Before giving it to my grandma, Tita, on her big 80th bday I had this picture taken with the too copies there is for now: My copy, on the left, so you can see how it looks like, and her copy, on the right... very nicely wrapped, including bubble wrap, colour wrap, a ribbon, a butterfly, a metal-pretend-to -be-silver chain and very fancy, of course!!
After we had sung her Bday song and many other and had toasts of all kinds I came from the back (I the time before I was kind of hidding with her book or just in the back for her not to see me) with her copy.... Every one was around her waiting for the moment.... I was about to explode maybe crying, maybe shouting or just run away! I was soooo nervous! I said that this was my present but if it hadnt been for everyones help, that wouldnt have been possible...
She got the idea that is was going to be something important and everyone was shouting what to do!
She finally unwrapped her pressie and when she first saw it, I started reading the prologue of the book, which I wrote. While everyone was listening to what I was reading she was looking at the book and basically flipping out, getting the big picture!! It was a book about her!!
We ALL ended up balling, 40 people... which was nice and the whole rest of the night she kept showing the book to everyone and reading bits and pieces, the funny parts first, of course!!
I was so nervous that my cousin made me drink Aguardiente, a licorice drink we have in colombia with a very high % of alcohol and which I find absolutely discusting but she didnt give me a choice... She threatened be to inyec me the 2 shots!! Or course, I hadnt eaten a bite so after those two shots I was happy and flying in the clouds!! They certainly worked for their purpose!!
Now, grandma has got her book, which she absolutely loved and kept asking me questions about how I made it and telling every single biped about the book, to the point of being very embarrasing but nice!!! We even invited all her friends who wrote in the book for tea and biscuits at my house to thank them for their writings and to show them the "art work".
ITs funny because she carries it around everywhere!!
I worked for very long in this other project but it has been the most rewarding and enriching thing Ive ever done in my life and just by her reaction to it I dont regret one single second I spent working on it.... It was totally worth it and of course, she is totally worth it.
