Chicago daily Herald

Some say being bilingual is a ticket to the world, and Mauricio Calatayud's life is a testament to that.
The 33-year-old has roamed the world since he was a teenager, relying on teaching Spanish and English to pay his way.
Holding impromptu language lessons throughout the United States, Europe, Morocco, Japan, Mexico and the Caribbean, Calatayud earned enough money to pay for food and lodging. Sometimes people paid him with meals and places to stay, he said.
"It's a lifestyle, even if most people think I'm too old for that," he said. "I've seen half the world, and there is more."
Now saddled with a hernia that prevents him from moving comfortably and carrying his hiker's backpack, Calatayud has been back home in Lombard for a few months awaiting surgery through Access DuPage, a program for uninsured local residents.
He'll be back on the road as soon as he can travel again, probably to explore South America, he said.
In the meantime, he hopes to find a publisher for a book about his travels, and would like to make a documentary video of his next trip.
With tales like a near-kidnapping at the hands of astute Moroccan merchants, and a close call with a South Korean cult, Calatayud has plenty of stories to tell.
But his primary goal is to inspire other Latinos to break out of their comfort zone and explore the world, he said.
"To them I'm a pioneer," he said. "I have been criticized for not being stable and was told to settle down."
His passion for exploring new places started as a young boy when he would go on road trips throughout Mexico with his father. The family moved to Villa Park when he was 11.
Berlitz Language Schools in Chicago gave him "his first break" when he was admitted into its training program with only a GED, Calatayud said. At age 22, he sold his car, bought a "Let's Go Europe" travel book and flew to Europe.
A gregarious man with a friendly laugh, Calatayud said that he always finds it easy to strike up conversations with strangers.
"Everyone loves Mexicans in Europe," he said. "In France they would ask me about the Zapatistas (Mexican revolutionaries), and in Sweden I was making tacos and everyone loved it."
Calatayud is a permanent resident who doesn't yet want to become a U.S. citizen because a Mexican passport allows him to visit places inaccessible to Americans, like Iran, he said.
Among his favorite countries is Cuba because of the warmth and resiliency of its people, but he was disappointed by Italy, whose people were "very loud and very rude," he said.
His mother, Isela Calatayud, said she always knew her oldest son would grow up to be an adventurous person. Despite her worries, she said she always encouraged her two sons to follow their dreams.
"I have to give my children the freedom to fly," she said. "My gift to them is to give them the world."
Mauricio Calatayud, in turn, wants other Latinos to reach out for the world.
"I am not telling people to do it as a lifestyle like me, but to do it once in their life," he said.