Blue Umbrella Official Blue Umbrella Summer Issue | Page 20

THE
Tr eacher ous
JOURNEY
Wor ds an d Ph ot os: M on ica A.
M
in is
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Ed ng h es
f
o t t i ch
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he ant he .
t
s igr e t m
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g m ap st e
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ha l im esc t sy
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t ga t o en
n
e il l e r d m
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St z, an orw ver
A e f go
O
A igu nd pt
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A odr t ha rru
R es co
b f a
o
arch 23,
2018, was a
memorable day for
Edwin Rodriguez.
He had lost his left
arm, and on that
day, he was
handed a
personalized
prosthesis.
I was offered the
chance to be a part
of that happy
moment. However,
before that I had
an art exposition
coming soon and
was busy. I was
going to decline
this offer, but
when I read his
story, I could not
refuse to be a part
of it. >
Nearly two years ago,
Edwin Rodriguez left
his small town in
Honduras to travel
illegally across ?the
American border. This
is a recurring scenario
in Honduras given the
political and
economic crisis. It
took him two months
to board the
infamous train
commonly referred to
as ?La Bestia/ The
Beast.? He hopped
onto the train?s roof
and stayed there for
about a week.
After various
sleepless nights, he
fell asleep on the
rooftop. The Beast
made an abrupt turn
that day, causing
Edwin to slip off. He
would have fallen off
if it were not for his
fast reflex. He woke
up as he was in
midair and gripped
the train?s edge with
his left arm.
Unsurprisingly, when
you are traveling
across the American
border, it is every man
for himself; not one of
the men on the train
helped him up.
"I can?t remember
exactly how I lost my
arm. I just remember
feeling it being torn
apart,? said Edwin
when I interviewed
him. The train is
famously known for
its speed, and this
was no exception.
Edwin fell to the
ground. That day, he
lost his left arm and
feeling from his waist
down.
He laid on the ground
for hours until
someone finally found
him. There are secret
shelters scattered
among the path
immigrants take; only
some know about
them. The people
running these shelters
search the valleys and
lands nearby for
immigrants in similar
circumstances. The
people rest there, eat,
and then move on.
These shelters, and an
immigrant doctor,
helped take care of
him because he was
losing a lot of blood. >