By: Gabriela Yareliz
It was the summer before 9th grade. I was a volunteer, with my grandmother who was visiting us for the summer, at the vacation Bible school my brothers were attending in the neighborhood.
One of the books on my summer reading list was The Odyssey. You could find me reading it outside in the sweltering heat; on the floor of the large activity room that was always freezing (they must have kept that AC at 64F and the mics at full volume); in the kitchen while sitting in one of the old wooden chairs— and every time I opened it, it sucked me into its world and chaos.
Even more than Odysseus’ adventures, I remember how the epic made me feel. When I walked past the premiere location all week, it took me back to that hot summer before ninth grade and the journey back home.
There was a tiny green frog that used to follow us around and sneak into the space between the mirror and the shell of the side mirror in the car. Named him Odysseus. He was a cutie and adventurer (also stalker, living on the edge feeling the wind in his non-existent hair).
All this to say, Homer’s story is unforgettable, and I can’t wait to see this movie.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 