Learning English at 85

By Margarita B. de Nava
As told to Tomas Rodriguez – La Fuente School

My name is Margarita B. de Nava. I was born in 1920 in McNeal, Texas, It is north of Austin. Some of my brothers and sisters were born here and some were born in San Diego Alejandria, Jalisco, Mexico. There were twelve of us in the family.

My father and mother were migrant farm workers. They would pick crops from Ohio to Texas and then they would take the left over vegetables to sell in Mexico. The whole family had to help one way or another. I took care of my smaller brothers and sisters so that the older ones and my parents could go to the fields and work.

Once, when I was little and taking care of the children I had a scary thing happen. There was a scratching noise of a strange animal inside the window of the house. I closed up all the windows and doors and covered the children with my arms. When my father came he heard me and knew that we were afraid. He kept telling me to open the door. I was so afraid and didn’t think that I was trapping the lizard in the house. I opened the windows and doors like my father said and it went out. Well, that wasn’t something that I would learn in school but it taught me something. It taught me to use my head.

My parents always wanted all of us to use our heads to do better in life. I went to school when my parents could send me. We often had to be move around and this interrupted our learning. The things I liked most in school were games that would help me learn English. One little jump-rope game went like this : “mama, mama, come and see, Humpty, humpty…quick,quick,quick..” This was really fun and we learned English too.

I got married at 39 and had one child. Back then if your father said no to getting married or anything else you didn’t disobey. I started making it on my own when I moved back to Texas because my husband died when my son was only five. I was able to learn more English and do really interesting work. I knew how to sew and worked doing this for an upholstery business in Austin. We prepared meeting rooms and furniture. I was even able to decorate a large dinning room in the Texas State Capitol.

I kept interested in learning more English and still continue to learn more. I have taken classes at community schools and now I am coming to classes at La Fuente School. A friend and I come together. My teacher tells me that it is great having me in the class because I can help the younger students.

So even if I am 85 years old, with poor sight and with a cane, I can still try to learn English. I think that it gives younger people, “animo”. It gives them hope.