Deer Grandpa,

Looking back in time, I realize there are many things I have to tell you. Papito, your little girl is in college and taking a class to become a better writer. The class is called WHUM and Arts, taught by a professor named Jane. You may have no idea what the name of the class means, but don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you. This class is about understanding the art that each of us expresses, whether it is writing or painting; it also helps you understand your art and improve your inner writer. Papito, at the beginning of this class I was very nervous; the truth is that I was afraid that it would be difficult for me to understand it. I can imagine you telling me: “Don’t be afraid, mijita, I’m sure you will do fine”.

The truth is that you have always had a lot of faith in me and I’m afraid of disappointing you. However, I tried and the truth is that I had a great time in this class. Professor Jane is very nice and understanding; she is always willing to help students. For starters, in her class we can all be ourselves and talk about whatever topic we like in our projects. For example, I was able to create an editorial giving my opinion on a topic that matters and also bothers me. Truth be told, I didn’t doubt a bit and chose femicide, as it is a topic that bothers me too much. After I did it and handed it in, the professor did a group activity and I met Nicole. She and I did an exchange review of our essays. Nicole gave me ideas on how to improve my editorial and advised me to try to give only one example of femicide, since I had put three. She then explained that after I chose the example, I should explain it and connect it to my central thought. Which turned out great, as by applying her advice I realized that it was more understandable to the reader that way. Jane advices also help me a lot. She tell me that I should be more specific and not use long sentences. After I did what they told me I clearly see my improvement in my work. It was more understandable, clear and organize, in other words it was more professional.

Papito, after that came my favorite part, the visual essay. The visual essay is basically a visual way of projecting your position on the topic; in my case it was an Instagram post about femicide. You see, for that project I took a photo with the help of my friend Emily. The photo is meant to reflect the abuse towards women. Then, I created a poem, which was directed to men who implement abuse. Making it was exciting but complicated at the same time, but I think after some time working on it I got it right. In class, when I reviewed it, with Sherlyn, a classmate told me that she liked the post and that everything looked good. Truth be told, I liked her video about the situation of immigrants in the United States better; it was a well-written piece of work. However, my work, which projects femicide from my point of view, whether written or visual, is also very good. I put in a lot of effort and I’m proud of it; after all, it is not every day that I can express what I think about something so important and project it in my own way. During class we had activities like going out and taking pictures with my classmates and Sherlin, which I found amazing.

This are the photos that Sherlin and I took during the activities. I still having the same smile papito, I tell you I would always keep it.

This photo was my whole class, I know I look funny. That was the last photo that we take in class, basically was our last activity.

Later in class I did a critical review on a movie, It Ends With Us, which I consider an offense to the book, as it does not project the message well. You see, the book on which the movie was based talks only about physical partner violence and emotional attachment, among other issues. The movie didn’t project that, it was very confusing, to tell you the truth. I also made a collection of poems that I wrote, which I made with my friends in mind with whom I really think you would get along just great. To conclude this letter, let me tell you that this class has been one of the best I have ever had. I had a great time doing the activities; the class helped me meet new people, I was able to write about topics I cared deeply about, and I got excited doing each of my papers. Grandpa, I made a lot of mistakes, as Anne Lamott put it in her editorial “Shitty first draft.” But that’s normal; after all, English is not my first language. In another class activity, which was a name game, I looked at my classmates to see if I remembered their names; it was very funny. Grandpa, every moment in this class was memorable and fun; I will always remember them with love. As for the class standards, I may not reach them completely, as there are still things I need to work on more, but I assure you I did the best I could and it wasn’t too bad. I’m sure you would be very happy for me and you would tell me that no matter what my grade turns out to be in the end, not to stress and to keep those moments, which do not happen as often. Thanks for always being there for me, I will always remember you.

With love,

Alli