The Silent Guardian in the Dormitory

Hi, I’m Dustin, and I work as a janitor at a school. I’m in charge of cleaning the boys’ dorm. First, I usually go to the bathroom. That part is the hardest. The smell... It's bad, and the boys clog the toilets a lot. I take out the trash, mop the floors, and sometimes I clean the windows or fix small things. Then at night, I go check again to see if someone made a mess. They always do.

Sometimes the students treat me like I'm invisible. They walk past, leaving their trash on the floor, spilling food, and not cleaning it up. A few say rude things as if I don’t speak English. I understand most of it - just not everything. Still, I don’t say anything or object. I just do my work and try not to let it bother me. It's just part of the job.

On my days off, I don’t do much. I mostly stay in my room and watch videos on YouTube. I like vlogs. It’s interesting to see how other people live, and their lives look more exciting than mine. Sometimes I go for a walk near the school or buy snacks. I went to the gym once or twice, but I felt like people were staring at me. I'm overweight, so I get nervous. It’s hard to feel confident.

My family's from a small town in Mexico. I’m an only child. My parents still live there and work on a farm. We didn’t have much money growing up. That’s why I came to the U.S. at 18 years old. I worked at my cousin’s restaurant first, then I got this job. It’s not fancy, but it comes with free meals and a room, so it helps a lot. I try to save money, and I send money back home every month to help them out.

To be honest, sometimes I feel like people judge me. Like they think this is all I am. But a few teachers are kind. They say hi or ask if I’ve eaten. Their actions mean something to me, since most people only see me as the guy who cleans up after others.

I'm not sure if I’ll do this job forever, you know. I don’t have a degree or special skills. I feel stuck sometimes. If I were smarter, thinner, maybe I could try something different. When I was younger, I wanted to open my own restaurant. Real Mexican food. Now it feels kind of far away.

But I still have one goal. I want to bring my parents here one day. Let them live better. And if I ever have a kid, I hope he won't have to do this kind of work. I hope he has choices.

- Dustin

USA

Dustin｜Content curator

Flora｜Editor

Cathy｜Translator