CELIA MARINA VASQUEZ LUNA (nicknamed :MARINITA”)
“Being here (at the finca) is my FAVORITE part of my day!”
To the Reader: Although I choose to tell Marinita’s story in first person, I gleaned much information from her grandmother who is raising her. Due to her age and the graphic content surrounding her mother’s death, Marinita herself is unaware of parts of her own story. They will be shared with her as she matures and is ready to digest the grim details. I interviewed her by casually listening to her talk and interjecting questions while we shuffled cards and played games on the porch of the coffee finca where her grandma works. Although Marinita actually refers to her grandma as “mommy” because she has always raised her, in order to avoid confusion in the story with her biological mother, she will be referred to as her grandma.
Editor’s Note: This little girl with huge, expressive, dancing brown eyes and an enchanting smile immediately steals your heart. Based on the fast rate she learns these unfamiliar games it is abundantly clear to this former teacher how exceptional she must be at learning too. It wouldn’t surprise me that if she were “tested,” she may excel in the gifted range of intelligence.
The question she asks her grandma about us strangers after the first day is whether we go to church. When she is told that yes, we do indeed go to church, she is pleased and even more willing to interact.
Celia (“Marinita”) shares her story:
Because my middle name is the same as my grandma’s first name, I’m often called by the nickname which means “little Marina” or Marinita. I go by both—Celia or Marinita. Whatever you want to call me is fine. I answer to both. I live with my grandma, Marina, and my aunt, uncle, and cousin in a nearby village called Colonia Padre Santos. I have no brothers or sisters. (more…)