Transcription

Narrator: Emiliano Chagil (EC)

Interviewer: Lorena Duarte (LD)

EC: We take this one-every-year trip to Guatemala. Of course, with children, the way we live in this state, it’s hard for them to understand the hardship, the poverty.

LD: Sure.

EC: When you tell them there are some families in my hometown that don’t have toys, they don’t believe that. That there are families in my hometown that maybe don’t have enough food for tomorrow; it’s hard for them to understand and to believe that.

LD: Yes.

EC: So, nonetheless, I try to expose them as much and try to make them understand as much. But also, going back to your question before, how much the Latino culture has changed Minnesota. I think these kids, the older kid, for instance, when I asked him, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” One thing he likes to say is that, “I want to speak Spanish. I want to be a doctor and go and help people in Guatemala.”

LD: Oh, wow.

EC: I think that’s a beautiful thing. I don’t think this kid would have said that if he was not exposed to the Latin culture or to Guatemalan culture. And I assume that’s, also, the case of many, many kids. So I think our culture has also interjected this curiosity of many other younger people to think that I’m not just going to have a profession and be rich and wealthy in this country, but also think about beyond the borders of this country. So, in many ways, it’s a great story.