"If you had a day free from all of your responsibilities to
do whatever you wanted, how would you spend it?" I asked Verónica.
¨I would help my mom with everything so that we could both rest together in the afternoon, ¨ she replied.
While Verónica’s answer may not be the most imaginative, it is certainly revealing of the thoughtful, caring nature of the 17 year old first-year student at Instituto Nacional Ozatlán, a high school in the pueblo just down the road from me.
Verónica wakes up just after 4 o’clock each morning to help her mom wash dishes, do laundry, and cook breakfast for her younger brother and sisters. She heads to school on a bus at 5:50 a.m. After nearly an hour-long ride, she spends the day in class until just after 4 o’clock in the afternoon, a full twelve hours after getting out of bed. Another bus ride and she is back at home, spending the evening studying and helping take care of her siblings.
¨I would help my mom with everything so that we could both rest together in the afternoon, ¨ she replied.
While Verónica’s answer may not be the most imaginative, it is certainly revealing of the thoughtful, caring nature of the 17 year old first-year student at Instituto Nacional Ozatlán, a high school in the pueblo just down the road from me.
Verónica wakes up just after 4 o’clock each morning to help her mom wash dishes, do laundry, and cook breakfast for her younger brother and sisters. She heads to school on a bus at 5:50 a.m. After nearly an hour-long ride, she spends the day in class until just after 4 o’clock in the afternoon, a full twelve hours after getting out of bed. Another bus ride and she is back at home, spending the evening studying and helping take care of her siblings.
Verónica’s father left the family when she was a young girl, leaving her mother with the burden of raising four girls and a boy on food and income collected from growing corn and selling any leftover harvest.
On the weekends, Verónica helps out in the corn fields and attends church, where she is a member of the youth group. She also finds time to serve on a committee working to bring a library and cultural center to her village, El Delirio.
An aspiring Doctor, Veronica hopes to attend a university to study medicine after completing high school. She wants to work in a public hospital or clinic where she can continue to do what she enjoys most; helping others.
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