A Precious Gift

I was born in Sogamoso, nicknamed “City of the Sun,” based on the Colombian indigenous Muisca people’s tradition of adoring their sun god, Sué.

During my childhood, I remember the delicious taste of milk fresh from the cow, my mother’s rose garden, the crazy-haired sheep that usually grazed in the park where I used to fly kites, the chlorine smell of the pool during swimming tournaments, and the long waits in my dad’s office while huge sheets were printed with technical drawings that I didn’t understand.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have perceived my dad as a person who is very clear about what he wants and how he wants it. He is brilliant with numbers, a fan of classical music, a swimming champion, a manager by nature, a cyclist by hobby, a book collector, a lover of knowledge, and also of mango juice in milk.

I’d love to tell you that I’m just as good with numbers or maybe tell you about my experience in the Olympics, but I hate numbers, and I can barely float in the water. An early myopia crushed my dreams of being a dolphin in the water— trust me, Dad tried several times, but my fear of opening my eyes underwater and losing my contact lenses ruined everything. But what I can tell you is that I have already discovered where my ability to reinvent myself comes from. That ability to fall and stand up again. The ability to pursue my dreams in New York City.

In 1989, my dad was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. At that time, we had no idea what we would be facing. Today we are experiencing it, and every day, the situation gets more and more complicated because of the degenerative nature of this disease. However, Dad maintains his deep love of life. And like a phoenix, he spreads his wings, burns in the fire, and is born from his ashes every day.

My sun, my dad.

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Portrait of Andrea Jimenez

Andrea Jimenez was born in Sogamoso, Colombia. She speaks Spanish and English. She is studying English with Ivana Ferguson at the Seward Park branch of the New York Public Library. Stephanie Burnes is the hub manager.