To Meet or Not to Meet

I was anonymously matched to Teodoro at the Castaway Kids Beach Party in March of 2017 during our first visit to San Carlos. I had always intended to meet him, and with the help of the Castaway Kids staff, it happened!! I give a BIG thank you to Terry Lynn, and Student Coordinator, Kristian Vizcaino, for your help. My husband, Darwin and I met Teodoro and his mother, Monica, at Rosa's Cantina in February of 2018 (see photo). Lydia Chase graciously offered her translation services for the meeting.

Teodoro and I attended the conversational English classes provided through Adelante Estudiante. We saw each other weekly until the classes ended in March. Teodoro and I also worked the Beach Party that month, and we shared a celebratory departing lunch facilitated by my Spanish teacher/translator, Elizabeth Roa. We have made a firm commitment to work on our language skills, and to stay in contact during the winter. We share our lives via Facebook and What's App, with the help of Google Translate. Teodoro graduated high in his class this year and was excited to enroll at Conalep for this fall.

Teodoro has frequently said that he feels very special because my husband and I took the time to meet with him and his mom in an effort to get to know them. He was initially worried that we would just disappear. I truly believe that the personal relationship and commitment to him has made a positive difference. The scholarship monies are necessary and extremely helpful, but the improvement in confidence with Teodoro has been noteworthy. He knows we care, and that he has an extended family through the language school. He is on fire to learn, and to rise above what he describes as having been a "hard life." He actually smiles now and is happy and hopeful. We are all excited to reunite this next December.