Professor

Upon arriving back in Miami for Thanksgiving, Lizet meets a woman whom she thinks is a professor, based on her dress and speech. The woman, however, reveals that she is a post-doctoral fellow, returning home to Hialeah, the same suburb in which Lizet grew up. This woman represents the academic world into which Lizet is moving, and demonstrates the changes that will potentially also happen to Lizet. Her presentation appears foreign to Lizet, as Lizet's already does to her family, upon her return home, and although Lizet is in awe of her, there is also a warning present. The woman inadvertently offends Lizet by correcting her grammar instead of offering emotional support, suggesting that her success in the academic world has come at the cost of her relationships in her home community.

Cold-damaged knuckles

The damage to Lizet's skin, caused by the transition between cold New...