By James Greaves
Walking nearly 20 blocks to Reams in the middle of a Provo winter was not Gabriela Su?rez''s favorite thing to do, especially without winter shoes. Trudging through the dirty slush on the sidewalk both soaked and froze her feet. One time, the plastic from the bags she carried bit into the skin of her ungloved palms and made her hands bleed. Meanwhile in class at BYU, her husband couldn''t understand why nobody offered to give his wife a ride - after all, wasn''t this supposed to be Zion?
When Rodrigo Su?rez and his wife Gabriela first came to BYU from Guadalajara, Mexico in December 2002, they thought they were coming to Zion. Instead, they found themselves alone in what appeared to be a ghost town. And cultural misconceptions made them miserable. Their college experience began as a bitter one, worse than anything they had ever been through in their homeland.
'The first thing I thought was there''s no people,' Rodrigo says, sitting in a plastic-backed chair in the couple''s Wymount apartment. Three years after arriving, he''s 27 now but looks more like 20. He''s short with a friendly and intelligent eyes. Dressed in a flannel shirt and dark green chinos, he leans back and smiles as he remembers.
Arriving in December was difficult and cold, he recalls. The town was quiet for the holidays. When they first went to church the members seemed so inhospitable, he and his wife wondered if they were in the right place at all.
'We were living in downtown Provo by the fire station and there was nobody around. Even the streets were empty,' he says.
'Our only neighbors were the firemen and the police,' laughs Gabriela, who at 29 also looks remarkably young for her age. She is both sad and happy as she remembers; melancholy with a smile on her face. Her orange-tinged brown hair frames her rounded features.
'It was lonely,' she says with a slight accent. 'Nobody would talk to us.'
When a spot opened up at Wymount Terrace, the couple jumped at the opportunity. However, a misunderstanding over contracts with their first landlord left them paying over $1,000 a month for two rental units.
'We spent all our savings in the first three months,' says Rodrigo, a little bitterly.
'We were ignorant,' he admits. 'We didn''t know who was there to help us.'
Without a car and not knowing about the buses, the couple would walk from Center Street to the Wilkinson Center every day.
Although Gabriela served an LDS mission and has a degree in information technology from the University of Guadalajara, she found herself a little helpless at first. Requirements for her F-2 visa left her unable to study, work or - seemingly - to do anything constructive.
'The first week I went to school with Rodrigo,' she says, laughing at herself. 'I would check my e-mails for four hours or be waiting outside.'
'She came in speaking Spanish, not a word of English,' adds Rodrigo, who picked up English at school and on his mission.
After a few weeks, Rodrigo bumped into Brenda Wadley, a BYU employee and founder of the International Women''s Association, a group for the wives of international students.
'She was the first person that really cared,' Gabriela says.
'These women are just really strong women and sometimes they cope with things their neighbors don''t begin to realize,' Wadley said. 'Gabriela was one of our great success stories. I''ve never seen her without this marvelous smile.'
Wadley says she thinks there is a lot more that can be done to help internationals. People would love to help, but often don''t know about families that are isolated.
' have such great faith,' she says. 'To have them come and not be received properly is a tragedy. If we went to their hometown we would be welcomed like VIPs. Here they''re often ignored.'
These days, things are a lot better. While Rodrigo is busy with school, Gabriela attends community English classes, helps out at the temple and attends Women''s Association activities.
Another problem the couple faced was a mentality that they were in Zion and that everyone could be trusted.
With limited resources, they went looking for a car. Eventually they found a 1992 Tempo for $1,000. The man selling it assured them of it''s excellent condition and recent service.
'I trusted him because he was a BYU student and had a family,' says Rodrigo.
Unfortunately, the car didn''t pass emissions and needed repairs - at least $600 worth. As Rodrigo tells the story he is still somewhat frustrated, though he tries to make light of it.
'I tried to make a deal with him,' says Rodrigo. 'I said, ''You''re a member, you''re a BYU student.'' But he wouldn''t do anything to help. He said, ''That''s your problem for believing me. Stop calling, I have no customer service.'''
Adrian Pulfer, a BYU graphic design professor, has worked closely with Rodrigo to help him stay in America.
'He''s an exceptionally talented individual,' he says. 'The finances have been very stressful on him, but he''s resilient.'
With the help of the Wilkinson Fund and a scholarship, things are looking much more comfortable for the Su?rez family after a long series of misunderstandings and bad luck.
'The most common problem I see for all international students is adjusting to and adopting the culture - in language, conceptual thinking, humor,' Pulfer says. 'It can bring about a lot of misunderstanding.'
Rodrigo and Gabriela look comfortable in their Wymount apartment. There''s a dinner on the table and Gabriela''s mother has come to visit.
'The first two years were really hard,' Gabriela says.
'The first two and a half years,' corrects Rodrigo.
Speaking in Spanish, Gabriela''s mother, Concepci?n Ruiz, holds back tears to compliment them. She''s a grandmother with a soft, wide face and smile lines around her eyes.
'I am very happy that Rodrigo can fulfill his dreams of going to school,' she says. 'He represents our country. They''ve been through many trials.'
'It''s very cold here!' she adds with a laugh.
The couple says they are glad they went through what they did. Rodrigo graduates in April and says he will stay for a year to work in New York, Seattle or San Francisco. Then the couple will head back to Mexico, where they always planned to return.
'The Church there is growing so fast, and there is a great need for more leaders,' says Rodrigo.
'It''s been a great blessing to be here,' says Gabriela. 'It''s been hard, but it doesn''t mean we don''t value the experiences.'