Olaff Huerta:  

Tidbit #1: I was born at home in Nogales, AZ. My grandmother said I was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. Fortunately, Dr. Noon (?) and a midwife were present. I'm very thankful for life, for I know that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. A few months after I was born, my family moved to East Los Angeles - yep, that one :-), where all three of my younger sisters were born. We lived in East LA until my mother passed away in Dec 1960. My father and grandmother then moved us back to Nogales, AZ, where all six of us kids grew up. My elementary school years were at Elm Street, except for 4th grade, where we, for whatever reason, had to attend A.J. Mitchell. That year we walked a long way to and from school, but I have no regrets because it turned out to be one of my most memorable times in school. I won't forget how Miss D'Angelo and Miss Oxford made learning so much fun with their indoor games and music. I'm thankful to have learned English at school - and thank you all for putting up with this 2nd language learner's broken (and often incorrect grammar) English. Tidbit #2: Growing up in Nogales was a blessing in disguise in some ways. Our lives back then were quite simple. We couldn't afford many things, so we didn't have to worry about having to have the latest, fastest, or best of things. I was thankful we had food on the table, clean clothes to wear, and a running car to get us around town. Unlike nowadays, playing outside with our neighbors (la plebe), day or night, was fun and safe. We sort of knew who our neighbors were, and many times they'd extend their kindness by offering us something to eat or drink. We were also aware of total strangers who didn't live in the neighborhood. At school, we obviously noticed the newcomers and we always welcomed them. I remember the long hot days of summer and looked forward to starting school again after Labor Day (not in August). Although we never took vacations, we tried to make the best of our days off, without getting into trouble. Starting the new school year was sure exciting for me! Tidbit #3: I'm thankful for all my elementary school teachers who prepared me for a tougher road ahead. My junior high school years were pleasant, in spite of feeling inconspicuous among the redwoods (high school students) at times. I'd just try to stay out of their way and wouldn't dare look them in the eye. Most of the teachers were great, and having 5 or 6 teachers during the year, instead of only one, was a nice change from elementary. Junior high was where we met students from the other two elementary schools and new students from Mexico. For a small town like Nogales, where there was only one junior high, I had no idea that there'd be so many of us placed together at one location for a few years before eventually graduating from high school. Transitioning from a junior high Papoose to a high school Apache meant a lot to many of us - we were proudly growing up. Looking back, those nicknames really didn't offend anyone then. I certainly have pleasant memories from my junior high years. Tidbit #4: I think being in high school was a blast. I remember the pep rallies, class floats, bonfires, and home and out-of-town football games. We were just kids, so there were times to have fun and be goofy, but also interspersed with those were times of being ...Expand for more