Growing in Community

“The first 5 years in Champaign Urbana went by so fast. We moved between several apartments and houses until finally we bought our own house. At this point after another long winter we started going out more. The kids loved playing outside in the Spring and everything looked and felt brighter and happier. We were beginning to meet more people and make friends from South America as well. Mrs. Sharp, our host, invited me to tea parties and I got to meet women from all over the world. It was great because I could take the kids with me. I had to take the kids everywhere because I had no idea who to leave them with. 

This was also around the time I met Jorge Torico who became a very good friend. I met him when I was working as a waitress, he asked me where I was from and when I said Bolivia he got up and gave me a big hug as he was from La Paz, Bolivia. After that he became a fast friend. He came to the house and met the kids and Henry and brought his friends. He used to play the guitar and I could still sing at that time, so he would play and I would sing. People in the community were very interested about Bolivia and would ask us to share a bit of the culture, so Henry, my brother, Jorge and a few others would visit communities in Champaign Urbana and share a little about Bolivia and our culture. One time the Union had a program for the international students and Jorge and I participated. He played and I sang and it was a big success. The News Paper took our picture and we were on the front page. Around that time a couple came to me and asked if I would like to sing with a group called “Los Cumbancheros” and Henry thought it would be a great idea for me to have something of my own that brought me joy. It ended up being so much fun.

I was also having such a wonderful time watching my children grow and learning more about this town and community. We were all trying to adjust and become part of this country. For five years it felt like we did nothing but try to survive and now we were finally starting to really enjoy and become involved in our new home. It was a good time but it definitely flew by and so many memories blend together but there are little moments and details that come through. Seeing my two little kids grow up was really the highlight though, and soon we added a third, my little Carmen, but that is for another time.”