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My first word
When I was a little child – about 2 years old- I had a clinical audiologist,
Lidia Camargo, who would help me to talk. She would try to teach me words,
such as gato (cat), taza (cup), cuchara (spoon) or colectivo (bus). But
no matter what she did, I wouldn’t utter a word! But one day, I called
her Vaca! (Cow). At that moment my Mom was knocking on the door, she had
just arrived. But Lidia was so excited because I had told her Vaca that
she just yelled “I’m coming!” to Mom. And, with tears in
her eyes, she told me: “What did you call me? Please honey, call
me Vaca again!”. And I said Vaca again! That was a wonderful, wonderful
day! It was very hard to me to speak at that time, and so is it now, but
I’ve learned to speak
My memory
I have quite a good memory. I remember a lot of things, and those memories
are both good and bad. I remember one day when I fell down and hit my
head on the floor. It was in the street and I was with my Grandpa Horacio
going to the grocery to buy something to eat, because that day I was invited
to have lunch with my grandparents. I also recall when Nora used to make
cake for my birthday. I’m so sad and so sorry because she is not
going to be with me at my birthday parties anymore… I also remember
when I would go to the kindergarten at The Municipal Hospital… One
day at the kindergarten I wanted to go to the restroom and Eduardo Pereyra
(who has just arrived) went with me. There was a little frog in the restroom,
and it scared me!
When I discovered
a game
I was at my former house, on the other computer, searching on the system.
I found an archive and executed it to see what it was. Then a list of
files appeared and I selected Cat.Exe. Then, some music started to sound
and, every time I would move the mouse, the cat in my screen would move
too! I didn’t know what that was, but I soon realized I had discovered
a new game.
When we went
to a rehabilitation center
Dad and I went to Buenos Aires to do rehabilitation. They made me do exercises
on a brown mattress. My kinesiologists were Lidia and Raquel Crocci. I
used to go to do rehabilitation every weekend. At that time, I didn’t
know how to drink using a straw, and a very nice girl there taught me
how to do that. When we would leave that place, we would stay at the apartment
of my Dad’s cousin. As I wasn’t able to travel to Buenos Aires
each weekend to doing rehabilitation, my kinesiologist Raquel Crocci used
to come home instead. I was very, very young, just 2 years old! Raquel
kept working with me until I turned 11. Well, this is how I remember everyone!
My trip to Buenos
Aires
We traveled to Buenos Aires
by bus (one from Costera Criolla company). At one moment, the bus stopped
and we were told it was broken. So we had to wait there in the middle
of the road… Meanwhile, my Dad draw Mom’s face in my notebook,
with the 3 colored pencils I had (red, green and black). And then he told
me to look through the bus window. I did so and saw horses and cows. I
started to feel hungry and thirsty, and my Dad’s cousin, Silvia,
gave me some water. We had been stopped in the middle of the road for
almost 2 hours and a half when a mechanic crew arrived and repaired the
bus. Finally, we arrived to Buenos Aires safe and sound!
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When I went to a dancing
party
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I went to a dancing
party when my cousin Javier “El Buque” Rosatto graduated
from high school. The party was at National School, and “El
Buque” had invited me. Uncle Mariano and Aunt Antelia drove
me there. There was a girl who asked me to dance, but she couldn’t
understand what I was saying. My uncles and cousins never knew a
girl has invited me to dance that night….
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My First Communion
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My First
Communion was celebrated at Estrada Club. Among my guests were Eduardo
Pereyra, Martín Burgos, my Aunt, my dear Nora Gaitan Mezquiriz,
Laura Alberro, Linda and Facundo Cabral. That was on October 18, 1992.
Aunt Antelia gave me as a present a beautiful medal with Jesus’s
face on it. Eduardo gave me a photo-album. Martin…I can’t
remember now what he gave me! Nora’s gift was an alarm-clock
that sounded like a rooster. Laura gave me a San Lorenzo watch. Nilda
and Facundo… I can't remember what they gave me either! My Communion
was a very special moment to me!
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My former house
Family and I used to live in a house that wasn’t very comfortable,
it was too small and the bathroom was outside. Our neighbors used to make
annoying noises. Every time we wanted to go to the bathroom we had to
go outside, and it was particularly bothering during winter or raining
days. The worst thing is that it was impossible to me to go to that bathroom,
it was too small. That house wasn’t our, my parents were paying a
rent for it. Then, on July 28, 1996, (it was a Sunday) we moved to this
new house. It was built by my parents, they’ve sacrificed big time
to build it! This house is much more comfortable to me, because I have
plenty of room for my wheelchair. I feel really good in here!
What I think about
people
I think there are people here in Ayacucho that don’t give us disabled
persons much respect. It’s common to see cars parked in front of
wheelchair-ramps. Worst: there aren’t enough ramps here in Ayacucho
streets! And it seems nobody takes care of it! It’s very difficult
to ride a wheelchair in these streets indeed… Side-walks need to
be repaired… Even at the Hospital I find obstacles when I go there!
That’s a shame! I’d like to write an open letter to government
people to make them see what our situation is. I know those that discriminate
against us. There was a time when there wasn’t even a ramp at the
Church! Then, thanks to Gerardo Brizas, I wrote a letter to the priest,
Father Miguel Paris, asking him to build a ramp there (our church entrance
is a stairway!). Finally, after a lot of fighting, they built a ramp in
the Church. Dad and Mom have fought hard for years to make people realize
how difficult life could be to a disabled person!
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