Osmel Almaguer's Diary Archives - Page 2 of 31

Neurodivergence and Me

The first time I heard the word “autism” was about 30 years ago, and I formed a rather different idea of what it was.

My integration as a butcher at Festval, one of the most prestigious supermarket chains in Curitiba, Brazil, was confusing.

If before the wait for a Cuban to obtain permanent residency was four to five years, now it can be said to be highly uncertain.

I’ve steered clear of those churches that talk too much about money—those that collect tithes and then keep asking for more and more…

When I arrived in Curitiba, the first thing I was advised to do was open a bank account, so I could work officially and receive my payments.

When I lost my job, due to that position I had bet on and that didn’t work out, I had to start looking quickly.

When I arrived at the store where I was going to work, they added a new clause to the agreement we had made verbally just days earlier.

Someone who knows me and is launching a franchise of cellphone accessories and repair shops decided to take a chance on me…

We immigrants are united by a kind of common bond, born of our awareness of the other’s griefs: “I suffer, I miss, I have to limit myself…”

After a year and a half without taking a vacation, the butcher department manager where I work has taken a month off.