“If they had told me that I was going to raise a scientist, I wouldn’t have believed it.”he confesses in tears of pride and a smile Olivia Marlene Alvarado Ruiz, mother of the Guatemalan scientist Susana Arrechea. “She grew and was looking for her own way to open up.”
With these words an intimate conversation begins between mother and daughter who reveals how love, Education and perseverance can transcend generations and forge extraordinary paths.
Contrary to what many could imagine, there were no early signs that indicated the scientific future of Arrechea. “He was always very restless. He was doing very well at school and was always among the first places,” Alvarado recalls. “But when I was little, I think I was not inclined precisely for science. I was dreaming of always entering the university.”
It was until approximately 11 years when Arrechea began to show a defined interest in the scientific world.
A couple challenge
Alvarado tells how his daughter’s character is very similar to his, and that, at times, causes some friction in the relationship. However, he mentions that, As in every process, both have worked on their mother and daughter link so that it is based on trust and respect.
“The most important thing for me was to let her decide what she wanted to do, because, sometimes, as parents, we want our children to fulfill the dreams that perhaps we did not have. But, together with her dad, we always made the decision that they decided what they wanted to do in their lives.” In the case of Arrechea, Science was her path, and although, according to Alvarado, her journey was not easy, she became her pride.
Two generations, two forms of maternity
Susana had her very clear goals. He became a mother after finishing his university studies and carrying out some projects. However, the experience of motherhood has been radically different for both.
Alvarado was just 19 when he became a mother, while studying and worked to hold his family.
“I think we lived very different maternalities because my mother had me when I was 19, young girl, and I was still starting to study the university”Reflect Arrechea. “On the other hand, I had already finished all the studies, so I think I lived in a different way because I could share more time with the girls.”
For Alvarado, the biggest challenges came from having to divide their time between multiple responsibilities. “I worked and studied, and sometimes the time I dedicated to my children was very limited, but, in the end, what matters is the quality and not the amount of time one gives to the children,” he acknowledges.
A balance between science and family
Today, aRrechea faces her own challenges as the mother of two young girls and waiting for her third childwhile maintaining an active scientific career. “For me he has been challenging because, sometimes, I feel that I need physical forces. Sometimes I get a lot because it requires a lot of physical energy with the girls, ”he shares.
However, he has achieved the balance that many professionals are looking for. This balance between professional and personal life is precisely what her mother most admires: “See how she has managed to have that balance between her profession, between being scientific and being a mother … that I think is worth it.”
Also, for her, Keeping the connection with Guatemala in your daughters is an absolute priorityespecially living outside the country. “I’m very happy that my daughters feel proud of Guatemala. The greatest always says ‘I am from Guatemala’ when he introduces himself to someone,” he says with evident pride.
The importance of home values
Through the conversation, the set of values that has been transmitted from generation to generation: Empathy towards others, the importance of education as a vehicle of progress and a solid spiritual base.
“I think we have instilled in Susana for being able to support and be able to serve people,” explains Alvarado, remembering how his own experience in rural areas molded this vision of service.
For its part, Arrechea confirms: “I try to instill for my daughters the importance of studies. My mom always said it and I think that marked something very important in me.”
What makes this relationship between mother and daughter special is how both have learned from each other. Alvarado confessed that one of his daughter’s most admiring is patience.
“The patience she has, that pause she makes to be able to give that time to her daughters, although she is very tired, that love she gives them is something to learn,” he says.
Arrechea, meanwhile, recognizes that Only by becoming a mother could truly understand the sacrifices made by her mother. “When I grew up, I realized all the effort she made, which was a lot to work, study, take care and move on. Definitely one does not understand how difficult it is to be a mother until she lives it.”
For Guatemalan mothers
At the end of the conversation, both offer words of encouragement for other mothers who face their own daily challenges.
“Think about the quality and not the amount of time you dedicate to you”Alvarado advises. “There is no manual that tells us what is good and what is bad, but the coexistence and experience of every day is what allows us to do it. And every time they can, tell their children to love them.”
Arrechea adds: “Try to find a balance in which you also feel good, and that you can express that well -being with your children. In the end, the important thing is the love you have; the family is the first.”
“May God bless them, to continue giving them that light, peace and wisdom to be able to take care of their children. And for all those who still have their mother, enjoy her, to embrace her and kiss her, and every time they may say ‘I love you'” “Alvarado concludes.