A day in the life of Maria

This is a true story:
The alarm clock rings. It is 5am. Maria immediately turns off the alarm not trying to wake her 2 year old daughter and sick mother all sleeping in the same room. She sneaks out of the room and starts her daily chores of work: She begins by washing some clothes in the sink outside the house by the outhouse. She turns on the water tap to fill the sink hoping that there will be water today. Despite the fact that she lives by a lake the water supply is only sporadic. But she is lucky this morning.

As the horizon is showing the first signs of light, she returns inside the house to iron yesterday’s laundry. She then gets dressed and starts preparing for her day, and she has a long one ahead of her. Hoping not to wake up her daughter’s fragile sleep she moves about the rooms very quietly. She knows that if her daughter was to wake up she would immediately run to hug her mother. Wanting to play would make leaving for work on time almost impossible. It always breaks Maria’s heart to leave as her little baby crying and begging her to stay so the only solution is to leave before she awakes.

Having studied at university as the only girl in her town her views of cultural norms were different form tradition. Two years ago when she found out that she was pregnant she took the courageous and unusual decision to move together with her new boyfriend rather than getting married. Shortly thereafter, the newborn adding to the stress, it became clear that the relationship was not healthy and mother and father were simply not getting along. She decided to leave. Despite having violated her family’s pleas of not getting married, her mother was willing to take her back in (her father had died in an accident a few years back). Back at her mother’s house she is able to live rent free (contributing with her paycheck to household expenses) and able to work a full day while grandma watches the baby.

However, for the last week her mom has been sick. Having to stay in bed, Maria was not able to got to work to earn her paycheck but rather spent her days talking her mother to the doctor and watching her daughter along with her younger brothers and sisters. Fortunately, her mother is feeling better so Maria is able to return to work this week.

Having finished her morning work Maria finally sits down at 7:15am to have some breakfast before having to lave for work (which starts at 8am). As she steps outside her house into the morning sun, she smiles: although she would have loved to hug and kiss her baby good bye, she knows that waking her always means tears upon departure. But the sun shines, reggaeton music is playing in the near by kiosk and most importantly she can go back to work to earn money.

Maria’s university grades were excellent which helped her get a job at a local private school, which pays a bit better than public schools (although the work load is also more demanding). This week is exam week and Maria stayed up late last night preparing her exams.

Essentially all teaching jobs in her town are half time (5 hours per day). Her job pays 2500 Quetzals per month (about 300 USD or 10 USD per day) not a lot of money. But she feels lucky. She earns a lot more than most people and more importantly her job is very safe. The school buildings are utilized all day long, some children prefer to attend the morning session, and others who have to work attend school in the afternoon. Arriving at school just before 8am (the local collectivo bus was on time today) she switches into her uniform (that students as well as teachers have to wear) and prepares for her first class. The day is filled with exams and time passes rapidly. Before she knows it, it is 1pm but the students like to stay a bit later and chat with her so by the time she reaches the comedor a few blocks away to have lunch it is already 1:30pm. She does not have much time because she is supposed to be at her second job by 2pm.

In the afternoons Maria works at the local language school teaching foreigners Spanish. She says she really likes this work because it give her the chance to meet people from different cultures, but the school only calls her when there are students and during the rainy season she can sometimes go without an assignment for months. Students pay the school 3USD per hour for a 1-on-1 instruction Spanish class but the school only pays her 2 USD per hour but every Quetzal counts when trying to make a living for her family.

Although Maria has finished her university she is still lacking an exam for an advanced language certificate. She says the exam is not difficult but would require about 1 month of preparation, time she currently does not have. For the past year she has been trying to save some money to pay for the exam fee and the books but has not been able to do so. “I was on track to save the money unit my daughter got sick and I had to spend all my savings on medical bills, “ says Maria and confidently adds, “I am sure soon I will have the money together.”

One of the most amazing things about Maria is how happy she is given her situation and I trying to contemplate if this is because many of her peers are in even worse financial situations or is it because she has a naturally happy personally and nothing can spoil her day. But if you asked Maria about her life she would not lose too many bad words. Smilingly she explains that she has everything she needs for a happy life: good health, a loving family and a job she enjoys. There is really no reason to complain. Sure the financial situation is tight and her daughter’s father has never helped her financially, but “somehow things always work out,” she adds.

After finishing her language classes at 6pm she takes the bus back to her town 15 minutes away and stops by the store to buy some groceries for dinner. As Maria finally steps though the entrance of her home her daughter already awaits here. The two hug for the first time that day. But Maria does not have too much time to spend with her daughter because she has to help with the dinner preparation. After everybody has eaten and she has brought her daughter to bed, Maria returns to the kitchen table once more to grade the exams and prepare for the next day. At 11pm her tired body finally is able to lie down. Mother and daughter fall asleep united, hugging each other and although both are sleeping, Maria is happy that they are able to spend time together, at last.