Meet Guadalupe, a shy, beautiful little girl who I normally don't see outside of activities and practices but I kept running into last week. I was looking for another girls house, Karlas, for a visit and Guadalupe took me to the house. She asked what I was doing and I told her that I am doing house visits with all the Mariposas on team. I hadn't made it to Guapalupe's yet so she asked why not my house today? I agreed and I planned to go to her house after Karlas. After my visit with Karla's family I searched and searched for Guadalupe's house asking everyone if they knew the nina. No luck. Later that day I saw her walking home from school, I apologized that I didn't make it here house and she offered to teach me how to get there. We walked together and she told me how she had been practicing for her dance the next day. She invited me to come watch at 3 pm at her school, Carlos A. Bravo (one of the more rough and tumble public schools, kids have thrown things at me from the windows of that school but that's another story). The next day I showed up around 3:05, only to find that Guadalupe had already danced! I was pretty upset but some of the other Mariposas that attend Carlos A. Bravo said Guadalupe had a second dance. Such luck! Guadalupe didn't say much to me, she looked completely shell shocked that I was there. It was time for her second dance, her group went up but Guadalupe stayed in the classroom, changing her into her school shoes and not dancing. I asked the other Mariposas why she wasn't dancing and they responded "ella tiene la pena" that she was embarrassed. I had completely scared Guadalupe from going up and performing again, while that was too bad, I got the impression that she was so shocked that I actually came and maybe she was just really excited that I did come, or that's what I like to think! None the less I enjoyed seeing her dressed up and seeing all my little Mariposas in their element at school...they make me feel so special.
