My Roots Rediscovered

It was meant to be! He had worked so hard for this, and finally, after years of late nights and missed family events, his moment had come. Frankie would be leading his first expedition.

In his five years as a travel and explorer coordinator at The World Discovery Company (TWDC), he had built a network that expanded across the world. Friends, family, and coworkers, all mattered to him, but this was like having a baby and this baby would be walking in no time as long as he did not forget the feedings and care it would require. This was the analogy his father had texted him on their last communication a week ago.

College came and went too fast, and soon he got an offer at TWDC, he was one of 15 young people straight out of college to get an internship here. He had been very excited and soon began talking about getting his expedition scheduled, he started like all the other interns as a customer care assistant. But he was working on a master’s degree in Archeology and as he went about getting his degree he also began preparing a presentation on Mayan pyramid preservation.

“Mom, I have been offered to lead this learning program, and I am so sure that we can discover so much about the land that we came from, all the required permits and preparations have been completed and we are all set to go.”

He continued to share the details of the trip with his parents and they informed him that his sister was having another baby, and his cousin had moved to Argentina for work. He had missed that farewell party too. But right now he was too happy to dwell on missed events. He finished his coffee, kissed his mom and hugged his dad, then made his way back to his apartment. This opportunity; was giving him a chance to show that he was in fact ready to take on the world of archeology, to learn more from the greats that came before him, and to put his name right next to theirs. This expedition was the door to a great career that would begin on the same day as his graduation, which he would miss as he would be on a plane to the remote land of the Mayan world, he had completed his thesis and all that was left was the commencement. A Ph.D. in archeology was his degree, he had informed the school that he would not be able to attend due to career events that were sending him away. His name would be announced and the reason would be given.” Mr. Nunez will not be here to accept in his name are his parents as he finds himself as we speak in route to his first expedition out to the Mayan pyramids in Central America.”

Frankie was all set to go, and when the day came his sister came to see him off with the group of 25 others that made the expedition. It had been in the works for three years as soon as he became a second-year student, he gave his presentation to the company CEO, who looked at him and said, “This is a big shoe you are trying to step into, have you considered the demand and workload you will have as you go into the details of the expedition? Frankie was only 20 years old just out of college, but knew what he wanted and what it would take. Standing at the airport he hugged his sister, and as he made his way to the boarding gate he thought back to the last seven years of his life and here at age 27 he was heading out into the world. He made it, he had shown up for the challenge, and was now about to see the results of his late nights, long hours, and missed events, all to culminate in this trip which could put him on a path to earth discovery.

The group arrived at the airport of Guatemala City, and from there they would be taken via bus to Antigua, where the exploration of Mayan history would begin. He planned to collect current local stories of the culture, and the traditions that had been carried on by the natives of the land. The schedule was set to give them about six months in town getting to know the locals and then make their way to the pyramids; where the answers to the myths, legends, and other questions might be found. The group was made up of 3 professors, one doctor, a nurse, and the 15, students that Frankie had selected to be part of this expedition, he would also have local archeologists and guides to help make the journey a little more complete, in his team were also a lawyer, an author that was working on a travel book and wanted to have the first-hand experience of the land he was writing about. The trip was also being founded by a celebrity who wanted to see the pyramids without an entourage instead he wanted the educational view. He also had a degree in world history and wanted to see what he could learn going on this trip. And Frankie’s assistant, an international law student that was working on her dissertation during this trip.

Frankie had been preparing for this trip for five years and made all sorts of connections to ensure that the expedition would not be interrupted or canceled. He had made the request for all permits and health codes to be checked with at least two weeks of approval. The University had cleared all the travel and exploration sites that were to be visited, no one would be allowed to venture away on their own without written consent. When they finally arrived in Antigua they were taken to a hotel that looked more like a plantation house. It had been rented to accommodate them and no other guests would be staying here for the next two years.

Frankie made his way to the room he was assigned and when he got there, on the bed was a big suspicious package wrapped in brown paper, Frankie was not expecting anything delivered ahead of his arrival. He set down his bags and proceeded to check said package it was sent via local mail from an address he vaguely remembered,

As he read the name of the sender t memories came back from his childhood summers spent at his grandfather’s house. It was the best time of his life, spending time on the farm and running around with his cousins. Great times he thought. Back to the package, he pulled off the wrapping and found a box filled with notes and pictures and books and a letter from his grandmother. “ My dearest Frankie, I hope this letter finds you well and ready for this adventure. I have been saving these notes that have been passed down from one Nunez to the next in hopes of keeping our family tree up to date with all that had changed thru the centuries, our family can be traced as far back as 1710, but I’m sure you can add more to this books, we may be of Spanish blood on my side but your grandfather is of true Mayan descent.” Frankie looked at the box and began pulling out the notes and the books, some of the notes included names of villages, and family addresses as well as letters that had been exchanged thru the years. Before he knew it, he had spent all evening reading thru the documents in the box, that one suspicious package turned out to be a great find to begin his exploration of the life of the Mayan people after the conquistadors came over. He had a long way to go, but grandma had made his day even better. “ I always hoped my grandchildren would take more interest in our past, I am so proud that you have come to explore it. I hope it is of help, I am here if you have questions or need to find more in our family history or that of our original land. Love Grandma.”

Frankie went to bed that night knowing that he would be discovering the roots that he thought were lost. This expedition was about preserving the pyramids of Peten Guatemala and finding that there were some direct descendants of this land living around the world was of the essence. The land is of the people he was told in one lecture he attended, and now he was out to find that land and the people that belonged to it.