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My Story - Student #25

Spanish

Cuando era niño, durante la pandemia, perdí a mi bisabuelo. Ese fue un momento muy difícil para mí porque mi relación con él era muy buena. Siempre lo ayudé trabajando en su tierra. Solía hablar con él y siempre tenía una nueva historia que contarme.

Los viernes solía comprar una película para verla con él. Solíamos ver películas animadas porque a él no le gustaban las películas de miedo ni violentas. Vimos películas después de cenar. En la cena, casi siempre me contaba sobre su día y luego me preguntaba sobre el mío. Así terminaríamos la cena.

Cuando comenzaba la temporada de siembra, yo siempre iba a la casa de mis bisabuelos para ayudarlo. Mi bisabuela preparaba el desayuno y el almuerzo mientras mi bisabuelo y yo trabajábamos. Siempre fue capaz de hacerme reír. Mientras trabajábamos, él me contaba sobre su infancia y cómo salió adelante. A veces, sus historias me entristecían tanto que lloraba. Pero él siempre decía: "Siempre debes encontrar una manera de salir adelante. No te quedes atrapado en un agujero del que no puedas salir".

Le dije que iba a ser el mejor y él me decía: “¡Hijo, así hablas!”. Luego seguimos trabajando. Cuando terminamos a las 4:00 pm, íbamos a recoger duraznos de su huerto y nos sentábamos a mirar las montañas. Cuando se hacía tarde, yo le decía que tenía que irme a casa y él me decía: “Está bien hijo, vete, ten cuidado”. Yo diría adiós. Cuando llegaba a casa le contaba a mi madre todo lo que había hecho y ella siempre me felicitaba porque no dejaba a mis bisabuelos solos.

Esas son las razones por las que les cogí tanto cariño. Hasta que llegó la pandemia y mi bisabuelo enfermó gravemente. Intentaron salvarlo, pero una noche estábamos en casa de mi tía y él estaba durmiendo. Estábamos todos tranquilos hasta que mi tío gritó: "¡Ven, ven, ayúdame! ¡Papá no responde!".

En ese momento sentí como si mi corazón se rompiera en pedazos. Corrí con la esperanza de que pudieran salvarlo, pero cuando llegué lo vi acostado con los ojos cerrados. Ya no se movía. En ese momento solo lo abracé y le dije que por favor despertara, que por favor no me dejara sola, que lo necesitaba, pero que ya no podía hacer nada.

Todos los recuerdos que había pasado con él pasaron por mi mente y me sentí mal porque todavía quería hacer muchas cosas con él. Mi bisabuela me abrazó y me dijo: “Cálmate hijo, todo estará bien”. Solo la abracé un poco y salí corriendo porque no soportaba ver así a mi bisabuelo. Me sentí devastada.

Pasó el tiempo y no he olvidado el dolor que sentí y sigo sintiendo. Pero hay algo que me hace feliz: pude pasar buenos momentos con él. Después de su muerte sentí que tenía que proteger a mi bisabuela, y así lo hice hasta que me embarqué en el viaje para ver a mi padre.

English

When I was a child, during the pandemic, I lost my great-grandfather. That was a very difficult time for me because my relationship with him was very good. I always helped him by working on his land. I used to talk to him, and he always had a new story to tell me.

On Fridays, I used to buy a movie to watch with him. We used to watch animated movies because he didn’t like scary or violent movies. We watched movies after dinner. At dinner, he would almost always tell me about his day, and then he would ask me about mine. That’s how we would finish dinner.

When planting season began, I would always go to my great-grandparents’ house to help him. My great-grandmother would make breakfast and lunch while my great-grandfather and I worked. He was always able to make me laugh. While we worked, he would tell me about his childhood and how he got ahead. Sometimes, his stories made me so sad that I would cry. But he always said, “You should always find a way to get ahead. Don’t get stuck in a hole you can’t get out of.”

I told him that I was going to become the best, and he would tell me, “Son, that’s how you talk!” Then, we continued working. When we finished at 4:00 pm, we used to go pick peaches from his orchard, and we would sit and watch the mountains. When it got late, I would tell him that I had to go home, and he would say, “It’s okay, son, go. Be careful.” I would say goodbye. When I got home, I would tell my mother everything I had done, and she always congratulated me because I didn’t let my great-grandparents be alone.

Those are the reasons why I became so fond of them. Until the pandemic came, and my great-grandfather became seriously ill. They tried to save him, but one night we were at my aunt’s house, and he was sleeping. We were all calm until my uncle screamed, “Come, come, help me! Dad isn’t responding!”

At that moment, I felt like my heart was breaking into pieces. I ran with the hope that they could save him, but when I arrived, I saw him lying down with his eyes closed. He wasn’t moving anymore. At that moment, I just hugged him and told him to please wake up, to please not leave me alone, that I needed him, but I couldn’t do anything anymore.

All the memories I had spent with him crossed my mind, and I felt bad because I still wanted to do many things with him. My great-grandmother hugged me and told me, “Calm down, son. Everything will be okay.” I just hugged her a little and ran away because I couldn’t stand seeing my great-grandfather like that. I felt devastated.

Time passed, and I haven’t forgotten the pain that I felt and still feel. But there is something that makes me happy: I was able to spend good times with him. After his death, I felt that I had to protect my great-grandmother, and that’s what I did until I embarked on the trip to see my father.

In those moments, I didn’t feel anything. I only had my great-grandmother in mind. While I was on my way, she would call me, and every time she saw me, she would cry. That broke my heart, but at the same time, through tears, she would tell me, “Come on, son. You can keep going so you can see your daddy.”

My heart was falling to pieces, but I kept going. At the beginning, I was scared because we had to cross through forests to get to the other side. From there, I had to take a boat, and all of that scared me. But I always remembered the words of my great-grandparents, so I managed to get to the shelter.

That was where I had a bad time because I felt alone without anyone. But I did not give up. I crossed everything, without fear. I knew I would have bad times, but I managed to get there. Then, when I finally arrived, I looked at the sky and said, “Thank you, God, for giving me this opportunity.”

When I saw my dad, I felt such great emotion because it had been eight years without seeing him. Then, I got home and called my family. They all cried but were happy. My great-grandmother told me through tears, “You see, son? You could do it. Now you have to be happy with your dad. Don’t worry about me, I will be fine.”

That was what gave me encouragement, but at the same time, it hurt my soul because I had promised to take care of her. Now, I just want to get my papers to be able to have a better life and to be able to travel so I can see her before it’s too late.

This experience impacted my perspective on the world because I realized that memories—about anything and anyone—are forever. I realized that life doesn’t stop. I realized that I have to enjoy the moments with the people that I love. I realized that I don’t have to stay in one place—I have to move with my life. I realized that I have to do everything that I want while I’m still able to do it. I realized that I shouldn’t miss out on things during the time that I still have left.