Universidad Latina de Panamá

Azuero’s Seat

English with emphasis on Translation

Redacción de Textos

Professor Yessenia González

Partial 1

Narrative Essay

By Azalia Nieto

ID 8-859-2320

2nd Quarter

2021
 How my father inspired El Taller Flor de Madera (The Flower of Wood Workshop)

Since a little girl, I always saw that my father used to check the things thrown away by our
neighbors. He used to tell me “One man's trash is another man's treasure" as he examined those
things. He liked to pick up anything that was made of wood, from small boards to tables or chairs. He
would take them home to recycle and reuse them, and sometimes he would restore those pieces
that were in the best condition. I consider that these actions of my father, unbeknownst to us, would
awaken the passion that I turned into my business.

If you walk into my house, you might notice that practically every closet, door, shelf, or table
is made of wood. My parents like its different shades and love how it add warmth to the home. And
even though I grew up in a financially well-of family, having all these details was still expensive. Part
of that was why my father chose to pick up wooden pieces, but also because he grew up in a small
town surrounded by carpentry shops. So, it was like a childhood memory for him to restore old
furniture or create new things out junk. He used to have a table made from scraps and some old tools
that he worked with including a rusty jig saw. My father did everything with that jig saw, they ware
unstoppable.

That jig saw was a traveler, it went everywhere with him. He used to tell us: "You never know
where you'll need it!”. And as if he knew, there was always an opportunity to use it. Years went by,
but when I say years, I really mean many years, I was already married and had my own home and that
tool was still alive, cutting and traveling. Can you imagine? After all it was to be expected, he took
care of it and kept it in good condition because of the sentimental value it had. It was a gift from a
great friend of his. During their visits to my house, my father would ask me if I needed to fix any
furniture because as a good daughter, most of mine were also made of wood. The answer was always
yes, but it was to spend time with him helping him with those little jobs. As it turned out, he eventually
taught me how to use it and one day he just passed it on to me.

When my father inherited it to me, I felt a great responsibility to take care of it because I did
not want to ruin such a precious tool. But my desire to make pieces with my hands was greater. Thus,
I decided to use it responsibly and take care of it as my father did. With each cut, my fascination for
wood and what can be created with it grew. I had no words to explain the excitement I felt when
creating or restoring wooden pieces. But I understood that something inside me was awakening and
that was my passion. Meanwhile, my husband would take pictures of my works and post them as
something he was proud of. Suddenly people would ask if I did not do restore this or create that,
because I was very good at it. This led to the creation of my business, El Taller Flor de Madera. I had
no idea if I was going to hit, but when you do things with love and for the right reasons, everything
always works.

Perhaps if it had not been for my father's jig saw and his love for wood, I would never have
discovered my dream job. El Taller Flor de Madera is not only my business, but also my life purpose.
I work mostly with new pieces of wood, yet my goal is to teach the importance of restoration of
wooden antiques. That is what motivates me to keep going with my business even if some days are
not as I expect.