Breaking Barriers: Franklin’s Dream

A buttery smell wafts out of the kitchen from spaghetti and clams cooking on the stove. Shouts of cooks and servers fill the kitchen, hurrying everyone along to get food out to customers. Dirty plates clash and clatter as they are brought in from the front of the restaurant. Amid the chaos of Tonno Gloucester’s kitchen on a busy night, Franklin G. stays calm — and perceptive. 

As he talks with coworkers in Spanish, Franklin takes mental notes on the ins and outs of the restaurant business so he can open his own place someday. 

Having moved here only a year ago from Guatemala, the Gloucester High School sophomore has learned to seamlessly balance Tonno’s high-pressure environment with being a student at a new school, in a new town, in a new country. 

At 16 years old, Franklin travelled alone to the United States. Even after immigrating and settling in Gloucester with his uncle, the difficulties of life in America were just beginning. 

“First, it was the language,” he said. “It feels strange to not be able to communicate with people that don’t speak Spanish — and I don’t speak English. And the other thing? I didn’t know anybody, only my uncle. I didn’t know the place or the streets.”

It was a stark difference from Franklin’s life in Guatemala where friends were all around. They would go outside to play soccer or hide and seek or just hang out at each other’s houses and talk.  

Franklin also misses aspects of Guatemala’s culture. There was semana santa, the Latin American “holy week” full of good food and family time. And queso de las vacas, the delicious fresh cheese that his grandmother would make. 

Luckily, Franklin has found ways to remind himself of Guatemala here in Gloucester. He visits the Latin American convenience store in downtown Gloucester to buy treats and drinks from home. 

Slowly but surely, he’s finding ways to feel at home in America, too. At Gloucester High, he finds daily enjoyment and friendly faces in his computer aided design and woodworking classes. He likes them because he can create computer models and even cabinets for his house. If you see someone walking around Gloucester High with black Nike Air Maxes and a blue hoodie, you’ll know it’s Franklin — shy and soft spoken but never without a smile. 

Though he still struggles day-to-day, Franklin has found that taking it slowly when learning English is the way to go. He advises other immigrants to do the same. 

“Don’t worry a lot about the language — you just have to bring yourself to learn a little bit every day, like one word, so that you can improve to be able to communicate,” he said. 

As he adapts to America — one word at a time — Franklin’s plans for a future here keep growing. 

“I hope to graduate from school,” said Franklin. “And to buy a house, maybe a better apartment, or start a business. And to have my own car.” 

But one dream sticks out above all: owning his own restaurant. 

It would start as something small but hopefully grow over time with better food. The restaurant, said Franklin, would be in the middle of the city, “So it could be the most famous in all of Gloucester.” 

As for the cuisine? “Obviously I’m from Guatemala, so food from Guatemala,” he said. But he also wants to include his favorite American dishes. “A food that I like is chicken and French fries, but also chicken and mole” – a traditional Central American sauce that’s similar to salsa.

As he’s learned from working at a place like Tonno, Franklin talked about understanding what customers need. As a boss, he said he would make sure he could seamlessly manage both the servers and customers, making it the best dining experience possible. 

What is the “American Dream”? 

For some people, the picture of success in the United States might include home ownership, pursuing a college degree, or raising a family. 

They may not be able to explain it in English, but the multilingual students at Gloucester High all have a dream, too. It is why they make the sometimes dangerous journey to the United States, often on their own. It is what pushes them through the daily struggles of a foreign language, new school, and unfamiliar community. 

For many of these immigrants, the light at the end of the tunnel is a future in America that keeps them dreaming. 

For Franklin, that dream would mean opening his very own Gloucester restaurant, blending his restaurant expertise and his love for Guatemalan culture. 

At the end of our interview, I asked Franklin what his restaurant would be called. He thought for a long minute before answering in a soft-spoken yet excited voice. “It would be something special,” he said. “I’m gonna think about it.” 

Read the first story in this series: Breaking Barriers.

Coming up next in this series will be Made by Melany, the story of a crochet artist from Guatemala.