Santa Clara/Nuevo Emperador

First, imagine Baldwin City, Kansas, populated with roughly 4,500 people and the weather changing every hour. Now, imagine a smaller town full of people walking down the streets in jean jackets and pants despite the never-ending heat; dogs wandering aimlessly; horses and cars sharing the roads, and neither following any set of traffic laws; and rows of houses painted every color of the rainbow. A small green sign with white chipped paint that spells out “Nuevo Emperador” stands near the limits of the city.

Nuevo Emperador

Anna's house

The people who reside here seem to thrive on the suffocating heat as I melt into puddles even in tank-tops and shorts with fans pointed directly at my face. As you walk by the metal-constructed church near the neighborhood I stayed in, the life of the church-goers is bouncing off the walls and bubbling through the windows. Sunday morning, I strolled down the horribly torn apart, half-gravel/half-paved side street with my “abuelita” to the church. Boys of every age ran to the red dirt field to compete in soccer games to be the neighborhood champion--if only for the night. I watched from the curb as the boys laced up their cleats and ran around in the clouds of dirt. In the center of the town is the public school, filled with mischievous and giggling children, sporting their white and navy uniforms. Here, none of the young children are afraid to hide their curious stares as they gaze at the “gringos” who invaded the school for an excruciatingly hot Monday morning. Alongside the main road of the town, people gather in the outdoor restaurants, laughing and cheering for their beloved soccer teams until the blazing sun drops from the sky and the only remnants are stars, neon lights, and satisfactory laughter. As I look out from the window of my host grandfather’s taxi cab, I note the unity that one simple soccer game brings to the citizens of Nuevo Emperador. On the outskirts of the neighborhood, there is a fenced-off forest, hosting a variety of different plants and trees. I never explored deeper into this specific forest, but about 25 minutes from Nuevo Emperador was a waterfall that permits swimming to children who can’t deal with the regular climate. The town silently watches over as the residents walk from house to house as they participate in small talk and more laughter. Even if I walked one block to my house from a different house in the neighborhood, I would receive several timid but excited “holas” and “hellos.” While the people of the quaint town live in much different circumstances than those that I am used to, they never fail to be friendly—even though I am an outsider. Despite the exhausting heat, the people of Nuevo Emperador never seem tired as they go through their days full of cheer and life.  - Anna Nichols