By Rosa Torres

At some point in our lives, we’ve all been the “newbie” somewhere: at school, in a workshop, at university, at work. And sometimes, being new can feel like being an alien: everything is unfamiliar, nerves run high, and there may be fear or anxiety. In those moments, how do we know if we’re truly welcome in a place and among its people?

We talked with the Spark Tribe about the culture of Hospitality, and here I share their thoughtful reflections based on the story “Golden Land”, from Los Hermanos Paz.

To give some context, Golden Land is the story of Tomás and Ramón. Here’s a short summary:

Tomás is a child surrounded by friends. One day, a new student named Ramón arrives at his school. Ramón comes from a place called “Golden Land.” His skin and the way he speaks are very different from Tomás and his friends. Because Ramón was different, no one wanted to play with him, and Tomás often made fun of him.

But one day, Tomás’s family had to travel to “Golden Land” for a while. Tomás was scared of being the new child and being treated the way Ramón had been treated. However, when he arrived, he met kind, warm, and welcoming children. He enjoyed meeting new people in Golden Land. When Tomás returned home, he reunited with Ramón, apologized to him, and shared all the wonderful things he had discovered in Golden Land, and the friends he had made there.

After reading the story, we had a group conversation:

Guide: Pumas, we’ve read this story together. What would you have done if you were Tomás?

Puma 1: I think when Tomás met Ramón, he wasn’t kind. If I were Tomás, I would have welcomed Ramón differently. He didn’t know anyone! That’s really hard.
Puma 2: I would treat someone new with respect.
Puma 3: I would’ve asked him to play with me. I wouldn’t have made fun of him.

Guide: And what if you were in Ramón’s shoes?

Puma 4: I would’ve stood up to Tomás.
Puma 5: I don’t like it when someone makes fun of others.
Puma 6: Maybe Ramón was afraid of something about Tomás.

Guide: What might he have been afraid of?

Puma 6: Maybe he was scared because he’s different.
Puma 7: I get scared when I meet someone new or go somewhere new.
Puma 8: Even if you’re afraid of what’s different, you shouldn’t make fun of others.

Guide: What could Tomás have done?

Puma 8: Maybe he could’ve talked about his fear.

Guide: Have you ever been the new person in your classroom, a workshop, or a group? What do you remember about it? How did you feel?

Puma 6: One time I went to a biiig school where my cousin studied. I felt really small there. My cousin had friends, and I didn’t. But then I played with them, and I had friends too.

Puma 8: When I went to my workshop for the first time, I felt nervous and didn’t want to talk to anyone.
Puma 2: What did you do? Did you still make friends even though you didn’t talk?
Puma 8: Yes, I did, because some children who talked a lot came up to me.

Guide: How can we treat someone who is new?

Puma 2: Say kind words to them.
Puma 3: Treat them well, with love and respect.
Puma 4: Talk to them and get to know them, what they do, what they like.
Puma 8: Share what we’re doing.
Puma 6: Play with them if they want to.

Guide: If you were the new child, would you like to be at Studio Spark? (Some of their responses included…)

“I’d love that!”
“I think we could welcome someone new and be kind to them.”
“I’d treat them with love and respect.”
“I think they’d like Tinkuy because we play and there are gems!”
“Maybe yes, because we’re kind.”

From this story, the reflection, and the phrases that emerged, I believe that at this point in the year, the Spark Tribe sees itself as a warm, kind, and playful group that wants to radiate warmth. It’s something they’ve built from an honest and empathetic place.

Being part of the same tribe doesn’t mean you have to be close friends with everyone, but it does mean treating each other with respect and kindness. The Pumas enjoy being together, and I can see in them a desire to spread what they experience in Spark, through games, shared systems, and how they treat one another. And even though it’s always a challenge (no place is warm all the time), they know how to move through disagreements, conflicts, and differences.

Because that’s what the culture of hospitality is all about: being warm not just with the newcomer, but also with those we already live alongside, and allowing differences to reconnect us, not divide us.