The truth is I felt good because I never had someone to tell me things I needed to hear and well, he always supported me with everything I needed. He made me feel safe, I trusted him although he was a tad bit mysterious. He was the life of the party but also had a shy side. He was a role model and someone I looked up to. My dad changed my life because he adopted me as his own and made me a better person day by day. He always believed in the good in people even though I didn’t. I admired that in him.

Mirando la luz de una estrella Aprendo que la vida es bella

He dropped me off at home later that day and when he said goodbye it was like he knew it was the last time he’d see me. That day was the best day of my life but also the worst. It was the last day I saw him before he died so I don’t know if it was bad or good. I got to spend time with him but I didn’t know it was the last time I’d see him alive. If I could’ve done anything differently that day I wouldn’t have changed it at all. It was perfect. If I knew it was the last time I would see him I would have thanked him. Thanked him for being the father that my biological father never was to me.

Y poco me importa si el mundo me llama careta, Careta, careta

Song Title and Artist: Caretas by Ismael Miranda

Siempre Viviras en Mi Corazón Abuelita

Danna S.

My grandmother was very special in my life. She took me to kindergarten. She was my favorite person because she was the only person I deeply cared for. That’s why it was a very big process when I found out that she had an illness and had to be admitted to the hospital. I remember how it was very cruel when we made a video call and saw her laying in the hospital bed. I couldn’t be with her because I was very small, and misbehaved and so I couldn’t be with her. I was very confused because I couldn’t see my grandmother since she was everything to me.

Toda mi felicidad es gracias a ti Y si yo me muero volvería por ti

My grandmother was very warm when she came back from the hospital and very tired because she didn’t like being in the hospital. When she took me to school, in my neighborhood where I lived, it was a very small school and not many children attended, there were very few. I didn’t like going to school every day but I felt good when my grandmother took me. She held my hand to walk down the street with my backpack. Her hair was very long and black. She had a lot of hair and it was abundant. She took care of her hair with Head and Shoulders shampoo and it smelled very fresh. She loved it. She was very pretty and she dressed in very pretty dresses and skirts. Her dresses had flowers and stripes and they were of many colors, but purple was the most common. I saw her as very big because I was very small and she always bought me strawberry yogurt. She bought the yogurt from a very close store and her brothers were very close to the people who owned the store. The yogurt was very delicious, the texture was very soft and very rich texture.

Me siento grande por ti

Y aunque lo intentara no podría sin ti

My grandmother was sick with a brain tumor and would get sick often, but suddenly she became seriously sick and in an emergency she was taken to the hospital. After that I didn’t see her much because she had surgery and she wasn’t the same. She couldn’t talk after having the surgery and I couldn’t see her for many days. During this time I was left alone with

my aunt because of how sick my grandmother was. I missed her so much as she always dropped me off at kindergarten. I would remember how she would pick me up after school and we would walk home hand in hand with my hair tangled from the girls who picked on me. The girls would pull my hair and ruin it and my grandmother never yelled at me for it. After a long day we would often eat together and yell at my older brother to eat with us.

Se quedan cortas las palabras realmente Y a Dios le doy gracias porque estás aquí presente

She left me with very beautiful memories of her, when she took me to school and picked me up, our walks to her house and my hands in hers. I remember her hand feeling very soft like a cloud. I also recall eating delicious food with her. Although I was accompanied by my aunts and cousins, at the end of the day I only ever wanted to be with my grandmother.

Quiero que sepas que te amo eternamente

Que cuando dije “sí”, lo dije para siempre

Thank you for loving me as much as anyone else.

Song Title and Artist: Ocean by Karol G

Un Momento Feliz

Angel T.P.

One Sunday morning I woke up and the smell of cooked meat reached my room where I was sleeping. I got up early because you could smell the scent so soft and rich that I could taste the roasting pork, so I got out of bed. I went to the kitchen thinking the smell was coming from there, but no one was there so I looked outside and I saw my dad was cooking a delicious meal, roasting pork. I was excited because my dad had cooked for the first time. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt and he had a red apron that he was wearing to cook the delicious food in the morning. I was eager and excited to try his food. I was still wearing my blue pajamas because I had barely gotten up. I didn’t even know that my dad was going to cook. When my mom got up, she still had on her sleep clothes and she was surprised when she saw my dad cooking food for breakfast.

Sientes, que de pronto, se te viene el mundo

As my dad was cooking I decided to walk in the yard. That morning it was sunny. The sun was covering everything and the rays gave the world a very beautiful view. The sky was blue, it was completely clear. The clouds did not cover the great view so you could see the atmosphere and it was really radiant that morning. The yard of my house was surrounded by the sun’s rays. My mother’s flowers were very beautiful and full of life because the rays of sun helped them grow strong and healthy. The outside of my house looked spectacular. The singing of the birds and the sound of the wind, gave life to the world. The birds had different colors of feathers that gave color to my mother’s flowers. As I walked through the patio of my house, I could feel the leaves of the flowers tickling my hands.

Quieres escapar de la realidad, no quieres sufrir, no quieres llorar

I went back to the grill to see how my dad was grilling the meat. You could see that the meat was very juicy. It was accompanied with a vegetable salad that gave a touch to the meat. The salad had lettuce, tomato, onion, chili and lemon. The vegetables were very fresh and delicious to eat. There were also freshly cooked beans and rice that was very white and soft which was very delicious. We also had freshly, handmade tortillas that were hot, soft and ready to eat. I was very happy and anxious at the same time to try the delicious and exquisite food that my dad prepared that morning.

When my dad served us the food that he had prepared that morning, I took a bite of the meat. The meat that my father prepared was excellent and he was very impressed with what he had made because the food was very delicious. This was a moment where my mother congratulated my father because she did not know that my dad knew how to cook that type of food. My mother was impressed because my dad knew how to cook delicious food.

Si en verdad supieran que lo tuvo todo

After breakfast I was very full and very happy with the food my dad had cooked. It was a very special day for me because I couldn’t forget how radiant the day was. Every minute that passed was a moment that could not be forgotten. The first thing that came to mind after I had tasted the food my dad prepared, in that special moment, I went to hug my dad very tightly and felt the love he had for me. He was very happy and the warmth of his body made me feel like the happiest and proudest child to have a father like him. My mother and my brothers and I thanked my father because he prepared us a delicious breakfast. We could not forget how delicious the food was and asked him to make it again and we would help him prepare.

Si supiera cómo lo extraño, viejo

My dad said we could do it again but not at home. As the days passed we had a day reserved at a park where we could go grill. We were planning to go on Saturday because my dad he rested every Saturday. We planned to go to a park that was near where I lived, and in the park the nature looked so beautiful. We had never gone to that park but every time we passed through we saw how the sun covered each corner of the park giving it a very beautiful surrounding. The nature looked very greenish and the trees provided shade where people could rest and be able to see and hear the environment. The lake in the park was very beautiful and it had a blue color. The water could be smelled, the wet soil earth had a very rich smell. Many people came to that place because it was a very beautiful place to relax and forget all worries.

Mira cuánta gente vino con papá

There were only 5 days left until my family went to that park. All I thought about was what that day was going to be like. Then I found out that my dad had passed away, it was a very sad moment for me.

Song Title and Artist: Para Mi Viejo by Banda El Coronel

El Día en el Que

Llegaste Tu

Valerin R.

One March around 11 at night, I was about to fall asleep when I heard a noise outside in the living room. When I went out to see what it was, I saw that it was my mother with my stepfather. They were bringing in something, I couldn’t see what it was because it was hidden behind my mom. When I could finally see what it was, I saw that it was a small dog. I asked my mom whose dog it was and my mom said that she didn’t know. They were just talking and then out of nowhere the dog appeared. They told me that the little dog was almost hit by a car and that they brought him into the house because they were afraid that another car would hit him or that something would happen to him, but also so that the owner could appear. I turned to look at the dog and noticed he was scared. I started touching his fur and I played with him so he could feel better. Then, we assumed he was thirsty so we gave him water.

Siempre hay un método de amar Y te amo, Evangeline

The next day my mom went and bought him food. I was playing with him and I started to smell him. He had a nice scent, like a baby. I thought he had just been bathed so I could tell he was from a good family. I started to notice that he had little black streaks on the top, and on his nose like on the tip of his nose, he had a white spot.

El hermoso amor

El grandioso amor

Así es nuestro amor

I asked my mom if we could keep the dog and she answered no because he had his owner. My mom went to the same place to see if they had already posted something on the lost dog, but she didn’t find anything. She spoke to my stepfather and he told him that it was time to take him to a shelter. As my brother and I were in our room playing with the dog, we began to get attached to him so we begged my mother and my stepfather until we convinced them to keep him. My mother said that if the owner did not appear within two months we could keep him. I was anxious those days and hoping that the owner would not appear.

¿Verdad que sí?

Mais oui!

Two months passed and the owner of the dog did not appear, so my mother told me that we could keep the dog. I was excited at that moment because back in my country I had a dog but I could hardly spend time with him because he lived at my grandma’s house. But now I was going to have a new dog that I could share every day with and that made me very happy.

Mírenla el cielo encender Te amo, Evangeline

About a week later we wanted to give him a name. I wanted him to be named Romeo because firstly, it’s a nice name, secondly for Romeo and Juliet, and lastly, for the singer Romeo Santos, but my stepfather didn’t like it. So we started thinking about a name that would stand out with his beauty. My stepfather thought of Tony, I don’t know why, but the name stands out just like him. Nine months have passed since that shy little dog from the beginning arrived and now he is much bigger and even more beautiful. He no longer has his white spot that he had and his little black streaks are no longer there either.

Song Title and Artist: Ma Belle Evangeline by Macaco

canela

Mariana S.

On July 9th, my mother sent me to the store to buy something in the afternoon. I went with my sister when we passed by a store where they repair bicycles. My sister told me to look at the puppies that were in a basket. I saw a brown puppy, the only one in the litter of that color.

¿Quién podría ser mejor?

The store owner approached us and told us that he was selling the puppies for 200 dollars. I told him that I was going to talk to my parents. When I returned home, I told my mother that I had seen some puppies and that I wanted one. She replied “I don’t know”, so I went and told my stepfather the same thing and he replied “let’s go and show them to me.¨

Contigo sale el sol

We went back to the store where they fixed bicycles and I showed my stepdad the little brown puppy. The only thing he said to me was “it’s time for me to talk to your mother.” The store owner approached my stepfather and told him that the breed was a husky. He said that the breed took care of the children and they took good care of the house.

Sazonas mi interior, siempre

As soon as we returned home, my sister and I began to beg my mother to buy us the puppy. When I noticed she didn’t want the dog, I started to cry. I cried because it was very hard for me to move countries because I had lived in Colombia all my life and the people who were with me all the time were my grandparents from my mother’s side. We had just moved from Colombia a year ago. My whole family stayed in Colombia and when I moved countries I felt lonely. Feeling alone was a major feeling I had. I told my mother that if she bought me the dog, maybe I wouldn’t feel so alone anymore.

Se derrite el corazón

My sister insisted and insisted that she buy it. After a while, my mother agreed to buy it. We went back to the store and when I grabbed the dog I could feel her soft, fluffy fur, and how small and light she was.

Tan sólo con una mirada

Together with my family, we didn’t know what name to give her since we had many in mind. We decided to name her Canela because she had a dark brown color on her legs and some parts of her chest and ears were light brown so we felt that the name was perfect for her.

Son tus besos, es tu voz que tienen mi alma enajenada

From there on, my life changed in a very beautiful way because Canela filled a void that I had, and being with her I no longer feel so alone. As she grew up, one of her eyes changed color, and she was left with one green eye and the other blueish-white. Her ears also straightened out. Not only did she change my life, but also my family’s because I feel that she brought us closer together. Canela was the band-aid on my heart. She is not only a pet, but she is my life companion.

Song Title and Artist: Chocolate by Jesse & Joy

good bike

Ricardo Z.

Un niño abre los ojos y por primera vez mira

Este mundo que gira alrededor de sí mismo y del sol que con calor abriga

My bicycle is something important to me because my parents gave it to me in February, when I turned 7 years old. They gave it to me because I was eagerly asking for a bicycle. After all, I liked to do various tricks like ride without hands, and ride through the streets and mountains, the normal things that one can do on bicycles. Nevertheless, I was afraid of getting hurt because sometimes I felt the adrenaline and at the same time fear or terror but with practice I got used to falls, many falls with painful scrapes on my knees, arms, and even on my face. My bicycle was also very useful transportation to go to school, for an errand, or to go to work, but I liked it to feel relaxed, calm, and a little crazy because of the adrenaline of going very fast.

Estos días de reflexión

I really liked riding to the mountains, but my mom didn’t like me going because she said I was too young since I was 8 years old. She didn’t like it because the mountains were a bit high and dangerous, but I liked riding my bike in the mountains. Riding there relaxed me and I enjoyed it. I liked being with my friends. On a casual day in the mountains, which was messy terrain with a very humid smell because of the rainy weather. Thunder and lightning could be heard. The ground was muddy from the rain in several places. The worst place with mud was the entrance, but still we went in, all dirty just because we wanted to ride our bicycles there. That day, a friend jumped from a mountain and did not fall properly. In those mountains, there were metals from some abandoned bikes. He was not lucky and some of the metal got embedded in his leg. A month later, my friends and I visited him at his house and he no longer had his leg. I still went back to the same place 2 or 3 times a week, but I had to do chores at home so that my mom would let me go to the mountains with my bike or sometimes there were races and I liked to go watch them.

El tiempo pasará, nuevas guerras empezarán

La felicidad llegará y con lágrimas terminará

I would always forget to bring my bike into my house. I would always leave it beside a wall near my house. But my dad would bring the bike in for me when he went to work in the early morning around 5 or 6 am. One day, I guess he forgot to bring the bicycle inside and my house had somewhat of a rusty and rotten mesh, and in the early morning someone jumped over the fence, entered, and stole it. I think it’s also kind of funny because I realized that my bicycle wasn’t there until 3 pm. The truth is that I felt very bad because I had my bicycle for about 3 years and it was a gift from my parents that I was eagerly asking for. It is also bad to have something very valuable that you have had as a child stolen from you.

Song Title and Artist: Vida by Canserbero

El Trébol y El Estudiante

J. Ochoa

Es el compa trébol y su primo el estudiante

Con su porte, bien vestidos, los plebes de arranque de ape’ido Beltrán

One day in the afternoon of March, when the sky reflected a beautiful pink color, it looked like the day was about to end and that made me feel sad. There was so much wind that evening that the trees moved so much. It seemed like they were dancing. I was sitting in the back of my house on a RZR tire, at that moment, I felt how hard and cold the tire was. I sat there admiring the sunset, waiting for my cousin to go to a soccer game. A short time later, my cousin arrived and told me that we weren’t going to play. When I asked why not, he said the game had been canceled. At that moment, I got a chill and I felt sad because that meant we weren’t going to make it to the league. But when I looked at my cousin, I noticed that his sadness was greater than mine.

Primo, jálese a Los Junior para festejar

Sin motivos alguno, la vida hay que disfrutar

My cousin went and sat in the garage, got drinks from the refrigerator, and started drinking. He drank so much that he started crying. Between tears, he told me “I got into a fight with my dad.” My cousin’s anguish was palpable, so much so that he began to beat his chest in frustration. At that moment I felt deep sadness because I always saw them close together and they always supported each other a lot, all the time, in every situation. My uncle left to Mexico because of the rage of the situation. My cousin felt like it was his fault, like he had failed to protect his dad or avoid the situation. My cousin called his friends over from his truck club and they told him something that cheered him up. My cousin’s friends told him, “We have to enjoy life because we don’t know if we will wake up alive tomorrow.” To lift up his energy, his friends arranged their trucks in an isolated area outside of a highway to do burnouts with their trucks. And so we managed to make the atmosphere no longer feel so heavy.

Nos gusta tomar

También quiero la hielera llenas de cuartitos

Que retumben las bocinas con un corridito

I committed to being there for him, supporting him, and listening to him in times of need. Together, we would face family challenges and find a way to heal emotional wounds with the support of both of us. The cold atmosphere surrounded us with the sound of the highway, we were very relaxed and calm. To continue the good vibes, we called other friends who are in a grupo norteño and they played their music. That party ended at 6:40 in the morning. This moment taught me the importance of having a good friend who is always there for you in tough and good times. I learned that friends always support each other.

Song Title and Artist: El Trébol y El Estudiante by Los Juniors De Mexicali

You’re Beautiful

Celina F.

One of the most important figures in my life is my mother. She has been my constant companion since the day I was born. Her dedication as a mother has never wavered. I vividly remember one day in particular when I woke up groggily to find my mom with her hair in a loose bun, wearing her favorite purple dress, and walking barefoot. She gracefully headed to the kitchen to cook and prepare a delicious meal.

My life is brilliant [...]

But I won’t lose no sleep on that

From inside my room, I could smell the tantalizing aroma of my mother’s cooking. The aroma hung in the air, filling every corner of our house. It was a delicious mix of spices and flavors that made my mouth water. I couldn’t help but imagine the sizzling of the ingredients as they danced in the pan.

You’re beautiful, it’s true I saw your face in a crowded place

Overwhelmed with emotion, I quickly got out of bed and planted a soft kiss on my mother’s forehead, wishing her good morning. She was radiant and her face was shining with joy. In response, she told me that she had prepared tortillas with soup just for me. Anticipation grew as I watched my mom skillfully prepare the delicious sauce. She cut fresh chili, ripe tomatoes, onions, and peppers, creating a vibrant mix of very delicious colors and aromas.

But we shared a moment that will last ‘till the end

You’re beautiful

As she cooked, she began frying the tortillas, filling the kitchen with the irresistible aroma of sizzling oil. The sound of crunching tortillas echoed through the room. Meanwhile, my mom grated cheese and sliced avocados, putting the finishing touches on our meal. With a mischievous smile, my mom jokingly said, “Help me or you won’t be able to eat and your brothers will have it all!” I chuckled at her playful threat, eager to lend her a hand.

In the middle of her culinary masterpiece, a small mishap occurred. The hot oil splashed on my mother’s hands and I laughed, making her wince in pain. Despite the burn, she kept going, determined to complete the meal. We all sat down to eat the delicious food that mom had prepared with her effort, with the burns on her hands, and everyone was happy as a family.

Song Title and Artist: You’re Beautiful by James Blunt

Mi Familia y Yo

D. Uribe

Un niño abre los ojos y por primera vez mira

When I was one year old my dad came to the United States to look for a new life. When I was 13 years old I heard my mom talking on the phone with my dad. They were talking about how Joe Biden was going to open the border for a few days and it made me very happy to hear that because it meant that I would see my dad. Even today, as a 16-year-old, I haven’t seen him since I was one year old.

Este mundo que gira alrededor de sí mismo y del sol

That same year, we went to Mexico City and I spent 15 days there with my brother and my mother. I went to the center of Mexico City to see the Angel of Independence. I also went to the Church of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Then we crossed the border with my mother. The US Department of Immigration separated my mother and I because mothers can only stay with children under 12 and I was older. Immigration officers detained us. My older brother was put in another section so I couldn’t see him. My mom and I were put in the same place but were separated by a glass wall. The place was cold and the food was bad. Three days later, we were let out but I still couldn’t see my brother.

La felicidad llegará y con lágrimas terminará

But in the end, I managed to get over it and I tried to maintain a positive mindset. On the third day, they called us and left us in a church. My dad gave us tickets to New York and I saw him for the first time in my life. I was shocked. I was very happy because I hadn’t seen him in a long time and after a few months I came to Los Angeles because I hadn’t seen my brother since 2 years ago. So now we are all together since I’ve reunited with my brother again. I hugged him for so long which brought me so much happiness. I still remember the distinct smell of my brother’s perfume.

Pasión, valor, visión, honor, razón, dolor o unión

Much later we went to eat at a Colombian restaurant which made us all so happy since we hadn’t had food from our country. The tablecloth had a yellow, blue, and red pattern. It was like the Colombian flag. They were also playing songs by Dario Gomez, a famous Colombian singer. The walls were full of paintings and photographs of Colombia’s nature. The ambiance of the restaurant made us really happy since it reminded us of our home. We hadn’t eaten Colombian food together in so long. I ordered Bandeja Paisa, a traditional Colombian food, and the rest of my family ordered other Colombian foods like Tamales. To this day, I remember this experience as a core memory of my life in the US.

Song Title and Artist: Vida by Canserbero

de vacaciones

Martin L.

Me fui de vacacione’

Con muchas cancione’

On the day we went on a trip I was 13 years old, and we went with my family to a place called Lago Atitlán. We decided to go to that place because we had never been there. We wanted to see the lake and we also wanted to see the volcanoes. That day, it was a totally beautiful day for us to go out and the weather was so beautiful. We started the car and when we were on the road we ran out of gas because when we left our house we forgot to put in gas but wow we were lucky there was a gas station nearby. We stopped there to fill the gas tank and then we started the car again and left. When we were halfway there a cousin of mine, who was younger, got nauseous because he was not used to taking a long trip. Little by little we were almost there because we could see the volcanoes and the lake. But what I liked the most was when I was in the car the lake looked incredibly beautiful and it was a bright blue color that I really liked because it was perfect.

When we got to the beach at around 11 am we decided to be there all day until nightfall and so we started having fun with my whole family. That day was beautiful because the weather was amazing. We went into the water and took photos on a boat. Afterward we got on some rides, rode some horses, and started fishing in the water. That day we had a lot of fun and around 2:00 pm, my family started cooking carne asada with a delicious salad and tortillas and we ate alongside the lake. I liked being next to the water because it was clear blue, it was also beautiful. The volcanoes reached the sky and they looked beautiful and it was really fun. After we finished eating we went swimming in the water again and this time it was more fun because we went to the store to buy some life jackets and some balls and we started playing soccer in the water and we really did have fun very much.

And then it was get ting dark and we started to pack all our things and we went to a restaurant to have dinner again because we were already hungry. We ate a meal of some mojarras and the mojarras had such a tasty crunchy flavor with some fresh green salads. The rice had a super delicious smell that filled me with joy just by smelling it. The spicy sauce added a burning touch to every bite of my food, as I always add spicy sauce to my food. When I ate it I felt like something was burning in my mouth and so when I drank a very cold Pepsi soda with a few pieces of ice, I felt that it cooled my mouth because my mouth and tongue were burning. But I liked the spicy sauce because it was made of chile de arbol. Something else I liked was the freshly handmade tortillas. They had a flavor that gave a special touch to my food and the tortillas had a good flavor and tasty smell of roasted corn because they had just come out of the grill. You could see the steam coming out of the tortillas and the aroma entered my nose and was super fragrant. When I touched the tortillas they were still hot so when I ate them, I felt like it burned my heart.

I heard my cousins, my uncles and aunts, my mom, my grandparents, my siblings, my whole family saying that it was a blessed meal because the salads were very fresh and tender and the sodas were very cold with ice. But what we liked the most was the restaurant because we ate next to the lake and it was beautiful. It looked as if the lake moved. You could see the waves coming from the lake and they collided with the stones that were in the middle. But it was most beautiful when you could hear the sound that the waves made in the lake, and at nighttime the boats that were in the lake, we could see the stars and the full moon from above. The truth was it was eternally beautiful and when we finished eating dinner we left the restaurant.

My whole family and I went around the lake to take some photos and some videos to remember the trip. I remember my cousin took out his phone and started to take our pictures. He told us to smile so that we could come out nice in the pictures. After he took the pictures we switched because it was my turn to take photos of him and it was on his same phone. When we finished taking photos we started talking about the day and thought about when we were going to come back again. Then we said that it was time to go home and our car was a few blocks away and so we had to walk a little bit. While we were walking my cousin who took photos didn’t feel that he dropped his phone and when we got in our car my cousin said “I lost my phone” so my whole family and I said “WHAT?” and my cousin said “Yes I really lost my phone” so then we went back to look for the phone.

We had to look for it for almost half an hour and we couldn’t find it and it was true the phone was lost. Me and my family got very upset with my cousin because he lost his phone. When we got home we arrived sad and also angry because we no longer had memories with my family, and the end.

Por las buenas amistade’ Y por las bendicione’

Song Title and Artist: Me Fui de Vacaciones by Bad Bunny

From teacher to student acknowledgments

The depth of gratitude I feel for the privilege of working with you all is beyond words. Witnessing your unwavering dedication, passion, and remarkable creativity throughout this project has been an extraordinary honor. Your courage in sharing your vignettes beyond the confines of our classroom, while gracefully navigating the intricacies of the English language, serves as a beacon of inspiration. I am filled with an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude for each and every one of you, as remarkable students who have now become esteemed authors. I am confident that your resilience and determination will continue to propel you towards even greater heights, paving the way for a future brimming with boundless opportunities and success. Felicidades.

Andres R. Martinez Cruz

English & ELD teacher, Roosevelt High School

826LA would like to thank to following for their support in making this chapbook possible:

Gracias!

Alenka Olid- Aguilar

Marco Beltran

Angie Martinez Morales

America Melchor Leon

Ariadne Makridakis Arroyo

Darinka Sandoval Telon

Bella Benavides

Antonio Liu

Mateo Acosta

Brettany Valenzuela

PLAYLIST

Cuando Yo Queria Ser Grande by Vicente Fernández

Si tú no vuelves by Miguel Bosé

La Casita by Banda MS

Ojitos Soñadores by Dueto América

Los Caminos De La Vida by Los Diablitos

Regalo Divino by Irene

El Viaje by Conchita

Patria y Vida by Yotuel

Mi Bello Angel by Natanael Cano

Pa’ Mi Hermano by Droow

Caretas by Ismael Miranda

Ocean by Karol G

Para Mi Viejo by Banda El Coronel

Ma Belle Evangeline by Macaco

Chocolate by Jesse & Joy

Vida by Canserbero

El Trébol y El Estudiante by Los Juniors De Mexicali

You’re Beautiful by James Blunt

Vida by Canserbero

Me Fui de Vacaciones by Bad Bunny

about 826la

Vision:

826LA envisions a Los Angeles where every child has access to quality writing education and is empowered to express themselves creatively through writing. We envision a Los Angeles where every teacher is supported in their writing-based educational objectives.

Mission:

826LA is dedicated to unlocking and cultivating the creative power of writing for students ages 6 to 18, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

How we advance our mission: A nonprofit organization, our services are structured around our understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

With this in mind, we provide after-school tutoring in all subjects, evening and weekend workshops, in-school programs, field trips, college access, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications.

All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s ability to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in their own voice.

Core Values:

826LA values joy in the service of achieving educational goals. Our community norms value diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. We therefore prioritize partnerships with Title 1 Schools, engagement with historically marginalized populations, and training and deploying community-based volunteers in support of our mission. As a teaching approach, we value creativity, authenticity, empathy, and lively, rigorous, and student-centered writing education. As an educational enrichment organization, we value supporting teachers, principals, and other school staff in the pursuit of excellence.

826la programs join the future bestsellers club!

After-School Writing Programs

Mondays through Thursdays, students attend 826LA for after-school writing programs. Students participate in community building activities, work on homework or reading with trained tutors, and of course, write! Students submit their writing for inclusion in chapbooks, which 826LA publishes twice a year. To celebrate students’ hard work, 826LA unveils these chapbooks at book release parties, where students read their work to thunderous applause from their volunteers, families, and peers.

Field Trips

During the week, 826LA invites teachers and their students to our writing labs to participate in a morning of collaboration, creativity, and writing. Whether Storytelling & Bookmaking, Well-Wishing & Poetry, Choose Your Own Adventure, or Memoir, field trips at 826LA support teacher curriculum and student learning by offering a safe space for students to be their most imaginative and to work on their writing skills. In a few short hours, students brainstorm, write, edit their work, and leave with something tangible—a bound book—as well as a renewed confidence in their ability to tell their stories.

In-Schools Programs & Writers Rooms

Because not all students can come to us, 826LA brings specially trained volunteer tutors into classrooms throughout Los Angeles. There, volunteers provide one-on-one or small group assistance with writing projects. 826LA works with teachers to craft all projects, which are designed to engage students while targeting curricular needs. In addition to visiting twenty schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District each year, 826LA has additional sites within Manual Arts High School, Roosevelt High School, and Venice High School called The 826LA Writers’ Rooms.

Workshops

826LA’s workshops bring students together with artists, writers, and professionals for creative collaboration. Whether the subject is journalism or preparing for the zombie apocalypse, our workshops foster student creativity while strengthening writing skills. This program includes two long running partnerships with Paramount Pictures and the Hammer Museum.

Sign up to make a monthly donation to 826LA and you’ll join our Future Bestsellers Club. For as little as ten dollars each month, we’ll deliver writing from our brilliant, emerging authors right to you!

Go to 826LA.org/donate and click on Future Bestsellers Club to join.

Jaime Balboa

Executive Director

Diego Quevedo

Chief of Staff

Shani Foster

Director of Education

Christie Thomas

Director of Development

Pedro Estrada

Programs & Operations Manager, Echo Park

Mike Dunbar

Programs & Operations Manager, Mar Vista

Mateo Acosta

Associate Director of Community Engagement

Carinne Mangold

Store and General Operations Manager

Time Travel Marts in Echo Park & Mar Vista

Alma Carrillo

Development and Communications Manager

Trevor Crown

Senior Manager of Volunteer Innovation & Assessment

Ariadne Makridakis Arroyo

Senior Volunteer Coordinator

Maddie Silva Manager of Special Initiatives

Arisdeysi Cruz Tutoring Program Coordinator

Marco Beltran

Writers’ Room Program Coordinator Manual Arts High School

Wendy Beltran

Writers’ Room Program Coordinator Roosevelt High School

Cole Montgomery

Development Coordinator

Ariana Ponce Olivares

Senior Civic Engagement Coordinator

Wilson Swain

Creative Engagement Specialist

J.J. Abrams

Judd Apatow

Miguel Arteta

Mac Barnett

Steve Barr

Joshuah Bearman

Amy Brooks

Father Greg Boyle, SJ

Stefan G. Bucher

Mark Flanagan

Ben Goldhirsh

Rebecca Goldman

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein

DeAnna Gravillis

Spike Jonze

Miranda July

Catherine Keener

Keith Knight

Al Madrigal

Susan Ko

President

Sarah Varet

Vice President

Karen Van Kirk

Secretary

David Ullendorff

Treasurer

Scott A. Ginsburg

Development Committee

Chair

Krystyn Madrigal

Tara Roth

Katie McGrath

R. Scott Mitchell

Lani Monos

B.J. Novak

Miwa Okumura

Jane Patterson

Keri Putnam

Sylvie Rabineau

Sonja Rasula

Luis J. Rodriguez

Terri Hernandez Rosales

Brad Simpson

J. Ryan Stradal

Natalie Tran

Sarah Vowell

Sally Willcox

staff advisory board board

Ben Au

Jeff Boos

Scott Boxenbaum

Cisca Brouwer

Chad DePue

Iman Farrior

Joe Ferencz

Hon. Holly A. Thomas

Dave Eggers, Emeritus

Jodie Evans, Emeritus