Jorge Paredes Estacio
It was 1983, in the Hospital, when my dad was told I was a boy without any chance to survive, being born premature after 6 and a half months. He knew I would be the boy he was expecting after five daughters in a row. He did whatever it was in his power to find those medicines that would help me to survive. After losing hope in finding those medicines, he went into the church to ask for help and his tears cleared out the way to find them, saving not only my life but other premature children too.
When I was 7 years old, I was playing, killing some ants with some fire and paper in the deposit room. This triggered a massive fire that I hoped I could put out by myself. My family watched me going up and down the stairs and wondered what happened. They were surprised when I said “FIRE”. Then, we all lined up in row to pass on buckets of water. We managed to put out the fire, but most of the stuff in the room was lost. It belonged to my father, apart from my colourful helicopter I was playing with. My father got to know about the incident at lunch time. We were at the table and I was worried about the punishment. However, he just said to be careful next time.
Some years later, I was sitting at the edge of the swimming pool. I was just playing with my feet on the water. I knew this was the limit I imposed on myself to avoid learning how to swim. I hated seeing how my friends were obligated to almost drown and hold their breath for some time. I just made an excuse that my lungs would trigger an asthma problem because I had been premature. However, despite my own self-imposed limit, I still experienced what the water felt like without any training. As far as I remember, I managed to see a blurred image of my friends gathering at the edge, watching how I was struggling in the very deep water of the swimming pool. Then, this image vanished and when I opened my eyes I could see the beautiful sunny day. I think it was my friend’s fault for pushing me in, but it obligated him to save me.
When I bought my car, I used to go to the near beach near to Trujillo city every week. I liked to have a walk along the coast and feel the wet sand when walking barefoot. I preferred to go at night during full moon, which brightened the dark ocean and the wet sand. I liked to close my eyes and feel the music of the waves going through my ears while the gentle wind calmed my deeper fears. It was so nice to smell the fresh environment: you could taste how salty the ocean was.
I still remember when I was about to leave my country. I was sitting in the window seat, waiting to start my journey to a new country. It was the first flight I had ever taken. When I arrived to the UK, those sunny days of September made me feel at home, until I naïvely decided to dry my clothes outside in the garden while I took a long walk to explore this multicultural and beautiful city of Bristol. Then, this sunny day seemed to be taken away by a strong wind announcing a dramatic change in the weather. I knew I had to take an umbrella just in case, as I had watched an informative video from the University of Bristol. But, I had never thought to always check the forecast prediction to avoid hanging my clothes outside in the garden. Well, always learning as usual.
I remember that winter day in Bristol, when I experienced for the first time grabbing a ball of snow and squeezing it. My friend told me to go now before the snow would melt. It was a big surprise to see all the kids playing all around, preparing snowmen with carrots and stones, even with some clothing and face masks I think for the first time. This cool day reminded me of when I was in Cajamarca city in the morning, and Santiago de Chuco as well. I took some pictures and soaked my shoes and socks while the ice melted like small rivers on street.
I have been in the UK for almost two years. Sometimes, I remember those sunny days in Peru when all the people along the coast would prefer to spend their time getting a tan on a nearby sandy beach instead of lying in a nearby park. Now I remember wearing strong clothes to avoid a windy environment and not being barefoot to avoid getting muddy walking along the beaches in the UK. I still remember not being surprised of talking about an unusual sunny day in the UK. But the fact that the sunrise varies with the seasons when getting away from the equator, brings us opportunity to experience different weather that match different emotions in our lives. This brings us funny memories that teach us all.