Maria Castilla was born in Argentina and grew up there. When she moved to America she was 20 and had 2 young kids. The decision to move there was not one that she chose. As a newly-wed Maria would not separate herself and her family from her husband, Hector. Hector moved to America in hopes of finding better opportunities. It was a very difficult decision for them as they both felt a passionate love for their home country. With high hopes, they left Argentina and all of their family with it. Upon arriving in America she struggled with her broken English and the confusion that came with going to a new country. The people in America were not welcoming and she instantly missed the friendliness of the people in Argentina. The 10 story apartment building, which never felt like home, was one of loneliness and seclusion. Maria’s uncertainty about the place and people around her kept her inside watching the world from a window. On one of these window watching days, she saw 2 men stealing tires from a car and ran as fast as possible to the parking lot where she told them to stop. Maria’s cries for help did nothing, and neither did calling Hector who told her to go inside because they would and could kill her. The thought of her family had her running inside, where she would later unconsciously be frightened by the thought of helping again. The warmth that she felt in Argentina was no longer something she could rely on to help her, she was now stuck with the coldness of America’s people. The kindness of all the neighbors in Argentina could not be found with the people in her building. She was faced with being a “white Latina” that many “didn’t know existed” and somehow being even more discriminated for how she wasn’t a different color. Many years later she found herself living in Miami with children and grandchildren just a drive away, but despite that, she still missed the warmth and liveliness that was Argentina. The possibility of death for her mother led her running home, where a month trip turned into years, and even now she walks down the streets of her neighborhood waving to friends that she has known her whole life, and even to the strangers who will slowly encase themselves in the makeshift family that is Argentina.
