Introduction

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By Emmanuel Tecuatl

Patricia Barros, or as many know her, Patty, has been one of my closest friends here at Dartmouth. Ever since we met back in the fall of our freshman year—in a Spanish class on Jorge Luis Borges, one of our favorite writers. Her radiance, solidarity, compassion and her willingness to listen and to provide sincere friendship have always remained a constant in her personality and have been exemplified countless times. Even in hard and tumultuous times when others seemed to lose their heads, a serene and charismatic spirit always characterized Patty.

pattyandmeWith her, I share some of my most sacred passions. For example, music and dance. We have danced together in both Ballet Folklórico de Dartmouth, the College’s traditional Latin American dance troupe, and in the many opportunities we have gotten over the course of four years in weekends and random gatherings with friends. Patty loves salsa, merengue, cumbia, and so many other world musics that digging through her library is always an adventurous experience.

I always find something great that takes us both back in time. As I mentioned, we also share the passion for literature and the Spanish language. Having taken so many classes together, and majoring in the same discipline, we have learned the tastes and ideas of one another within and beyond the classroom.Patricia as a baby Because of this bond and because of the many stories we have shared over the years, Patty not only seemed to me to be the perfect person for this project, but the obvious choice.

Her story is one of hard work, creativity, and above all, family—something she holds the closest to her heart. From Cuba, to Canada, to the United States, Patty has had one of the most interesting and inspiring journeys, a contemporary bildungsroman, in which she has learned so much about the world and herself.

This is her story.