NEW
Library Project
Volume 3, Number 2 - Spring 2005
Gente y
Cuentos Inspires Women of Latinas Unidas
by Alma Concepcíon
Latinas
Unidas, in Trenton, helps newly arrived women adjust to life in the United
States. The fifteen women who participated in Gente y Cuentos came from
Guatemala, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Peru.
When
I asked Latinas Unidas coordinator Milagros Aguinaga about the impact of
Gente y Cuentos on her clients, she said, “I think it is a marvelous
program. It awakens a love for books and opens minds to other cultures. We
placed one of the participants in a new job and her remark was, ‘But now
I won’t be able to attend Gente y Cuentos.’
Here
is what Latinas Unidas participants have to say about their experiences
with the group:
Gilda:
We learned about diverse cultures within our own countries, different
words we had never heard before.
Jacqueline:
When you read these stories, you find in them your own friends and family,
and you understand exactly what they are going through.
Delia:
I had read stories by myself, but not in a group. You let your imagination
fly, you forget your problems and you begin to learn from the opinions of
other participants. We also learn from the authors. “Under the Willow
Tree” made me identify with part of my life. “Grandma’s Wake” was
funny, and laughing is great.
Gladys:
I was greatly moved by the child in “Balthazar’s Marvelous
Afternoon” and there was another story—I can’t remember the
title—but I remember we looked the country up in the map and I had never
seen it before in my life.
Gilda:
In “Grandma’s Wake” we don’t know if Grandma is dead or alive,
crying or smiling…I think she is alive, crying. I read the story to my
husband. He thought she was dead. He asked me to read again to him. Even
then, we couldn’t agree…
Rocío:
I did not have to come to this program, but I wanted to. The stories made
me feel sort of nostalgic, and I wished for a happy ending. But almost all
the stories have a sad ending. We have been accustomed to a happy ending
by the movies and the soaps, but it is not always like that. The stories
tell the truth.
Benita:
The stories speak of different situations we have all lived at one point
or another in our lives. I become each one of those persons in the
stories. I feel each one of those feelings. Even though the cultures are
different, the feelings are the same. In our discussions, we have felt
able to speak. One feels more comfortable speaking, more trust, because
there are almost no places where we can talk about things like these.
Delia:
There are authors we like and others we don’t agree with. But if we let
our imaginations fly, we will always be motivated.