Nancy: When you think of the words “common ground,” what comes to mind?

Margarita: Common Ground, a respect, harmony, peace, a connection,  different experiences. That is the thread of life and is weaved into our tapestries. And that is something that we can be on, be around that space or that place, or just even that word, so that we can see each other and know a little bit more of each other. And see how our heart sings. And with that connection, that is a commonality. Aside that we're spiritual beings here on this earthwalk and we're also navigating these great times and then these challenges. And so how do we share that experience and see the person in that love and the community of this common ground to help each other?

Nancy: So I know that you’re bilingual and wonder if you have anything you’d like to say in Spanish about common ground?

Margarita: Bueno, el lenguaje, el idioma de uno, hay una conexión también, no? Cuando uno ve a otra persona que habla español, o portugués, hebreo, árabe, uno empieza a abrirse más y como que uno, ya, hay alegría, alegría, alegría, alegría, como se dice en Chile. Que mi mamá (inaudible) era chilena nacida en Calama y ella me enseñó el español aquí en los Estados Unidos, en Massachusetts. Pero esa, esa conexión de idioma y de cultura, de tradiciones, cuando uno dice, oh, hay una fiesta y viene y traiga la música, es como una música común. El baile es un lenguaje internacional. Y, también, el baile, la música también hay películas,  no que que puede ser algo un tema de conversación. Si uno está en, en, por ejemplo, en África, hay otra persona está aquí en Estados Unidos, en Suramérica, y tienen esa, esa tradición, o, esa, ese tema, no, de, de música y empiezan a hablar. Entonces sí, algo bien bonito el amor, el amor, la sonrisa? No, la sonrisa no cuando uno ve a otra persona y sonríe y los ojos brillante eso sería algo en común. No una, un espacio, un lugar o algo metafórico, que es en común.

Thank you for having me share.

Nancy: I notice how when you speak in Spanish, you dance with your hands more. I'm a big hand gestures person. You're when you're speaking English, you had some gestures, but you did more in Spanish. It was beautiful. So thank you for sharing that it's beautiful to hear you speak Spanish.

So when you think of “common ground,” is there a specific story that comes to mind that you’d be willing to share with me?

Margarita: Well, when I did come to Laramie Wyoming, the first one of the priorities was, oh, where is the raza? Where are the Spanish speakers here? Where are people who have commonalities with me, in tradition, in language, in music? And for example, the CoCo radio station, La Radio Montenesa, which is a local Laramie 93.5-- they have with the music. That is now being transformed by graduate students here on campus, so that's exciting. So that is, I'm finding a common ground here this semester in 2024.

Note: The transcript above has been condensed from its original audio recording to improve the flow and readability of the story. Special thanks to Jasmin Lopez Osario for her help in transcribing Margarita’s story.