BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — It’s a story of two strangers from opposite sides of the world united by their pursuit for a better life. For Consuelo and Kishor Kumar, diversity has turned into a story of love.
The couple laugh when they remember how it all started.
“It never crossed my mind I would marry a different culture,” said Kishor. “When I told my family she’s from Guatemala, they start looking in the map. ‘Where is Guatemala? It’s there somewhere.’ Turning the map. They had never seen it.”
Kishor’s family was already looking for a wife for him, but life had other plans. The home Kishor and Consuelo have built together tells the story.
In a twist on the tale of high school sweethearts, Consuelo and Kishor went from being classmates at an English school for adults in the San Fernando Valley to building a life and raising children over the course of 30 years.
“The teacher said ‘Okay, you sit with her,’ and that was the first time,” said Kishor. “And it’s a true story, you know?”
Instead of just learning English, they learned each other’s native language as well. Over time, they’ve also developed an appreciation for one another’s cultures.
Despite their differences, they realized they had much more in common.
“I think that is the reason we had that connection,” said Consuelo. “Because I came alone and he was alone, too. He didn’t have family and I didn’t have family.”
Bothe knowing how lonely chasing the American Dream can be, they decided to help each other achieve it. They’ve also helped keep each other’s cultures alive in the process, starting with the different foods.
“Over there it is tradition, and every day they eat poronta, and I like it,” said Consuelo. Poronta is a very popular dish in India.
In turn, Kishor eats the traditional Guatemalan banana and beans dish Consuelo makes.
“Banana Macho, they call it,” said Consuelo.
They both shared a love for spicy food, but he had never had much seafood, which is typical in Consuelo’s hometown.
“I showed him the shrimp and he said ‘What is that?’ and I said ‘It’s shrimp,’ and he said ‘No, i’m not going to eat that,’” said Consuelo.
Over the course of 30 years of marriage, Kishor has gone from not knowing what things like shrimp or tamales were to enjoying them very much.
At first, the couple says it was a culture shock for both of them, and not just in cuisine, but in customs and faiths. They managed to hold onto their individual family traditions while at the same time learning about one another’s.
In their home, they have their prayer area divided up equally. Half for Kishor’s Hindu faith, the other for Consuelo’s Catholic faith.
“She respects my prayer and culture and I respect hers,” said Kishor.
“He prays his way and I pray mine and it’s okay,” agrees Consuelo.
They now share their blended culture with their children and grandchildren, passing on traditions to the next generations.
