“I’ve Always Wanted to be a Dad” ~ Talking with Mauricio

By Selena Reno

When studying abroad, one experience I loved was getting to know the people in my class better. During class, it was pretty quiet; but during the trip, all of our personalities came to life. We had dinners together and went on many adventures. We came out of our shells through the many icebreakers. We made jokes and had deep conversations about the future. One person in particular that I enjoyed having conversations with was Mauricio Gómez Montoya.

During our time in London, I always looked forward to talking with Mauricio during various outings and dinners, but also his way of taking pictures and capturing our attention was such a hilarious experience. For example, whenever Mauricio took pictures, he would always wave his hands and say, “hey kiddos look at me”. We all thought it was hilarious because it was such a dad thing to do. Also, he would always count our heads so that he knew we were all there and that no one was left behind at some site. These actions always made me feel safe and comfortable like I was with my family rather than in a strange new city with strangers. What also made me feel comfortable was the various conversations in which Mauricio said his famous, quote “I’ve always wanted to be a dad”. He would ask us questions about our life and why we wanted to do what we did and would talk to us like adults instead of children which was something I was used to. He treated us like we were adults and people that he had known forever. We were able to joke with him and laugh with him. Tell him things or view certain perspectives of life in different ways than we thought before. In total, my experience in London was incredible because of the people I got to know as well as the faculty with whom I became familiar by the end of our trip.