My
First Job
An Interview with Esmeralda Cruz Guzman
El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary
"Pues,
la mariposa monarca es una pequeña animalita muy inteligente y
significante. Tiene un aspecto muy increíble que cada año
en esta fecha llega a esta parte de Mexico para quedarse por el invierno."
My name is Esmeralda Cruz Guzman and I'm twelve years old. I was just
hired for my first job. Every weekend between February and March, I'll
be working in the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary near my house.
The ejido community I live in is working to build a tourist museum at
the entrance of the sanctuary, and my job will be to attract tourists
to an exhibit in this new museum of the paper butterflies made by students
in the Journey North program.
I first heard about this job from my father. As Chief of the ejido that
owns the land around the sanctuary, he's been involved in getting this
museum running. I was very happy when he asked me to help at the museum,
not only because it's my first chance to work-but also because it's an
important job. Teaching people about the butterfly helps them understand
this intelligent little animal that comes from very far away to this sanctuary.
It's also an important job because my community hopes to bring in as many
tourists as we can-tourists bring money to people trying to sell things,
and this money helps us to improve our community. When I start working,
I'll try to appeal to the interests of the tourists-first I'll show them
how pretty all the paper butterflies are and then I'll explain that they're
also very significant.
|
|
|
|
To me, the Monarch butterfly is a very amazing little animal. The most incredible aspect about it is that every year around the same date, it arrives to this same place to spend the winter. And, since I live right outside the sanctuary, I've always seen them come here. When they first come and when they leave again in the spring, they fly by my house. The part that I'm looking forward to about this job is that I'll be able to help people I've never met before, and people who have never seen the butterflies-to understand the monarch.
