Читать книгу Let them all tell you what happened - Mercedes Pescador - Страница 21

Ilive in a very centric area of the city of Guatemala. I’m the youngest of three siblings, I live with my parents, I work and I’m also a student. These are my main obligations. I’m sure that many people my age are living a similar situation.

Unfortunately, Guatemala is a poor country hit by corruption and great inequality. However, we also have positive qualities like our hospitality and positive attitude, family closeness and respect for our traditions and culture.

I’m a teacher of Social Science and, since the moment we heard about this new disease at the beginning of the year, I discussed the news with my students in the classroom, but we never thought this disease would actually harm us.

In my home we enjoy a certain level of comfort which is not the average in our country. We always watch and discuss the international news, specially from Spain and Italy, countries where we’ve had the opportunity to travel to, and we feel culturally identified with. In our family we agree with the actions taken by our president to safeguard our health; home quarantine for people suspected to have the virus, immediate closure of schools and universities after the first case, a 12-hour curfew from four in the afternoon, and the mandatory use of face masks. Being the youngest in the house, I’ve taken the responsibility of looking after, accompanying and protecting my parents, who are quite old and have a few health problems.

I’m a millennial but I can’t help finding funny the behaviour of many young kids on social media, where they feel invincible and even unaffected by the virus. People from my generation, we always try to rebel against the system and its regulations. We are known to be egotistic, manipulating and even resentful with the treatment we receive from society and our parents: more difficulty to find jobs, fierce professional and work rivalry, and less room to get established. However, I think the majority of us are quite comfortable living with our parents still.

I’ve thought a lot about my social status as a millennial. Are we, by chance, ready to inherit this planet? Have we learned enough as to take landmark decisions on transcendental matters for humanity? To be in lockdown and to sacrifice going out with my friends has been terrible. And at this moment I realise that: we are growing and, at any given time, it will be us who become the leaders of our nations and societies.

I’m scared. Our health system doesn’t guarantee that all the population can be saved, and not forgetting the problems we already had like pollution, poverty, malnutrition, political corruption, economic inequality, discrimination.

At the same time, I really appreciate the company of my parents and I’ve seen the supportive and understanding side of my friends. I have also built up my patience and I’ve discovered, at a distance, that I feel a great affection for my students.

The future is uncertain. I don’t know if the people I love will survive. I don’t know if I will recover the comfortable and easy life I had, but, in this short period of time I’ve learned a very important lesson: life is not just about me, I’m the one who must work for my own life and the lives of the people around me. Now I am more aware of the inequalities and that worries me. As a millennial, I cannot afford to put the blame on others for my own mistakes and problems, and I cannot forget the reasons I have to be grateful.