RHA was a great location for folks who lived there, but it was difficult for others to find. We contacted O’Brien Middle School as it was easy to find and easy to give directions to. The faculty and staff were very easy to work with. In retrospect, the only thing that was difficult was that I was put in the middle a lot. For example, if kids would misbehave, I was pulled in to interpret for the Spanish-speaking families. It was difficult for me not to take sides as I was often interpreting for families that were also clients of the Family Resource Center and I knew what was going on with family dynamics.

I met my friend Luz by happenstance. I was working one day and she was with the Food Bank, assisting people to fill out applications for SNAP, or Food Stamps. She was in the office with me and I got a phone call. The caller was Spanish-speaking, and I was assisting her with a housing issue. When I hung up, Luz asked me wide-eyed “¿Hablas Español? I said yes, and from that point on we had a great friendship. Luz, from Puerto Rico, was married to a Mexican man, so she made excellent food beloved in both countries.

About the same time, I was asked by my good friend Fátima if I would be willing to conduct Alitas, a mentoring group for young Latinas. I was uncomfortable with the idea as I speak Spanish, but I am not Latina. She said that she would have several girls in the North Valleys area that would have to miss out on a program that was available to other communities, so I agreed. I conducted the first class on my own, but after that I asked my Latino friends if they would be willing to help me as guest speakers. As such, the girls were educated on topics like how to get into College, how to use their bilingualism to their advantage in society and for employment possibilities, and much more.

I completed the sessions with my Alitas, and awarded them each a mug filled with goodies like a coupon for a session at the Aveda hair salon school.

The director of the Family Resource Center was now Joanne, and she ran things differently than Diana had. She was focused on updating our computer system as we were using an Access database in each center, and she wanted all of the centers to be able to communicate with each other. We eventually had a new system, but it was a big adjustment to learn it.

Continuing with the theme of introducing Maria Elena to activities to which I had not been exposed. I enrolled her at Cancino’s Black Belt Academy. She developed skills quickly and advanced to a yellow belt when the director told me that she would have to sign a contract to continue. I was not comfortable with a contract as kids can be fickle, so we had to cease taekwondo

I had been working really hard on exercise, but it was mostly cardio, and I felt like I could benefit from some strength training. I lucked out in not only finding Achieve Fitness but also taking Body Pump classes taught by Holly Robey, a finalist in previous bodybuilding competitions. Holly looked like a fitness guru, but her voice betrayed her body build. She talked in a high-pitched voice that sounded like she had sucked in helium before coming to class. She ran body pump class for both men and women, but she had Tuesday and Thursday afternoon classes for women only. We were able to push ourselves harder when there were no guys around. I stayed in her class for quite some time and occasionally I would go to her private sessions in a gym she and her husband owned. Her husband was also a bodybuilder.

I developed a friendship with Gaynor during this time. She was a nurse in a Psychiatric Hospital and had come to the United States from England. We would often leave Achieve , and walk to the nearby Starbucks to chat before we both went home

The Lions Club is a notable organization committed to community service, and the head of the Hispano Chamber of Commerce organized the Latino Lions Club to diversify the organization and ensure that all members of the Reno community would feel included. I am not Latina, but I speak Spanish and was openly welcomed by a Latino community in Reno. We had a celebration to open up the club and meet and greet. It was at this point I met my friend Sandy. We hit it off immediately and I was able to learn about her family, of Guatemalan roots. She and I would often go out dancing and she would dance with her boyfriend, and I would dance with friends of hers or her boyfriends’. I would participate in nights when her boyfriend and his dad would cookout, and I found that I would reminisce on times I spent with Victor as Sandy’s boyfriend prepared a homemade pico de Gallo, just as Victor had done

As I had been a Brownie Scout in my youth, I encouraged Maria Elena to join Girl Scouts, and I quickly regretted it. The Girl Scout mommies tried to outdo each other with cookie sales, and we went as a group to Virginia City where we boarded a railway train that had NO windows. It was so freezing and I was ready to go home.

I was hoping to stay active even though I was parenting my daughter on my own. So, I would drop her off at school and hit the gym next to her school where I would try to squeeze in cardio and weights before going to work. I would start with the treadmill and then go to the weight room where there was always a man who had a military crew cut and huge muscles. He was quite loud and wondered aloud why I spent such a short amount of time in the gym. Instead of attempting to explain, I left for work.

Maria Elena had excelled at soccer ever since she had tried it in the PeeWee leagues at the YMCA. I got her enrolled in the Great Basin Youth Soccer League where she continued to develop her footwork and remain challenged. She had a range of coaches, from Dads who wanted to be involved in their daughter’s team to coaches who had been on teams before, so they knew the game. I was just glad that she continued to do a sport she enjoyed.

I had originally enrolled Maria Elena in a Catholic kindergarten class, but I visited the classroom and was dismayed by what I saw. Fortunately, my friend had enrolled her daughter in a charter school, and they had an opening for Kindergarten. I was blown away with the school and what Maria Elena was learning, The charter school was easily two grades more advanced than the average elementary school. Her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Robinson was excellent and invited me to participate with the kids in class. She taught her class and kept the kids engaged in the lesson. We took a field trip to a local park, and all of the kids wore tie-dyed shirts that the kids signed. I got very emotional at her Kindergarten graduation. Her first and second grade teachers were not as skilled, but her Third Grade teacher was amazing, Mrs. Hair. She was very supportive of the kids and even made an effort to attend one of Maria Elena’s soccer games.

The University of Reno,Nevada,or UNR as Nevadans refer to it, held free summertime concerts replete with bounce houses, watermelon, concerts, and outdoor fun. We went a few times with my dad and a few times by ourselves. It was good to kick back outdoors and eat.

As my mom had done with me, I enrolled my daughter in things that I had not had been exposed to and wanted her to know. I enrolled her at High Sierra Gymnastics. She was introduced to the bar and to tumbling. She enjoyed tumbling, although I cringed through most of the routines.