The dictionary definition of “ahorita” implies immediacy or something happening “right now.”
But do Mexicans really use it in this way?
Such was the theme of a nonfiction story recorded by a trio of Tapatios who won third place in a contest sponsored by a Los Angeles radio station in which they had just 24 hours to write, record and edit their piece.
KCRW’s 24-Hour Radio Race emailed contestants the theme at 10 p.m. on August 8. They had to post the finished piece – no longer than four minutes – on Soundcloud for judging within 24 hours.
By the deadline, 118 pieces had been submitted by teams hailing from as far afield as New York, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Australia. KCRW says the entries were judged on creativity, technical skill and incorporation of the theme “Time Change.”
Guadalajara natives Fernando “Micro” Hernandez, Valeria Sanchez and Alfredo Nuñez went in search of a story that illustrated the true meaning of “ahorita,” which they stress certainly doesn’t mean “right now” but is best translated as “the little now.”
“It’s a promise we make to ourselves and to others, or a lie, or the truth, or just nothing,” says independent producer Hernandez.
Out on the street with their microphone and recorder in hand, the trio stumbled upon the story of a mom and her daughter that gives a clue as to what the “little now” means in Mexican culture.
The day before, the mother said her young daughter was keen to show her gifts she had just brought back from a vacation at the beach with relatives, but she was so busy cooking for her brothers and uncles that she kept telling the child, “ahorita, ahorita.”
“I didn’t want to say I couldn’t attend to her, so I used a non-aggressive way to say give me some time.”
Later that night when lying in bed, the mother says she “felt bad” when her daughter finally got to show her the gifts: an enormous rug and an unfinished purse that she had made herself. The story then develops into a touching and personal conclusion.
Noted the judges: “The story turned a tiny phrase into a big idea, and was a creative adaptation of the theme. We particularly loved watching their racing adventures unfold on Periscope!”
The Guadalajara team won a US$300 contract to air the piece on UnFictional, a one-year PRX Producer account, a one-year Soundcloud Premium account, a one-year PopUp Archive Premium Account, a one-year listing on AIR’s Talent Directory, and a KCRW t-shirt.
You can listen to the radio story in English at https://soundcloud.com/microgdl/estonoesradio-el-ahoritathe-little-now.