Capturing Abuelita’s Apartment
I spent the day photographing my Abuelita’s apartment as it is now, knowing that my time with her is coming to an end. I’m not naïve. I lost 15 years without visiting her. Between high school, the Army, deployment, living abroad; Time just slipped through my fingers. Since getting out, I’ve made it a priority to visit every year, but it will never make up for the years I missed.
My Abuelito passed away last year. This is the first birthday in 68 years she’s celebrating without him. I regret not documenting him when I had the chance. Even in his old age, he was a storyteller, able to recall the smallest details of any given day. His last wish he asked of me last time I visited was simple: he wanted me to email him, just to share anything. But I never did. I FaceTimed occasionally instead. Now, I have no letters to look back on, no written words to hold onto. It still makes me tear up just thinking about it.
This is my attempt to right that wrong. My Abuelita is different, dementia has taken so much from her. She never even speaks of my Abuelito anymore, and we’re not sure if she still remembers him. But I took these photos anyway, not just for me, but for my mom; who lost her father and will one day lose her mother, her best friend.
Her world may be small now, confined to an apartment because she can no longer climb stairs, but her life still matters. To me, to my family. These moments deserve to be remembered.
