Two Mexicans and a Canadian: a house full of ‘sabor’!
Maria del Rio, 22, and Valeria Gutierrez, 23, are two Mexicans who moved to Fredericton, NB as exchange students. Del Rio met her Canadian roommate, Coulton Tomlin, in one of her marketing classes at the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC). Gutierrez, being one year above them, used to go to their classroom every lunch break since most of her friends were in that class.
“He was this guy that would just make the room feel lighter,” said Gutierrez.
Both del Rio and Gutierrez agree that living with a Canadian was something they never thought about but turned out to be one of the greatest experiences ever. They always find a funny topic to laugh about or an interesting story to share. In addition, they extremely care for each other, making sure to ask every day if everyone is doing well or if they have something they want to talk about.
“We always talk about our days just to make sure nobody is having something sad or worrying to carry alone,” said del Rio. “We are like a family.”
One of the things Gutierrez and del Rio are most grateful for is getting the chance to practice their English every day. As Gutierrez said, every time they say something wrong or they don’t know about any specific topic, Tomlin helps them in order to improve their English skills.
In his perspective, Coulton Tomlin considers having two Mexicans in his life as a great opportunity to learn a little bit more about a completely different culture, including their traditions, recipes and ways of having fun.
The 23-year-old believes that, despite the differences between cultures, the two Latinas are a really important part of his life. They always put a smile on his face even on the saddest days.
“I couldn’t see myself with two other people right now,” said Tomlin. “We are all happy to be around each other and we don’t fight, that’s great.”
Tomlin found some differences mainly when talking about food – especially trying to distinguish between lemons and limes. However, these little things make his life even more interesting. And after spending so much time together, since being in lockdown due to the pandemic, they have developed some traditions like watching sitcoms every free afternoon while eating home-baked cookies or brownies. Gutierrez and del Rio got Tomlin into painting, which allowed them to create several beautiful portraits to decorate the whole apartment.
These three roommates have overcome many ups and downs together, creating even stronger ties for the future. Their differences allow them to not only learn about other places and traditions but also to grow and develop new values while living with someone else.
