When I was 8 years old and getting ready to go to school, just once out of so many days, I peeked through the terrace of my house. Right in front of me was the nativity scene that my aunt had built for the neighborhood children, which still stands to this day. I saw a boy, no older than 10 years old. He was wearing a torn shirt, underwear, barefoot, and somewhat disheveled. I was called to have breakfast, a call I answered with uncertainty in my little heart.
When I finally came downstairs after an hour, that boy was lying there on the benches. Doña Albita, who besides serving my aunt for years is also part of the family, asked him, "Child, what are you doing on the street at this hour?" It was 6:30 a.m. The boy got up, looking worried and with his face down, he replied, "I don't have a home." And Doña Albita, still not fully understanding the situation, asked him again, "And your parents?" To which the boy, with his feet covered in dry mud and some wounds, replied, "I don't have any, ma'am." Creating an uncomfortable silence, Doña Albita decided to continue on her way, taking me by the hand as if nothing had happened.
I don't know if that boy had lied or if it was really true, but that day I never forget. Those are the events that leave a mark on your memories. And apart from remembering it to this day, the uncertainty and pity I felt for the first time at the age of 8 were completely ingrained in me. And I thought to myself, "If my aunt hadn't listened to her mother and taken me under her wing, could I be in the same situation?" Then I thought about other children and tried to imagine how terrible it would be to be ten years old and not have anyone to ask for food, a bed to sleep in, or a roof to shelter you from the rain... I would have liked to help him, but I was only 8 years old.
From that day until today, I never imagined I would find myself studying Social Work. But from that day on, I started to want to help other children. When I started thinking about what to study, unconsciously my options only included careers related to childhood. I wanted to study Psychology and specialize in the field of Child Psychology. Unfortunately, by the time I graduated, luxuries and comforts were gone. Well, we didn't fall into poverty, but we could no longer waste or afford certain things.
With the arrival of the pandemic, I ended up studying Sociology at the University of the Pacific. Despite it being a good career and despite maintaining an excellent GPA, personal, family, and anxiety issues prevented me from continuing into the third semester. Due to circumstances in life, I find myself now studying.