24 PEOPLE
In the Name of Love
Making the transition from one continent to another for the love of his life has proven to be a difficult but worthwhile task.
HALEY PLANT, feature writer
M
any may know Mr. Notario as the tree-hugging AP Environmental Science teacher, tenacious soccer coach, or even as the enthusiastic greenhouse keeper - but it is a little known fact that Fernando Notario is also a hopeless romantic. Just nine years ago, Fernando Notario-Rocha met the woman of his dreams in the picturesque and mesmerizing city of Cordoba, Spain. Knowing little to no English, he fell in love with his American sweetheart, Mary Elizabeth Wagoner, who was visiting Spain on a study abroad program for UNC Chapel Hill. “We actually met on my 21st birthday which was pretty crazy and we, well, connected in this coffee shop in his hometown,” Wagoner said.
am not proficient in.” This passion for teaching is what drives him to continue to learn English every day, even prompting Notario to read books exclusively in English in an effort to further his understanding and become more comfortable with the community he now calls home. However, Notario still wants to expose his Spanish heritage to his children. At least once a year, Notario takes his two boys, Fernando (7) and, Charlie (5), who are both Golden Bears, back to the south of Spain where his siblings and the rest of his massive family still reside. He always looks forward to his mother’s delicious cooking: a sweet and vivid memory of childhood he still holds dear to his heart.
Wagoner spoke fluent Spanish and the two were able to communicate in Spanish enough to start a friendship and eventually and relationship six months later. A few years of their relationship was actually long distance because she moved back to America after her study abroad program ended, but their determination was strong. Their love grew fonder for six years until they eventually decided to marry.
As the fourth largest city in Spain, Seville exposed Notario to an open and diverse environment during his formative years. Immigrants from North Africa and surrounding European countries call Seville home, helping to make the cultural scene thrive with activity. The excitement of large cities always interested Notario, which has helped make the move to Atlanta easier.
That wasn’t the only big life change in store for Notario: she wanted him to move to America. Leaving behind his childhood in the town of Seville, a tight knit family of eight brothers and sisters and a culture he’d known since birth, Notario had no second thoughts about dropping everything for his new bride.
“I would like for [my children] to have the opportunity to grow in many ways. I want for them to live in a place where the world is closer to them, so they can see a lot of different parts of the world here.” said Notario. The cultural similarities between Atlanta and the south of Spain are what Notario admires about the city.
“I mean I knew I was ready to move anywhere, I’d met the person I wanted to live with and I said, wherever the place is, let’s just go there.” Notario said. Moving to a foreign place was more difficult than he thought, and Notario soon felt the pressures of the new environment. Equipped with a new wife, a new job at the Episcopal School of Virginia and an entire field of hurdles to jump through, Notario had a lot on his plate. Without any formal training in English, his skills came from practice alone, listening to his wife and the students at his new school. After eight years of practice under his belt, some days are still harder than others. “You must remember that whatever you do, you’re progressing and you’re doing good things.” Notario continued, “Like, sometimes I feel like I’m not doing things right and saying things right, but it’s always worth it at the end of the day when I realize I got to teach a class and communicate to people in a language that I
His love for science followed Notario to the United States as well. While Seville was filled with lots of city life, it did not stop him from exploring the outdoors. Fascinated by the natural world, young Notario spent the first eighteen years of his life discovering the outdoors and what it had to offer. “I like that Mr. Notario is very knowledgeable and very very passionate about what he teaches and he also practices what he preaches when it comes to being environmentally friendly,” HIES senior Marshall Lynch said. One could talk about Notario in using several descriptors, ranging from an energetic coach, passionate environmentalist or engaging teacher, but the one who may know best is his wife. “He’s just a walking heart. He loves his family, his friends, he loves his job. I think that’s the best thing about him, when he does something you’ll know he gives all of himself to it.” Mrs. Notario said.