Manchy's Life
Maritza Exilus Bla (1988) Batey 62, La Romana. She had her first child at 13 years of age. Attended school until the 7th grade (former curriculum). She has 6 children. She does not work nor has she continued her schooling.
Manchy was born in a batey called 62. She is a very brave girl. She likes to help her mother, sell sugar cane. She would get up at 3 am so that her mother could finish before 5:30 am. Through time, she was growing and her father said: “she will finish her studies… I know this… yes.” Her father said: “It doesn’t hurt me to spend on her, I have my confidence in her … “.
Time passed and Manchy turned 13 years of age… and she has a boyfriend named Melvin. She didn’t hear, she didn’t see, all she did was think of Melvin. There came a time when she wanted to know what love is and she took a risk. She knows it is love, but she’s a girl with no experience. She realizes that she is pregnant with her first son.
Months pass and she is happy, content, in love and her son, named Elvin Amaury, is born, the man that, without a doubt, she would give everything for him. Over the years she has another pregnancy, a girl, named Melissa. Time passes, it is filled with children, without knowing the consequences of life and gets to have four more: what a blessing! They are named Liz Meily, Miriam Ester, Mayeli and Mabel. She lasted 11 years living with her partner, but they had problems and, one day, he arrived drunk and angry. He had just been paid 1 and went to drink, while she was home quietly [without] knowing anything.
He was fighting, arguing, raised his hand and they beat each other up fighting. The girls were screaming and the neighbors came to separate them. Manchy’s parents arrived angry, in a bad mood. She left him, because she couldn’t take it anymore. Melvin stayed with the four oldest children and they are living with him and his mother Vicenta… the two youngest girls Mayeli and Mabel, stay with Manchi.
Every day she thinks, she cries tirelessly, she doesn’t know what is going to be of her life, she feels like the world will fall on her. But there were her parents to help her move forward, she works as a maid in a family’s home 2. That’s how they are moving forward, and every time she came home from work, she saw her girls laughing, saying to her, “Mommy I love you, I’m going to sleep with you,” and those [phrases] were inspiration for me …
[The author decided to tell her story in another way …]
My name is Maritza Exilus, I’m 28 years old, I come from a family with few resources. My father is a farmer and my mother sells food in the cane fields. I grew up with my parents and there, although we didn’t have much, we were happy. My father fought so that me and my brothers could receive a good education. I was enrolled in school at age four and I studied until the 7th grade. Although in my childhood I lived with my parents—yes we were happy—I never had their guidance on what life was like and, therefore, I made the mistake of getting married—at age 13. But after 11 years I resumed my studies, but now everything was no longer the same because of my great responsibilities, I had to study and work at the same time. I had to study in an accelerated way in order to get ahead.
During that relationship I was very antisocial because my partner dominated me and since I didn’t have the mentality to decide what I could and wanted to do in my future, I allowed him to dominate… because I depended on him. I had to go through a lot of discomforts… I had to withstand the elements, working from sun to sun, rain to rain, because I wanted to support my children, I worked as a flower planter, I worked in a family home [as a maid], I had to work as a janitor in Punta Cana… all that was to help my children, because what hurts me the most is seeing them hungry.
Even so, I have not been able to finish my studies because I have to work to support my children. I must continue, I have goals to fulfill, to fight so that my children are good people in society. I want to finish my studies, be a professional, to have a better quality of life, to have a job. This is my reality… my life and I want to fulfill my father’s dream, to see me graduate from my studies, although it was not easy at all from Batey 62 to Palo Blanco… well, when we went and returned (…) and, because of this, I want to act on my goals, be triumphant, give my dad what he expected of me, finish my studies, learn more about life, professionalize myself, move forward, work so that my children are good men and women. I continue in my struggle for a dignified and just society for all, without distinction of color or social race [ sic ].
Goals to reach? I am thankful to those who have facilitated this workshop for us, I am grateful to know each of my classmates, to have the teachers so detailed… and especially the dedication is unmatched, this experience so beautiful… and that we are protagonists.