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In 1966, at the age of 16, my parents sent me to study in the United States. By then my uncle – “Panino” – was a professor of Spanish at then-Whitworth College (now Whitworth University). His secretary was a neighbor of the Loshes and interceded for Norman and Beverly to admit me to their home, located in an extraordinary, beautiful meadow called “Wild Rose Prairie”.
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1967-Deer-Park-Spokane-Mi-tio-Jose-Manuel-Panino-o-Montalvo-en-su-oficina-de-profesor-de-espanol-de-Withworth-College.jpg)
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My uncle “Panino”
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En 1966, a la edad de 16 años, mis padres me enviaron a estudiar a Estados Unidos. Para entonces mi tío – “Panino” – era profesor de español del entonces-Whitworth College (hoy Whitworth University). Su secretaria era vecina de los Losh e intercedió para que Norman y Beverly me admitiera en su hogar, ubicado en una extraordinaria hermosa pradera llamada “Wild Rose Prairie”.
52 years later, Beverly Losh recounted her first experience with me, when they went to wait for me at the Spokane airport, which was then a “field airport”.
52 años más tarde, Beverly Losh contó su primera experiencia conmigo, cuando me fueron a esperar al aeropuerto de Spokane, que entonces era un “aeropuerto de campo”.
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The Serenate
The day after arriving at the Losh house, they took me to meet the closest neighbors: the Weger and Burdega families. At first, I fell in love with all the daughters of both families, with the exceptions of those who were still girls. My first strategy was to serenade the daughters of the Burdega family. I chose the typical serenade song, “Woman Opens Your Window.” The lyrics begin as follows:
“Woman, open your window… so that you may listen to my voice. The one who loves you is singing to you:
with God’s permission!”
The only thing I managed to do was wake up more than a hundred dairy cows who, with the music of my guitar, assumed that it was time for milking.
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Al día siguiente de llegar a la casa de los Losh, me llevaron a conocer a los vecinos más íntimos: las familias Weger y Burdega. A primera instancia me enamoré de todas las hijas de ambas familias, con las excepciones de aquellas que eran todavía unas niñas. Mi primera estrategia fue darles una serenata a las hijas de la familia Burdega. Escogí la típica canción de las serenatas, “Mujer abre tu ventana”. La letra comienza de la siguiente manera:
“Mujer, abre tu ventana… para que esuches mi voz. Te está cantando el que te ama: ¡con el permiso de Dios!”
Lo único que logré fue despertar a más de un centenar de vacas lecheras que, con la música de mi guitarra, supusieron que era hora del ordeño.
On the first day at Deer Park High School, I found out that there were beautiful girls like broken rice: as if to throw up to the sky! In the end I ended up falling in love with all of them…!
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1966-M09-Deer-Park-High-School.png)
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The Deer Park high school of that time – 1966
El high school del Deer Park de entonces – 1966
Al primer día en Deer Park High School, me di cuenta de que había muchachas bellas como arroz partido: ¡como para tirar pa’arriba! ¡Al final terminé enamorándome de todas…!
56 Years Later
More than half a century passed so that I could be reunited with those girls I met during my first week with the Losh family, in September 1966, when I was a month old when I was 16 years old. Now we were all past the seventies.
Más de medio siglo pasaron para que me pudiera reunir con aquellas niñas que conocí durante mi primera semana con la familia Losh, en septiembre de 1966, cuando llevaba un mes de haber cumplido los 16 años de edad. Ahora todos pasábamos de los setenta.
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/zzz-marny-208x300.jpg)
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I had made contact with Marny Burdega, a few years older me. By the time I arrived at Deer Park, she had already graduated two years earlier, in 1964. Years later he passed through Venezuela, returning from having completed one year with the Peace Corps in Peru.
Había tomado contacto con Marny Burdega, unos años mayor que yo. Cuando llegué a Deer Park, ella ya se había graduado dos años antes, en 1964. Años más tarde pasó por Venezuela, regresando de haber completado un año con el Cuerpo de Paz en Perú.
Marny – the eldest daughter of Mike and Margie Burdega, vowed to reunite her siblings and the Wegers, sons of Harold and Jean, at home. All were except for Dave, the only male of the Burdega and Lauri.
Marny – la hija mayor de Mike y Margie Burdega, se comprometió a reunir en su casa a sus hermanos y a los Weger, hijos de Harold y Jean. Todos fueron a excepción de Dave, el único varón de los Burdega y Lauri.
Mike Burdega
For all the years I shared with the Burdegas, I didn’t know Mike was related to Canada and Ukraine. I found out from two of Deer Park’s historians, Bill Sebright and Mike Reiter of the Town Historical Society.
Durante todos los años que compartí con los Burdega, no sabía que Mike estaba relacionado con Canadá y con Ucrania. Me enteré gracias a dos de los historiadores de Deer Park, Bill Sebright y Mike Reiter, de la Sociedad Histórica del pueblo.
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-A.jpg)
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-B.jpg)
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-C.jpg)
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-D.jpg)
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-E.jpg)
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-F.jpg)
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-G.jpg)
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-Burdega-H.jpg)
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Courtesy of Michael Reiter
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Photographic Album
![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2004-Viaje-a-Spokane-Deer-Park-45-Con-Mike-Maggie-Burdega-Mike-murio-poco-despues-I.jpg)
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My visit to Margie and Mike in 2004
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/www-The-Burdegas.jpg)
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/www.-bill-y-dave.jpg)
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/www-with-kerry-and-marny.jpg)
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/www-con-barbara-y-paula.jpg)
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/www-with-Wendy-her-huband-tom-and-Siomi.jpg)
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Wendy, Burdega’s baby and her husband Tom live in “Happy Acres” a magic place where I spend extremely pleasant moments that I would never forget.
Wendy, la bebè de los Burdega y su esposo Tom viven en “Happy Acres” un lugar mágico donde pasè momentos sumamente agradables que jamàs podrè olvidar.
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/wwwm-somke-tree-I.jpg)
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![](https://robertalonsopresenta.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/www-marnys-yard.jpg)
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Siomi and I want to thank Marny for such a nice gesture of bringing together people who are very dear to me and of whom I keep a pleasant memory and to them, thanks you for having come to the meeting.
Siomi y yo queremos agradecerle a Marny tan bonito gesto de reunir a gente que para mí son muy queridos y de quienes guardo un grato recuerdo y a ellos, gracias por haber venido al encuentro.