Frida's cafe

There’s no one like my Mother! Dora Estela was born in El Salvador August 20th in a year I won’t disclose because she will kill me! At 9 years old, my Mother graduated from being a girl to an adult when she began working in the cotton fields. In El Salvador, like in other Latin American countries, some children lose their childhood early due to poverty.

According to my grandmother, Mami was always the rebel of the bunch; sounds familiar?  My mother loved to go dancing and go places and was always curious. In Spanish there’s a saying, “Es mejor pedir perdon que pedir permiso.” Or “it’s better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.” I believe my mother was a firm believer in this philosophy. She has always done what she pleases, and giving up has never been an option.

One big difference between us is that she does like to do her hair. I don’t cut my hair to be “hip,” but because I’m lazy and I do not want to spend time fixing it! My mom has always cared for how she looks, and the day she doesn’t, something must be wrong. Growing up, she didn’t have fancy makeup, but that didn’t stop her. She used achiote, a reddish food condiment, to blush her cheeks.  I loved getting her photos in the mail. I was always amazed by her beauty and couldn’t believe the beautiful green-eyed lady was my mother.

My lovely crazy brother jokes that I do not like looking like her because she found me in a dumpster. I throw it back at him since he doesn’t look like her. Brotherly and sisterly love, I tell ‘ya!

All Jokes aside, my mother is a beautiful woman, and no one can deny it. The most beautiful part about her is her love for her children and the strength to always protect us. We are 4 big headaches, Carlos, Frida, Diana, and Jose.

I owe my mother a lifetime for everything she has done for me. Although difficult to understand when I was a child, her sacrifices changed my life. I understood this even more while in Nicaragua this summer. I could see myself in the kid’s faces and how different my life would have been had my mother not moved to this country. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must have been to leave her 2 children behind to search for a better life across the border. I must also thank my tia Marta for encouraging and supporting her through the difficult decision.

That decision changed everything; it gave me options, and I will forever be grateful. This is one of the reasons I want to continue with the project in Central America. The kids there also deserve options, resources, and an education. Those who cross should never forget about those left behind. I was fortunate my mother crossed but never abandoned us. She came back for us and changed everything.

My mother is my hero, my Wonder Woman, and today we celebrate her birthday. I thank her for their strength, courage, and love.