Sorry

My name is Jose Manuel. I was born in Medellín, Colombia, on February 12th, 2007. When I was 2 years old, I moved to a town 4 hours from Medellín called Jardín, Antioquia. This town is located in the southwest of the Antioquia department. I lived there for 13 years. During that time, I attended school from kindergarten to 10th grade. While living there, I spent my time in school, mountain biking, and working.

Medellín is known as the “City of Eternal Spring” and is one of the most beautiful cities in Colombia. Medellín is the capital of the Antioquia department. In Colombia, departments are like states. However, Medellín is also one of the most dangerous cities in the country due to its various communes. Some parts of the city are wealthy, while others are poor. The area I lived in was middle class. It wasn’t rich, but it wasn’t poor either, though it was still dangerous and beautiful at the same time.

Colombia is one of the countries with the greatest variety of fauna and flora in the world. The country’s national animal is the Andean condor. There are many other animals, like jaguars, parrots, and more. Colombia is also home to the world’s tallest palm tree, the wax palm, which makes the country incredibly beautiful from every angle. Colombia has many wonderful and beautiful aspects that outweigh the challenges it faces.

Now, back to my story. I chose mountain biking because it was the sport that caught my attention as a child. I like playing soccer, but I love riding my bike because it brings out my adrenaline during races.

I still remember all my races, and the last one I had before my accident is the one I remember the most. It has given me a story to share with others. I remember practicing with my friends, laughing about everything. We had gotten into accidents before, but the last one was the hardest for me and my team because it put me out of the competition. It hurt my team because I was the captain, and the new leader wasn’t as skilled as I was.

Throughout my mountain biking career, I participated in 20 different competitions. I always aimed for first place. In 13 of them, I finished in 3rd place, in 5 of them, I earned 2nd place, and in 2 of them, I secured 1st place. After these competitions, I took a break due to an injury before my 21st competition. During that time, my parents decided to move to the United States. This was a big change for me, as I had to leave behind the sport I loved most—mountain biking. Unfortunately, after the injury, I thought I would be able to get back into biking, but I have not been able to.

Afterward, my family decided to move to the U.S. It took us two months to leave our town. We then went to the airport in Medellín. Unfortunately, my brother forgot to check in for the flight, and we had to wait at the airport for 8 hours to catch the next flight to Mexico. We had a layover in Panama and arrived in Cancún, Mexico, at 12:15 AM. We stayed in Cancún for five days before taking a flight to Juárez City. The flight had a layover in Mexico City. The following day, we went to the border and requested asylum from the patrol officers. We had to stay at the border for four days. After we were released, we tried to find a flight to Fort Myers, Florida, but there were no direct flights. We decided to take a flight to the closest city, Tampa, which had a layover in Dallas. In total, our journey to the U.S. took 15 days. Unfortunately, my brother was detained at the border for a longer time than us because he was older than 18. He was held at the border for 4 days, and after that, they took him to jail for a month.

It has been a real struggle to get back to biking, as I needed a long time to recover. Currently, in school, I try to participate in gym classes to stay in good shape and avoid feeling sad about not being able to practice any sports. I want to improve my life, but sometimes I feel frustrated when I think about the sport I want to do, but my injury holds me back. Sometimes I wish I could help others avoid the same experience I went through, especially because I knew I had a hurt muscle and didn’t take care of it properly.

Now, I have been living in the U.S. for two and a half years. I’m trying to live a good life here, despite not being able to do sports. We arrived in August of 2022, and now I am in my senior year of high school. I am exploring other interests, like photography and writing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a similar experience, feel free to share it. Everyone’s story is important and beautiful.