humph

i'm tired. the climax of a really hectic time is approaching. i have to finish writing a grant report and really do not have any idea of what would even begin to discribe it. it is all my faul. i waited 'till the last minute. what the heck. this is so me. i should have called the foundation and ask some questions. i didn't write the grant proposal nor was i involved in the implementation of it. i came in in august so to write something for december it's a bit of a strech. most of stuff is also anecdotal so it's hard to just plug in numbers and get things done that way. it is not cool. but God is great and i know that it will be fine. just today we saw an amazing miracle. truly. we were short for our sponsorships for a fundraiser this year and ouf ED went to a meeting--reluctantly, mind you--and came out of it with a two grand sponsorship check; which not only covered what we needed but we are now stelar because the other fundraising parties are totally short. that was truly a miracle and there's no arguing with it. the guy wasn't even pursuing these people. he met them today at the meeting. sigh...total emotional roller coaster this week.

oh, oh, speaking of roller coasters, yesterday was a pain. one of the women here opened the database with all the ticket purchases for this gala we're involved in and filtered the information so that only a few tickets appeared. i had left the office early on tuesday and when i came yesterday the same woman tells me that there's something wrong with the database. i wanted to die. really, die I tell you. the IT guy looked things over and there was nothing wrong with the server, etc. after my initial shock that everything had been lost I went back to the document and realized that "something" looked different. after unfiltering things everything went back to normal and my weeks of hard work had not disappeared. it turns out and the same woman who kept saying that she hadn't done anything to it was the one that filtered it and forgot she had done so. i really do not understand how a person could forget that they changed a document and then ask "what happened?" i think it's a bit ridicoulous but that's ok. we're all human and mistakes are made. she was completely unsympathetic and/or concerned with the fact that i was going through hell while the IT guy looked for what was wrong. she apologized at the end for not going over and "helping" me figure out such an easy issues as that. I couldn't believe it. not for messing it up, pointing it out and then being completely defensive about it, but for not getting up from her desk and showing me how an idiot i am. really? but it's all good. i realized that she may not be as confident and admitting mistakes may take a great toll on her so i kinda feel bad for her and her inability to not take things so personal.

with all that junk said, i am so happy! sonia and i had a great conversation with Hno. Orange about his work when he was in Chile and how God has blessed him so dearly in everything. he is such a great man. i totally have a little crush on him even if he's sixty-plus. i just think he has an amazing story and i would totally love to be friends with a person like that. an older, wise person that can sit down to chat with someone that could be his son/daughter--or even a grandchild--and do so with no hint of prepotence or superioty but out of a genuine desire to share. people like that make you want to listen to them, learn from them, honor them and just amulate their example in life. such humble, sensitive and solid people are few and far between. that was great. :) and i'm totally in love but like family-love. please don't got around saying i'm into septuagenarians or about.

faith on the catwalk

i do not know why but i have spent part of my afternoon looking at pictures of the new "it-girl" in fashion,  super-model sensation Arlenis Sosa Peña.  geesh, her generic Dominican name does not do her justice. she is crazy beautiful, this girl.  i am so glad that she's Dominican and from what seems to be a not-so-uppity sector of society--sucker for underdogs here.  most importantly, however, is that she is a woman of faith (gasp!). it appears to be an oxymoron but the girl apparently likes to read the bible in-between photo sessions. how awesome is that?   i love her.  she seems pretty down-to-earth and just an overall bubbly, fun, borderline-naive girl from my lovely island--yes, it's all mine. :P 

Here's her pic in case you wanna check it out (try to guess why i chose this hair, ehem, head shot.. 

more pictures if you care... 

nov. 28th

today is my younger sister's birthday.  it's her 18th birthday, which she has been announcing for about a month. :D  i think is pretty funny when people do that.  my cousin carol used to do that too when we were younger and i could never bring myself to do the same. i thought it too needy.  i guess my views have changed.  i remember one year while in 6th or 7th grade where i forgot it was my birthday.  my family woke me up singing happy birthday, etc.--the little ritual my mom liked for all of us.  then i went to school and completely forgot about it.  :\ when i came home, Doña Blasina, the lady that cooked for us, said "Happy Birthday Miss."  i was furious... that meant i had forgotten my birthday and none of my friends at school got a chance to buy me anything because i didn't mention anything to begin with.  to top it all off, it was a friday (!) so i was not going to be able to mention it to the class until after 3 days had passed.  i missed a perfect opportunity for my friends to give me presents and/or shower me with attention that day.  since then, i have never forgotten my birthday again--at least not during the birthday and/or for the whole day. :)  

anyway, back to my sister.  i remember when we were expecting her to be born. my mom had had a number of miscarriages because of toxoplasmosis (from our old cat) and finally after a long treatment she was able to have my sister.  we didn't know if it would be a boy or a girl.  we were choosing which name to name her.  my mother really wanted her to have my great grandmother's name: Amelia. i think that's such a beautiful name now. Amelia by itself would probably have been more than enough. anyway, at that time i thought it would be cool to combine my name and my great grandmother's  and call  her jasmelia. but my little brother--6 years younger--as a good dominican said jamelia without the s and everybody thought it was great.  the little punk stole my idea and 'till this day swears that he came up with the name.   ok, ok... i'm digressing into something completely different.  so, the day she was born we were all anxiously awaiting what it was going to be. she's 12 years younger than me so i was old enough to remember things.  i remember that people would always ask if i wanted a brother or a sister, likewise to my brother.  my mom seemed to want a girl because my step-dad really wanted a girl--or so it appeared.  although he always has considered me his daughter it is only natural that he wanted to have a bond with his own daughter.  so after much anticipation, the day came. my mom gave birth through c-section so it was a scheduled delivery.  it was in the afternoon and i remember as my aunt, dad, brother--not 100% if he was there--and i were waiting in the dark hallway for the news.  i think the OR had a little blue and red light to the let people know whether it was a boy or a girl.  i'm not sure though; maybe i saw that in a movie or book.   we were all so happy. i was so happy; my aunt congratulated my dad.  it was fun. i remember that her nails were pretty long and she seemed to be hungry; at least that's what someone said. as she grew i remember telling her stories which she really liked.  my repertoire included Snow White, Cinderella, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, etc., as well as a plethora of made up stuff. i used to tickle her a lot too. i would also scold her many a times when she did something unkosher to which my dad would object and we would argue day and night about it.  i wonder how different my life would have been if i had stayed in DR. or how different my sister's temperament would be.  

she grew up pretty much alone with my parents.  my brother came to the US for high school at about 15 so she was 9 when she became an "only-child."  i always tell them that they brought her up as a grandchild more than a daughter.  but i guess that it's true what they say that parents are usually more lenient with the youngest child than the rest.  in any event many times i have considered her spoiled. but i have to say that probably compared to current standards she's just normal.    i think she's very smart, beautiful and with a sensitive heart.  i also think she has chosen to go the easy route and not challenge herself in any way.  sometimes i look at her and wish that i could make her see how much potential she has and the amazing things she could do if she only tried a bit or if she wanted to.  she could really do a lot if only she could see herself that way.  but i also understand that she is her own person and she has to choose what she feels it's best for her as well as deal with the consequences--positive or negative--of her present actions.  

this may seem like a sad post when i think of it but it is not.  i'm happy to have my sister and to how these great memories from the time of her birth to now.  i see her potential, her talents and look forward to the day when her life experiences will come together to shape the great woman she'll become.  i pray that in the meantime she is as the japanese say どんどんbecome aware of how much she is worth and start putting her value on things that are not destroyed by "ladron o polilla." i'm really looking forward to it. i'm also thankful to have her in my life because, probably unbeknownst to her, she has taught me a lot about myself, my expectations and the fact that each one of us truly has a responsibility to oneself.  well, first to God but then to oneself.  no one can force us or persuade us to be one way or another, it is our choice to be what we are.   i'm a working progress in this department but i truly hope to be able appreciate and learn to respect my sister's choices regardless of what i think they should.  i love her and that's pretty much what an older sister is for;  the other stuff is really inconsequential.  

new gig...

today i start my new job.  after 5 years working for the same employer i have decided that God has called me to do something else and i'm starting a new job with an urban ministry at the church where i congregate.  it has been an amazing journey so far.  i am going to miss my team. i felt like more than a manager I was a friend and an encourager.  i feel so blessed to have been able to work with those people.  my respect for them is so great.  the same goes for most of my co-workers.  my office-mates--Tim and Bru--they are great people.  i hope they are recognized as such when the time comes.  it is amazing what a place can do to you.  for the past few months i have been miserable there.  my boss has been completely irresponsible in the way she has handled things.  i have been struggling to manage a new program which was handed to me in disarray and with no staff.  however, i am glad it has happened that ways.  otherwise, i would not have had that as a catalyst to leave.  God is great and He knows when & how to deal with things.  at one point i was so overwhelmed that i had to lock myself in one of the bathroom stalls and cry until i could no longer.  it was horrible. there i prayed for God to deliver me from it and less than two days later everything changed.  i am so happy!  the new job will be an adjustment,  i'm starting from the bottom again but i could not be happier.  i am so lucky.  i couldn't ask for more.  i'm looking forward to this new chapter in my life and hope to fufill the task which i have been entrusted.  

 Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.  Jeremiah 33:3 

La Mancha...

I have always loved books.  From when I was a little girl I have always had this fascination with those bundles of pages that hold adventures, fears, experiences, dreams...  I remember that my grandmother loved--well, still loves--going to yard sales and Salvation Army stores where she buys a bunch of cheap stuff which really serves no purpose.  When I first got

 to the States as a teenager my eyes would scan the different stores, backyards or whatever places we ended up visiting on those bittersweet Saturday trips, mostly to New Hampshire, and automatically walk to the spot where the books were;  even if I couldn't read them because I spoke no English.  One of my favorite books of all time is Don Quijote. I rea

d it when I was about 13 years old.  The story of the crazy knight fighting every injustice and always longing for his beloved Dulcinea was just one of the most amazing reads ever. I was completely absorbed by it.   So when I finally got to visit La Mancha in Spain this summer I was in heaven.  We went to the Molinos.  Obviously, they're not the Cervantes molinos but they're still so, way cool.    I was completely in love with the Molinos to the point that my friends drove away threatening to leave me if I didn't let go.  Finally, they did drive away but had to come back just a bit so that I could get in the car.  We sat down by the Molino store--yes, capitalism is the best... the most sublime structures can become a convenience store in the middle of Saffron fields

.  In any event, we took out a blanket and sat under the shade of one of the Molinos.  There, with the fragrant wind enveloping us and overlooking the valley of Castilla-La Mancha, we had a succulent lunch of jamon, tortilla española, pan, atun among other staples of Spanish cuisine.  It was great.  I even took a little power nap until Jose--our friend, guide and driver--stopped chatting with the store attendant and we headed on our wa

y to new adventures.  I felt very Quijotesca, in a more luxurious sorta way.   Los Molinos were amazing both inside and outside.  They had names from the book, such as Rosinante and others. I was elated.  

Here are some of La Mancha pictures:  

the valley... molino...

thank God for Lisboa

so we just got to lisboa about an two hours ago. it´s such a nice city. i drove part of the way here and it wasn´t as bad as jose was saying. in any event, i will update more later since my hotel now has internet. yay... we´re on our way to dinner. yummm.

no more internet

well, after i met my friends and started travelling there´s no more internet. so i will be posting later...

1st and 2nd day...

so i decided to walk around town in Madrid to get to know things. i have been walking like a child in a remote african village. so far there are six blisters to account for it. i´m staying around the Puerta del Sol area. the hostel is ok although i have to say that it looks a bit--let´s be honest, waaaayyy--sketchy but the people who work there are nice. at least for now--until i find out that my backpack and half the stuff in it is missing.

from the airport i made my way around the Metro system. i had to change lines three times because the stop closest to my hostal is closed due to renovations. i love Madrid´s subway. it´s very clean and on time. it reminds me of the DC metro but with way more people.

day 1: got to the room. took a nap. then walked around town. later that night, at around 11pm i went to walk around town some more to check out the scenery. i went all the way from Puerta del Sol to La Latina and beyond. then came back for the metro. as i was waiting there were two ¨interesting-looking¨ fellows standing next to me. one of them said, ¨oye, estas wapa.¨with a non-spanish sounding accent. it turns out they were algerian. so they asked were i was from; i said brazilian. then i asked what they did in Madrid, etc. and one of them answered, ¨bueno aca vivo con mi familia. y pues no te miento soy traficante.¨ basically, he said he lived with his family here and that he was a dope dealer. he then proceeded to ask me if I was fine and if i needed anything to make me feel better. well, since i was in no need of tylenol or pepto bismol, i gracefully said no. as we got off the metro the two ¨pharmaceutical consultants¨ asked me follow them since they were going to give me directions. i did follow them for about 30 steps and then got ¨lost¨ in the crowd. luckily for me, the Gran Via area is a super crowded area.
after leaving my two new friends i found myself in a major rock concert kinda crowd for the gay pride festivities in the area. it was overwhelming. too many people. too many cigarettes. too many bottles. too many people stepping on my toes. : )

finally, i decided to stop walking at around 2am and headed back to the hostel. enough Madrid for the night.

day 2: more walking. i went to the royal botanical gardens (Jardin Botanico Real) close to where i´m staying. it was awesome. i mean, y´all know i love the whole taking pictures of flowers thing. there i had my fix. geesh. it´s a marvelous place. 

then i walked a bit more and ended up in the Anthropological Museum, 

which was free! yes! it was nice. towards the end of the afternoon i went back to the hostel.

that night i decided to check the latino scene in madrid and did an internet search to find some places with tropical music places. i ended up in a place called O´Zona. unbeknownst to me things in Madrid do not start until 2am. poor Boston. i feel so sad for your early bed habits. so since i was there at like midnight i had to stay at the door chatting it up with the bouncers. obviously, i was allowed to go in but the place was--literally--empty. so i was not going to be the parigüaya to go in. it turn out for the best. i met Carlos the bouncer; a peruvian fellow married with a woman from spain. he has the coolest peru-spain spanish accent. i also hit it off with the woman tending the front table where people pay to get in. by the way, the cover was a woopig 16 euros. they were making fun of me for being there so early. then i mentioned i was here from the States. Carlos is supposed to be going to a wedding in NYC soon and the lady has always dreamed of going to the US. we talked about Obama, being an immigrant in the US, speaking--or not--english, etc., etc. when people started to come my two new friends let me into the club for free and gave me a voucher for a drink! not to mention that the barwoman was a colombian who was also chatting it up with me before i went it. so by the end of the night i was like VIP. I knew the bouncers and the drink people. what else could a girl ask for? i was there until about 4am and then took a taxi back to my base of operations. the cab driver was a total riot and very nice older man. i slept like a baby.

so two days of adventures so far and counting...
ps. i always forget to bring my usb cable to the internet cafe but i´ll post some pix soon. :)

en route...

ok. so dearest Anne volunteered to give me a ride to the airport. it was crazy. between cambridge side gallery and the entrace to storrow drive it took about 45 minutes becuase of heavy traffic. i almost started getting worried. luckily, everything was fine and i made it to the airport well in advance.

on the plane i sat next to this really nice asian american guy who works in the insurance consulting business and travels a lot. he doesn´t like the travelling. it turns out that he too was going to madrid and then to portugal. he showed me his schedule--planned by his ¨friend¨--and it was something totally out of my league. they had planned everything, EVERYTHING, about this trip. it was interesting. while we were conversing these four frat-looking-sounding guys wearing custom-made San Fermin t-shirts came on and sat right behind us. it was hilarious. they were already drunk. we were all going the same way. when we got to London we all started talking and they told us about their trip to the running of the bulls. quite interesting. it turns out the T-shirts had five people pictured on them and they were all meeting in Madrid to then go do the running of the bulls in Pamplona. they invited me; of course i said no.

when we go to Madrid, one of them remembered my name and yelled it out as we were getting off the plane. they then procedeed to chat and i asked if they were taking the subway to Madrid-center. they said no but offered a ride once they were able to find their friends and rent a van. however, if the friends were nowhere to be found they would let me drive since they were all drunk out of their minds. i literally started running down the hallway and they after me. imagine this, me with a backpack and pepper-colored pants being chased down Barajas airport by four drunk frat guys wearing shorts and bright red shirts. quite the sight. they caught on. i took their pictures and lost them at baggage claim. thank you God!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pues Anne se voluntario para llevarme al aeropuerto y nos tomo casi una hora para llegar. me estaba comenzando a preocupar pero gracias a Dios todo salio bien y llegue al Logan a tiempo.

en el avion me sente al lado de un muchacho asiatico americano que tambien estaba en camino a España y Portugal. resulto muy amable el chico y me enseño su itinerario que me dio casi miedo. todo estaba planeado hasta el tuetano y con notas super detalladas. que emocion! luego llego un grupo de cuatro chicos que estaban en camino a Pamplona para la corrida de los toros. esa en las que sueltan los toros en la calle y salvese quien pueda. pues esa. resulta que ya estaban medio borrachitos y muy a lo mi tio David, con bocas de aqui a jupiter. en Londres empazamos a conversar. nos invitaron a ir con ellos pero claro que les dije que no porque yo a morir de cornada no voy. no señor. al llegar a Madrid les pregunte si usarian el metro para llegar al centro de Madrid y me dijeron que no pero que me daban un ride pues ellos rentarian una van--si encontraban a los amigos que supuestamente les estaban esperando. los chicos tenian camisetas hechas con sus caricaturas y la de sus amigos. que barbaridad. tambien me dijeron que si sus amigos no aparecian me dejarian conducir la van ya que ellos estaban demasiado borrachos para manejar. ahi fue cuando literalmente comenze a corres y ellos detras de mi. imaginense, yo corriendo en el aeropuerto Barajas con y grupo de gringos locos y borrachos con camisetas super rojas y botella en mano. que risa. pues al final los perdi en aduanas y me fui.

more on my first day in Madrid, luego.... luego les cuanto mas de mis aventuras en Madrid...

i know... i know...

it is not hidden fact that this blog is neglected by yours truly.  i have been told this many times. sorry, you my faithful readers... both you. :D  mom & dad... kidding.  i am hoping to be better now that i'm quitting my job and will have a life of my own. don't unbookmark me yet.  i promise. i will.  

on another note, i am now the proud owner of a wonderful little camera and have been taking pix of anything that moves--or not. i'm even on Flickr.  below are some of the pix there so feel free to check them out and let me know what you think.  honestly, it's borderline obsession.  

atardecer

Sosua y demas

los nuevos amigos capitalinos

Melvin aqui te van... para que por fin las puedas ver. :D

En Los Tres Ojos:
Pose 1: antes de subir a "la barquita", a no ser que no completaramos la travesia...
Pose 2: con el Capitan de "la barquita" ya en pleno apogeo de la aventura--no me ven la sonrisa de miedo...
Pose 3: mostranda completada la azanha y "Cailito", el guia, tomando la foto de la victoria--con el ultimo "Ojo" de fondo.

dream come true | suenho realizado

i have always wanted to be a street vendor. in DR i got to be one. not only that, a Chimichurri vendor. total riot. plus, in one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city of Santo Domingo, with a drug bust going on at about 15feet away from my place of employment. i loved it!!!

siempre he querido ser una vendedora ambulante. en RD lo pude conseguir, y no solo eso gente, sino que una vendedora de Chimis. ademas, en una de las areas mas interesantes de la cuidad de Santo Domingo... en Invivienda. con una redada de drogas como a 15 pies de mi "lugar de trabajo". que emozion!!

here is the proof..... aqui les va la prueba.... (fui oficialmente la Chimi 3. he he)

quote of the day...

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."
-- FDR

Dominican & Racist?

My friend Georgie forwarded me this link to a very interesting article. I in turn forwarded to my Dominican women and it has prompted quite an intriguing thread of responses. Here it is in case you care to take a look at it: Black Denial

Dominican Republic

Yara Matos holds her hair extensions as a stylist in the Herrera neighborhood prepares to give her the look of long, straight hair. (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald)

Black denial

Nearly all Dominican women straighten their hair, which experts say is a direct result of a historical learned rejection of all things black

By Frances Robles

frobles@miamiherald.com

SANTO DOMINGO -- Yara Matos sat still while long, shiny locks from China were fastened, bit by bit, to her coarse hair.

Not that Matos has anything against her natural curls, even though Dominicans call that pelo malo -- bad hair.

But a professional Dominican woman just should not have bad hair, she said. "If you're working in a bank, you don't want some barrio-looking hair. Straight hair looks elegant," the bank teller said. "It's not that as a person of color I want to look white. I want to look pretty."

And to many in the Dominican Republic, to look pretty is to look less black.

Dominican hairdressers are internationally known for the best hair-straightening techniques. Store shelves are lined with rows of skin whiteners, hair relaxers and extensions.

Racial identification here is thorny and complex, defined not so much by skin color but by the texture of your hair, the width of your nose and even the depth of your pocket. The richer, the "whiter." And, experts say, it is fueled by a rejection of anything black.

"I always associated black with ugly. I was too dark and didn't have nice hair," said Catherine de la Rosa, a dark-skinned Dominican-American college student spending a semester here. "With time passing, I see I'm not black. I'm Latina.

"At home in New York everyone speaks of color of skin. Here, it's not about skin color. It's culture."

The only country in the Americas to be freed from black colonial rule -- neighboring Haiti -- the Dominican Republic still shows signs of racial wounds more than 200 years later. Presidents historically encouraged Dominicans to embrace Spanish Catholic roots rather than African ancestry.

Here, as in much of Latin America -- the "one drop rule'' works in reverse: One drop of white blood allows even very dark-skinned people to be considered white.

Capellan Dominquez, center, and Anthony Rosario, right, join others as they warm up for Carnival in February in the Cristo Rey area of Santo Domingo. (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald)

LACK OF INTEREST

As black intellectuals here try to muster a movement to embrace the nation's African roots, they acknowledge that it has been a mostly fruitless cause. Black pride organizations such as Black Woman's Identity fizzled for lack of widespread interest. There was outcry in the media when the Brotherhood of the Congos of the Holy Spirit -- a community with roots in Africa -- was declared an oral patrimony of humanity by UNESCO. "There are many times that I think of just leaving this country because it's too hard," said Juan Rodríguez Acosta, curator of the Museum of the Dominican Man. Acosta, who is black, has pushed for the museum to include controversial exhibits that reflect many Dominicans' African background. "But then I think: Well if I don't stay here to change things, how will things ever change?"

A walk down city streets shows a country where blacks and dark-skinned people vastly outnumber whites, and most estimates say that 90 percent of Dominicans are black or of mixed race. Yet census figures say only 11 percent of the country's nine million people are black.

To many Dominicans, to be black is to be Haitian. So dark-skinned Dominicans tend to describe themselves as any of the dozen or so racial categories that date back hundreds of years -- Indian, burned Indian, dirty Indian, washed Indian, dark Indian, cinnamon, moreno or mulatto, but rarely negro.

The Dominican Republic is not the only nation with so many words to describe skin color. Asked in a 1976 census survey to describe their own complexions, Brazilians came up with 136 different terms, including café au lait, sunburned, morena, Malaysian woman, singed and "toasted."

"The Cuban black was told he was black. The Dominican black was told he was Indian," said Dominican historian Celsa Albert, who is black. "I am not Indian. That color does not exist. People used to tell me, ‘You are not black.' If I am not black, then I guess there are no blacks anywhere, because I have curly hair and dark skin."

Manuel Núñez (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald)

THE HISTORY

Using the word Indian to describe dark-skinned people is an attempt to distance Dominicans from any African roots, Albert and other experts said. She noted that it's not even historically accurate: The country's Taino Indians were virtually annihilated in the 1500s, shortly after Spanish colonizers arrived.

Researchers say the de-emphasizing of race in the Dominican Republic dates to the 1700s, when the sugar plantation economy collapsed and many slaves were freed and rose up in society.

Later came the rocky history with Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Haiti's slaves revolted against the French and in 1804 established their own nation. In 1822, Haitians took over the entire island, ruling the predominantly Hispanic Dominican Republic for 22 years.

To this day, the Dominican Republic celebrates its independence not from centuries-long colonizer Spain, but from Haiti.

"The problem is Haitians developed a policy of black-centrism and . . . Dominicans don't respond to that," said scholar Manuel Núñez, who is black. "Dominican is not a color of skin, like the Haitian."

Dictator Rafael Trujillo, who ruled from 1930 to 1961, strongly promoted anti-Haitian sentiments, and is blamed for creating the many racial categories that avoided the use of the word "black."

The practice continued under President Joaquín Balaguer, who often complained that Haitians were "darkening'' the country. In the 1990s, he was blamed for thwarting the presidential aspirations of leading black candidate José Francisco Peña Gómez by spreading rumors that he was actually Haitian.

Dominican girls Luz Freiney Paulina, from left, Esther Celeste Santana, Mayelin Eloisa Valdez and Melisa Valdez, comprise the dance troupe Las Nizas. Below, Dominican author Manuel Nunez writes about the issues of 'black' and 'Dominican' as they relate to the history in his country. (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald)

"Under Trujillo, being black was the worst thing you could be," said Afro-Dominican poet Blas Jiménez. "Now we are Dominican, because we are not Haitian. We are something, because we are not that."

Jiménez remembers when he got his first passport, the clerk labeled him "Indian." He protested to the director of the agency.

"I remember the man saying, ‘If he wants to be black, let him be black!' '' Jiménez said.

Resentment toward anything Haitian continues, as an estimated one million Haitians live in the Dominican Republic, most working in the sugar and construction industries. Mass deportations often mistakenly include black Dominicans, and Haitians have been periodically lynched in mob violence. The government has been trying to deny citizenship and public education to the Dominican-born children of illegal Haitian migrants.

When migrant-rights activist Sonia Pierre won the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2006, the government responded by trying to revoke her citizenship, saying she is actually Haitian.

"There's tremendous resistance to blackness -- black is something bad," said black feminist Sergia Galván. ‘‘Black is associated with dark, illegal, ugly, clandestine things. There is a prototype of beauty here and a lot of social pressure. There are schools where braids and natural hair are prohibited."

Galván and a loosely knit group of women have protested European canons of beauty, once going so far as to rally outside a beauty pageant. She and other experts say it is now more common to see darker-skinned women in the contests -- but they never win.

Mariana Ramirez smiles as she sits in Daisy Gran Salon in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald)

CULTURE PULL

Several women said the cultural rejection of African looking hair is so strong that people often shout insults at women with natural curls.

"I cannot take the bus because people pull my hair and stick combs in it," said wavy haired performance artist Xiomara Fortuna. "They ask me if I just got out of prison. People just don't want that image to be seen."

The hours spent on hair extensions and painful chemical straightening treatments are actually an expression of nationalism, said Ginetta Candelario, who studies the complexities of Dominican race and beauty at Smith College in Massachusetts. And to some of the women who relax their hair, it's simply a way to have soft manageable hair in the Dominican Republic's stifling humidity.

"It's not self-hate," Candelario said. "Going through that is to love yourself a lot. That's someone saying, ‘I am going to take care of me.' It's nationalist, it's affirmative and celebrating self."

Money, education, class -- and of course straight hair -- can make dark-skinned Dominicans be perceived as more "white," she said. Many black Dominicans here say they never knew they were black -- until they visited the United States.

"During the Trujillo regime, people who were dark skinned were rejected, so they created their own mechanism to fight it," said Ramona Hernández, Director of the Dominican Studies Institute at City College in New York. "When you ask, ‘What are you?' they don't give you the answer you want . . . saying we don't want to deal with our blackness is simply what you want to hear."

Hernández, who has olive-toned skin and a long mane of hair she blows out straight, acknowledges she would "never, never, never'' go to a university meeting with her natural curls.

Product promoter Margarita Munoz, right, tidies up the shelf displaying her company's hair-straightening products in a Santo Domingo market. (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald)

"That's a woman trying to look cute; I'm a sociologist," she said.

Asked if a black Dominican woman can be considered beautiful in her country, Hernández leapt to her feet.

"You should see how they come in here with their big asses!'' she said, shuffling across her office with her arms extended behind her back, simulating an enormous rear-end. "They come in here thinking they are all that, and I think, 'doesn't she know she's not really pretty?' "

Maria Elena Polanca is a black woman with the striking good looks. She said most Dominicans look at her with curiosity, as if a black woman being beautiful were something strange.

She spends her days promoting a hair straightener at La Sirena, a Santo Domingo department store that features an astonishing array of hair straightening products.

"Look, we have bad hair, bad. Nobody says 'curly.' It's bad," she said. "You can't go out like that. People will say, 'Look at that nest! Someone light a match!' ''

Angela Martinez, 12, left, entertains friend Estefany Diaz, 10, as Estefany's sister Ariela does her hair in the Paraiso de Dios neighborhood west of Santo Domingo, a scene that plays out on the streets throughout much of the Dominican Republic. (Candace Barbot/Miami Herald)

'IT WAS HURTFUL'

Purdue University professor Dawn Stinchcomb, who is African American, said that when she came here in 1999 to study African influences in literature, people insulted her in the street.

Waiters refused to serve her. People wouldn't help Stinchcomb with her research, saying if she wanted to study Africans, she'd have to go to Haiti.

"I had people on the streets . . . yell at me to get out of the sun because I was already black enough," she said. "It was hurtful. . . . I was raised in the South and thought I could handle any racial comment. I never before experienced anything like I did in the Dominican Republic.

"I don't have a problem when people who don't look like me say hurtful things. But when it's people who look just like me?"

last day....

i think i'm clean enough. this is the end. i'll make it to 10 next time.

day 6... saturday

so my friend Eunice invited me to go to church with her to make pastelitos/empanadas. can you say cruel? i have not eaten for six, yes s.i.x, 6, days and the woman wants me to go make empanadas. juicy, flavorful meat... savory dough.... no respect, que sinverguenza. i went. it wasn't half as bad. this whole experience has taught me a lot about survival and what we as humans really need, or don't need. then Eunice and Vanessa went to Applebee's and I went with them. total trooper me. i had a water with lime and vanessa had bbq wings, Euni had a shrimp salad. before that we went to BJs and they wanted to get cookies. chocolate chip. they didn't but instead went to D&D. coffee and pastries. i, of course, had none. just water. thank you very much.

i had aimed for 3 days originally, then 5, now i'm on 7. maybe i'll make it to 10. but Melba crackers are looking pretty tasty now. my plan is to at least make it thru tomorrow and my GI will be almost pristine clean!! yay me!

p.s. sometime around day 3 or 4 Alainie had a saltine cracker crisis while working third shift at the hospital. she stopped--right after she went to the hospital cafeteria and had scrambled eggs with home fries for breakfast on friday, it seems. :D hilarious.

day 3...

i thought this was going to be earth-shattering. it's not. i'm not craving my usual foods. my stomach feel light. the lemonade still tastes good. i'm drinking an average of 64oz per day at work plus about 3 glasses at nite. oh, i also take the laxative tea a nite. chocolate flavored... yummm

day 2...

what the heck. everything is normal. i feel no pain. when i'm a bit hungry I drink the lemonade and it all gets better. i love this stuff. i feel so much better. cleaner--it's probably some type of placebo effect. I like it. no migranes either. this is a first.

p.s. my housemate Alainie felt inspired by my lemonade binge and she's started it to. day 1! i think.

day 1

the lemonade ain't have bad. it's grown on me. so far so good. 32oz of water first thing in the morning feels kinda good. it also sent me to the bathroom in like 5 minutes. the power of water... amazing and gross at the same time. :)

summer cleaning... i mean, cleanse

i'm starting the Master Cleanse. need to clean my colon and all the other stuff in its vicinity. let's see how it goes. it is supposed to last 10 days. yep. 10 days with H2O and a limonade with maple syrup and cayenne pepper. if i don't write again in 6 months--which apparently is my turn around time-- i most likely died. j/k. i'll keep you posted. i need carbs!

thoughts on my 75 year old granma

yesterday we had my grandmother's 75th birthday party. it was a surprise party and it took a whole arsenal of lies to not have her find out. hopefully God will not take them seriously. it was fun and she was definitely surprised. i'll put up some pictures later. my family is definitely special for lack of a better word. but i wanted her to have that and she did. i just wanted to make some memories.

as i reflect on my grandmother's age i realize how lucky she is to get to be that old. many people do not reach that age. many people around the globe die for "silly" reasons that can totally be prevented if the rest of us would care a bit more. for my grandma, life expectancy in the DR would be 74.87 years, so I guess she's passed that mark. in the US it would be 80.97. she's lucky.

i'm happy she's my grandmother with everything that she is or isn't. she has always loved me truly unconditionally. i think she is the only person in my life that has shown such a devoted love. not even my mom with all that she loves me--and she does a lot. mama has always been there to love me and show her love for me in many different ways. although i have to admit that sometimes some of those ways can be very suffocating. when i was little I remember not wanting to leave her side and crying my eyes out when my mom would take me back home after work. my grandmother spent my second day of kindergarten sitting on a tiny, uncomfortable chair so that I would not cry. the next day, neither of us came back. obviously, i wouldn't stop crying and mama would not sit on the little chair again. :D

i love my grandmother and would like to see her last days on earth be very, very happy. although that is not always possible, for reasons outside my control, i hope that she can see how blessed she has been not with what she has had but with what she has given.

the babies are coming... the babies are coming

this is crazy. i went to a housing conference in Boston from my job and all of the sudden I see this red-headed guy. i glance at him. he glances at me. i smile. he smiles. i wai, "wait a minute, you...?" he goes, "you're Marly's cousin, right?" i say yes and look at his name tag. "Brian? How are you?" it turns out he's my cousin's husband. they live in new york. the world is a small place. he he

so he tells me that my cousin is four months pregnant with a baby boy. so exciting! she was born a year after me. at the end of the day when i'm telling my mother, tells me that my cousin in DR--Marly's sister, Lilibel--might also be pregnant. it's not confirmed, she's not married, ehmm, ehmm. the next day she tells me that my cousin Carol, who lives in Paris, is also a month (?) pregnant. i guess this is the 'fertile' season for my family. :D it's crazy.

i'm actually very relieved. with all the baby hype hopefully people will stop hinting as to when i get married, and/or when is mine coming. it's a lot of pressure. i know my mother would go psycho with a grandchild; my grandmother would go crazy with a baby from her first and favorite granddaughter. sometimes i wonder. i see myself as more of an adopting type although i'm very motherly and probably would love to have a child of my own--at first.

anyway, i can't wait for all those little feet to stomp the world. i'm so excited and happy for my cousins. too cute!

swirly, swirly me

so, i didn't go to work yesterday because i was experiencing some vertigo. yep, i had these dizziness spells throughout the day. when i went back to work today i was still having them so i decided to call my doc--who turned out to be on vacation--to see what's wrong. i went to see another doc and he told me i had nothing. nothing. n-o-t-h-i-n-g and to come back if things get worse. so much for my brain tumor.

anyway. today i finally was able to meet with Tais. my Brazilian english-portuguese exchange partner. we met in harvard square and went to Crazy Dough for a slice of pizza. she is sweetest girl ever. so friendly and nice. we spoke english for the first half-hour and then portuguese. the third half-hour was mixed. then we walked to central where we parted ways. i had so much fun with her. can't wait for our next exchange. :D

Aljadaqui

i went to see an Aljadaqui show last night. they're a dominican rock band that has quite a following within the dominican community. i like their music and it was entertaining. although i have to to say that some of the lead singer's manerims came across a bit machista and/or disrespectful towards women in a way. i don't know why i feel that way but it's something i kept coming back to through the whole performance. i was right in front of him and maybe I was just reading too much into to. it's weird because i don't know that I like them as much as before I saw them. this was my first Aljadaqui concert but i think it was more detrimental than good. so ironic. anyway, at least I got a free t-shirt. he he (*_*)

on another note, my housemates took me out to dinner today for my birthday. I'm stuffed. we went to this small sea food restaurant near our house and it was delish. i love their crab cakes. they're such good people. i lucked out with them. i mean there are things that one has to adjust when living with other people but overall it's pretty good. God is wonderful.

i have to teach ESL tomorrow and that gets more exciting as the days go by. i love my students and seeing their dedication. looking forward to it.

I can't believe what has happened with Virginia Tech. This tragedy was completely out of this world. No one would have expected this. My heart goes to the victims' families, Cho's family and all the other people affected by this.
When I saw the video on the Internet that he left for NBC, I felt so sorry for that guy. He was definitely not all there and he was obviously deeply hurt by things and or people of his past.
It's made be a bit more conscientious of my reactions and treatment of other people. How many people could I have hurt with my words and actions. It's so sad that for him it had to come to this to have a outlet of some sort; hurting so many people and destroying so many families, including his own.
Hopefully this would be an opportunity for us to learn to hate less and reach out more. May the Lord grant us the discernment to cope with this tragedy as a society, and the peace and strenght to the surviving victims, families, VTers, and to the Cho family as well.

yez!

Freddy, Melissa, Johanna, Robert, Eliza.

New York was awesome. Julieta Venegas was awesome. My birtday was awesome.

Thrusday: took leaky greyhound bus with Eliza to go to NYC. uptown to Wilma's house to drop off stuff. she has a great view of the GW bridge. a-m-a-z-i-n-g. went to midtown to BBKing Blues club for the Julieta concert. while having dinner there we met this really nice couple, Lizzie and Eric, Venezuelan and Colombian respectively. great peoples; very funny. we changed emails, etc. Julieta was out of this world. she is such a great performer. sang all the great hits. me voy, limon y sal, tu eres para mi, etc. her dress was adorably cute, and so was her bass player.

after the concert we went to Ben and Jerry's and a bit later met with my friend Freddy, his wife and a coupl--friends of theirs. Havana Central had a nice live band and there was this gorgeous man standing by the bar whom I had to check out as I walked in. he he. The waiters--all wearing Guayaberas!--sang Happy Birthday and brought me a little flan cake with a candle. too cute. they also have killer passion fruit mojitos. it was a lot of fun.

Friday: woke up very late and then went to the Museum of Natural History on 79th St?, 'cause I had never been. Then went I went to Nolita to Cafe Habana. My Lord! The Corn! the corn! they sell these corn on the cob thingies covered with some type of cheese and spike paprika-like peppery powder. w-o-w. to top it off their cafe con lech was sinful, not to mention the cute waiter. ;) Later that nite we went to the NY International Auto show and afterwards to Falucka, this Moroccan? lounge/bar with hookahs. tons of fun.

Saturday: met up with some friends. went to Macy's. decided not to return to boston until Sunday and later that nite went to Cecarina & David's home where we stayed until about 4am, along with these two guys who brought a guitar. we sang all night long. it was so much fun.

and those, my friends, are the highlights from my birthday weekend in new york. i love that city. i'm totally moving.

happy birthday to me

so it's my birthday. yay!! i'm off to NYC to see Julieta Venegas tonight at the BB King Blues Club in Times Square. i can't wait! I love her songs. eliza and I are taking the bus and i'll be crashing at wilma's place. so excited!! :D plus i don't get to work until tuesday since monday is a holiday.

tragic love

My cousin Carol and her husband Niko came to visit from France. I spent a couple of hours with them the day before their return. Carol sent a thank you card weeks after and in it she included the following C. S. Lewis quote from The Problem of Pain:

God has paid us the intolerable compliment of loving us,

in the deepest, most tragic, most inexorable sense. It is natural
for us to wish that God has designed for us a less glorious and
less arduous destiny: but then we are wishing not for more love
but for less.

Pretty interesting, no? I thought so. It's amazing to think that one can be loved so deeply and strongly by such a Being. If we could only keep this in mind every time something goes wrong, right or whatever, our state of mind would be in complete nirvana. But, of course, we only wish to be loved less I guess. The bible says that angels wish to be like humans; to be loved in such a way by our Creator. I imagine that they long to have had Jesus die on the cross for them. There is so much pain, passion and love in that act, and to be reminded that such love exists for me, makes my days much better. And I hope to embrace my 'glorious destiny' with such passion every day.

es mi bloganiversario...

llevo dos años con esta lista de cosas en linea que no me imagino quien lee. qu'emozion! tendre que implementar una estrategia mas completa para hacerle competencia a Perez Hilton. pero ya veremos. :D Lo que si es que me ha servido de espacio para expresarme y eso es maravilloso. gracias a los que leen, y a los que no, pende#%$*!!! :D

can you believe this thing has been up for 2 years now? it's crazy. i'm thinking of implementing a major ad strategy to compete with Perez Hilton's blog but obviously I have to double check that first and develop a more nasty-backstabbing-in-your-face-kinda-approach.

gobble, gobble

thanksgiving was good. my family came over for dinner. it was my first thanksgiving dinner ever. i cooked--well, part of it. the turkey came from Boston Market but I 'fixed' it up a bit with my own sazon. we had mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy from them too. i made a arugula, poached pears in white wine, and goat cheese salad; also a butternut squash and spinach casserole with a bechamel sauce. for dessert i made a eggnog-flavored flan and a pumpkin pie. we had lots of fun and laughed with jokes that are always there. my two cousins sully and hansel were there, my aunt and her husband, my grandma, and my mom, bro + sis. it was fun. hopefully next time i'll tackle the turkey myself. he he

Me encanto la cena de Accion de Gracias. vino mi family para cenar juntos en mi casa. aunque no hice el pavo yo, si lo compre en Boston Market. Lo arregle un poquito con un sazoncito que me invente. comimos al estilo estadounidense, nada de arros y habichuelas. :D todo un acontecimiento. lo acompañamos con puree de papa con gravy y stuffing (las migajas de pan con sazon que no se como se dice). tambien hize una ensalada de arugula con peras cocidas en vino blanco, y queso de cabra, oh, y un pastelon de auyama butternut y espinaca con salsa bechamel. para el postre un flan con sabor a ponche y un pie de calabaza. Que j-artura que nos dimos. la proxima vez tratare de hacer el pavo yo misma. a ver que sale...

mi mesita de thanksgiving. cute no?

God is great...

I cannot think me more blessed than what I am now. There's this sense of peace I have. Even if everything is not going my way and I'm at a certain crossroad in my life it is amazing to see how wonderful God is. I've had a wonderful couple of days and it is just amazing.

new roommies

so Jennifer and Kate are moving out and i have two new housemates. pretty cool looking chicks. one is chinese canadian from toronto. she works as an engineer at one of the biggest hospitals in the city. the other one is 3rd(?) generation greek-american from lynnfield, ma. she's a nurse at MGH downtown. they're both solid christian women and i'm looking forward to having a small community of believers to share with. i'm excited. after a long search; having people back out at the last minute and going through the rollercoaster of roommate searching, i've arrived. i don't care if they're serial killers. they're in. i have seen God work in wonderful ways throughout the whole process and i can truly say that i feel peace regarding these two women and that everything will be fine. not that i'm saying we won't have the regular roommie issues but at least i'm confident they're cool people. i'm going to miss jennifer and kate. they're awesome roommates. plus they were always away. he he. no, seriously, i will.

Beantown de mi corazon

So I'm back home in Boston, as my friend Eunice would say, "chilling like a villain." It's good to be back to my bed. I missed it. It's weird how certain items just become a part of you even if they happen to be annoying and squeaky and all. :0] I just posted some pictures from DC. No, the place has more than flowers and plants, but I'm a flower freak, what can I say. I have more but some of these are my favorites. I figure I should not overload my poor blog with flowers. It's bad enough as it is. Hope you like some of them. Besos!

shy orchid

botanical cafe

wild aloe

Sr. Lincoln himself... well statue

Lincoln Memorial

fuente WWII memorial

patitos

orchids in shadow of blue

hot hoja

yellow

green

ji ji

hidden capitol

spider cacti

botanical gardens

con Magdalena y Camilla... cool peoples, totally cool.

Thupten, Mag, Erin, Chris & Camilla @ Citron

you just got 'junked'.. ji ji

it's so funny when you create a whole different reality and other people believe it. freddy, you fool, i'm in no mental institution in DC due to a mental breakdown. i'm just away for a graduate certificate. sorry, i couldn't pass the opportunity to lie. i hope you believed it. it was fun.

anyway, my program is almost over and I'll be flying back home at the end of the week. this weekend was pretty fun. i went out with some people from my program on Saturday nite. during the day i did the whole sightseeing gig. national mall, smithonian museums, white house, capitol, etc. etc. it was exhausting. i walked for ever. the highlight of the day was buying a hotdog from a vendor right in front of the Lincoln memorial. it was just such a great feeling. the mundane and the sublime--the hotdog, that is. just kidding. i love those moments in life when something so simple is mixed with something that in this case represents greatness and life-changing events/people.

i'm enjoying DC and could totally see myself living here. i even found an awesome church, and honestly that is the second selling point after the international development scene. let's see what the future holds for me. this is such an exciting time for me. so many possibilities and options. for the time being, let's see what my last week here holds.

the weather has been very nice lately. not that much humidity. it's been good. the program is still good. i'm enjoying it. there are so many interesting people; so knowledgeable.

Live from DC

This is such an interesting experience. I'm taking classes at Gallaudet University, which, according to their website, "leads the world in undergraduate liberal arts education, career development, and outstanding graduate programs for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students."

It is mind-boggling to be in a place where the majority of people communicate with sign language. It is kinda weird but I guess I can say what I know what someone who is hearing impaired feels like when they're out on the street. It's like a parallel universe to a certain extent.
I'm taking the school shuttle everyday from the Metro station. Except for some music being played by the driver and a random sound coming from someoneÂ’s mouth the vehicle is silent. I canÂ’t help but stare sometimes in trying to decipher what they might be saying because I find it fascinating. Back in High School I tried to learn a bit of sign language, just junior year lunch hour for about a semester, but it really didnÂ’t work out. It was very challenging to restrict myself in that way; relying on my hands and facial expressions to convey a message.

One of the coolest things about being in this environment is that it breaks so many stereotypes for me. For some reason when I saw deaf individuals on the street talking and such I had the impression that they might be lacking something. In my mind there were all dorks who spent their Saturday nights alone and reading CC on TV. I know, I know thatÂ’s horrible. While staying at Gallaudet I have seen so many, many hip, super cool looking people. There are the sorority girl-type chicks, the punk-looking folk, the athletes, they geeky-looking ones, the freshmen, etc. It is like any regular university just a bit quieter.

ItÂ’s awesome. I love this. ItÂ’s amazing how I came here to learn about project management and along with it have had a completely different personal experience. Obviously this is not the only change but itÂ’s one I never expected. It is always great when your views about a particular group change by just learning more about it. I have a completely different sense or awareness and respect for the deaf. Man...

I'm back!... no estaba muerta, andaba de parranda.

It’s been a while but I’m back. Needless to say I can’t catch up with all the time I’ve been gone but I am just going to start with what I’m doing. So, I’m in DC for the month of June-almost for the whole month. My stay here is due to a certificate program. It’s been an interesting experience so far. My first week ends this Friday.

I’m hoping that I’ll be doing some sightseeing and connecting with some people who live in the area whom I’ve not seen in a while. If you’re in the area and want to hang out for dinner one day, just give me a buzz or email. I’d be delighted. I have to go now but will keep posting as much as I can about this wonderful new location for me and my impressions.

Besos y’all.

wow... it's been a while

i can't believe it's been so long since I last wrote anything here. it's been almost two months, no? anyway, life it's good I've been good. let's see... in february I went to Seattle for the first time. it was lots of fun. i went with my friend Bianny. he is a great travel partner--will totally use his services again if the need arises. :) Seattle is a great place we had tons of fun.
in early march i had my wisdom teeth taken out. that went surprising, almost disappointingly, well. i was expecting all this pain and drama; to have my mom pamper me and other people treat me like a princess. i got none of that, none of it. i didn't even have to take the pain killers. so i have them here for a special occasion. he he. what else... oh, i lost a friend. no, he's not dead, we just fought, but it's one of those times when you know that things will never be the same. it was because of something very silly, in my eyes, but apparently i underestimated it. it is very sad for me because i really care about him as a friend and i though we had a good, solid friendship. unfortunately, i was wrong.

now onto this weekend. on friday i went with Gonzalo to see Cesaria Evora in concert. to my surprise--and total satisfaction--the opening act was performed by none other than Seu Jorge. I was in heaven. I love his voice. anyhoo, the place was packed. according to Gonzo's estimate there must've been about 1000 to 1500. then we went back to Lawrence and had some chimis w/batidas at this street vendor. it was hilarious. there were these dominican dudes there that just made the end of the night great. on saturday, i went to see the Inside Man with Pablo and I have to say that it was not what I expected. the movie dragged a lot, and I'm usually a pretty lenient movie critic but it was kinda boring towards the end. today was a beautiful day here. i woke up late, darn daylight savings stuff, and missed church. :( then my friend Euni came over and we had lunch at out favorite japanese rice bowl place. then we came here and look at some Cuba pictures that i finally got from my trip in 2004. later, i went for a long drive. went to the Arboretum in JP. what a gorgeous place. i had never gone to the side i went today. it was beautiful. i was able to walk for a bit, clear my mind and enjoy a couple of ducks bathing in one of the ponds. birds chipping, tree leaves and flowers slowly coming out. it was very refreshing. then i drove through Roslindale, Milton, and Dedham. on my way back i stopped at trader joe's and got to brie, crackers and fruit for dinner. yum.

it was a good day. ahh... now i'm getting ready to end it and start my work week tomorrow, which also reminds me i have a french paper to write. boy, i better get going.

lots of luv!

Did you know?"

We picked up one excellent word," wrote Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi (1883), "a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word—'lagniappe'. . . . It is Spanish—so they said." Twain encapsulates the history of "lagniappe" quite nicely. English speakers learned the word from French-speaking Louisianians, but they in turn had adapted it from the American Spanish word "la ñapa." Twain went on to describe how New Orleanians completed shop transactions by saying "Give me something for lagniappe," to which the shopkeeper would respond with "a bit of liquorice-root, . . . a cheap cigar or a spool of thread." It took a while for "lagniappe" to catch on throughout the country, but by the mid-20th century, New Yorkers and New Orleanians alike were familiar with this "excellent word."

Hmmm...

Made dinner for some friends at Yajaira's yesterday. It was a Middle Eastern Soiree--whatever that means, with me as the cook that is. I made tabouleh, salad, chicken with cilantro, lemon and figs, sautee 'rooms. It was good, so they said, all nine of them. And it has nothing to do with me asking them to say so. I had a good time. It had been a while since I cooked for other than myself. It feels good to feed people. Afterwards, we went to Jowa's Lounge. It was a good night with lots of old and new friends. I had an interesting conversation with Pablo towards the end of the night which kinda made me think about my life and where I'm going. I was just venting to him--poor thing, just tyring to be nice by engaging in superficial conversations--and came up with all these things and frustration. Anyway, I should probably apologize but frankly I want to pretend that I might have been a bit tipsy and blame it on that. FYI, I was the designated driver so it was not the alcohol, I am really frustrated. :(

It will pass. Let's see what the week holds for me.

Superbe!!! J’aime le cours de français. J’ai pensé que je ne pouvais pas parler/comprendre rien mais je peux. Je peux !!

I’m so happy. I went to my first French class this semester (Intermediate Francophone Cultures) and it was awesome. I love my teacher. My teacher last semester was great but this one is so much more personable. The books we’ll be reading seem quite interesting too. I can't believe I'm actually able to read books in french now. This is so surreal to me. Sweet! I’m a total geek, and I luv it.

Á bientôt!

busy beginning of the week. my pt job started a new program to give away free stuff so probably people will be calling left and right soon. i've almost lost my voice from hawk-like noises I kept making all Sunday trying to wake up my sister and then just having fun for the rest of the day. i'm paying for it though, but it's all good. it's snowing and cold but for some reason I feel happy inside--to the extend possible. God is constantly on my mind and I need to acknowledge certain things. it's tough growing up but i also appreciate the changes i see. life is full of wonder. it's a good feeling to know you know nothing. :) really.

Friday night, Spicy Richard and I went to dinner and then for a movie. It was a perfect Anna's taqueria stop followed by a Starbucks visit. Then we went to the movies; the selection: Munich--it was his time to pick. I still don't know how I feel about this movie yet. Well, I know but anyway. We ended up arguing until about 2am on the whole Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was interesting.

Chow-down weekend

This is too funny. I have spent my weekend eating with friends--God Bless them. It started with Southern BBQ w/Richard on Thursday. We went to Red Bones in Davis Square. They sat us by the kitchen counter--after a 30min wait--where we could see all the action. All the cooks were Latinos, of course. According to Richard one of them was smiley friendly to me and that's why we got the free Buffalo Shrimp & Catfish appetizer. It was funny, all of the sudden he hands me this plate and I say, "We ordered this? We didn't." The guy was just like, "Here, here, take it, take it," so I did. :) Friday night, after a failed attempt to get a table at Veggie Planet, Molly, Anne and yours truly went down to Irunha in Harvard Square. We had an ok Paella and wonderful conversation as always. Saturday, it was Melissa C's birthday so I took her to this Dominican restaurant in Lawrence calle Bali. We pigged out. First we had a Presidente and a Bali picadera, which is fried meat (chicharon, longaniza, chicken, beef, etc.), plantains and salad. Our waitress was kinda flaky but very sweet. It was a nice time to catch up and talk about lots of stuff, from work, love, careers, people, everything. I love that girl. She's so genuine. She also let me taste this herbal remedy thing for stress and I think I'll be getting it. I seem to be getting stress-induced migraines lately. Arggg...

moving on, Sunday, I went to church with my brother's friend and my sister. Afterwards, we stopped at Tripoli's for some good Sicilian pizza and cannolis. It was yummmm....
Finally, Monday--a holiday with no work, Yay!--I went for sushi at Inaka with Eunice. It was a good late lunch and of course the owner of the place could not go unnoticed with his jokes. He's this funny--sometimes borderline obnoxious Korean dude who every time I go there HAS to say something about something. At one time I remember having a pimple and the went, "What happened to your nose" or something like that. It was funny, I don't remember what I replied I said something I thought was funny but came out a bit mean. He he...

After all that eating, I'll try to have a healthier week in terms of eating. Let's see how that goes.

By the way, I'm so excited about my French class. I can't wait!

It's all good

I’ve been feeling kinda crappy lately but there isn’t really anything to pinpoint. The only thing I can think of is “the future”. It’s very stressful to ponder on what the future holds for me. I know what I want, I kinda know where I’m headed but still there’s this sense of anxiety to just get there already. I dunno. Maybe I’m just feeling the aftershocks of my quarter-life crisis. Anyhoo, on a brighter note, I am planning a trip to Seattle for mid-February with Yajaira’s cousin, Bianny. I don’t know if it will work out because he can be a bit volatile in terms of sticking to plans but we’ll see what happens. If he ends up not going then I’ll go by myself. I’m taking charge! He he…

tuesday breakfast

So this morning I’m stepping out of my house and find myself with a very interesting sight. My street was deserted, which I guess it’s normal at 8am but anyway. The only thing I could notice is that on both sides of the street there were these green bushes next to the trash barrels. Mind you, today is trash day for my neighborhood. It looked like one of these futuristic movies where there has been some apocalyptic-type event and the only things left are you and the tossed Christmas trees from the recent holiday. I thought it was kinda weird. Seriously, 8 in 10 houses had a Christmas tree next to their garbage. It also reminded me of that Friends episode where Phoebe works at a tree yard and she goes crazy when the unwanted trees were going to be chipped. By that time the weird feeling had gone away and I was just laughing by myself as I walked down the street. It was definitely I interesting start to my morning. J

The whole Christmas tree tossing fest also made me think of what might be things in my life that I tree like that. For a while they’re the center of my attention—all shiny, beautiful and special—but then they just die and I toss them to the curve. I definitely have many semi-ephemeral things in my life but then don’t we all. Anyway, maybe this is a weird conversation to have before breakfast but I can’t help it. I must have ADD or something, my mind just wanders…

pearls of wisdom

"Horniness weakens your hand--both figuratively and literally."

my friend, Spicy Richard

me through quiz (3): I can be a "domineering tyrants", yay!

Main Type	Overall Self

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

Scale (%) results:

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism 54% Type 2 Helpfulness 66% Type 3 Image Focus 46% Type 4 Hypersensitivity 30% Type 5 Detachment 66% Type 6 Anxiety 50% Type 7 Adventurousness 78% Type 8 Aggressiveness 78% Type 9 Calmness 66% Your main type is 8 Your variant is sexual

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

me through the quiz

You Are Sam From "Benny & Joon." You are very talented at physical comedy. People are in awe of your abilities. However, you have many quirks which can either win people over or completely annoy them. But you're a sweetheart through and through, and it's hard not to love you.

Take The Johnny Depp Quiz!

How nice of them! Isn't this a wonderful way to start my Tuesday morning as I lay in bed with bronchitis? Yay! No, really I'm sick. This sucks. The cough syrup makes me dizzy, but I don't have to go to work.
I have decided to take a quiz weekly to see how they truly define me. I think it's going to be fun. I hope I remember. The first one was, "Are You Evil Enough?" which is here somewhere. The second one is this and I love it. Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors and I love Sam from Benny and Joon. Perfect!

...

I just read this quote from the Washington Post, via Amazon.com, as I looked for information on this book I am buying, The Turks Today. It is quite amusing when thinking about things in terms of veggies. Anyway, here it goes.

If countries could be vegetables, Turkey would be an onion. Every time you take off a layer of skin, hoping to get to the core, you come across yet another skin.

otra semana lluviosa

Pero bueno, esta súper rico para leer en cama. Lo que por lo visto he hecho bastante este fin de semana. Estoy leyendo un libro por Antonio Skármeta, La chica del trombón. Me encanta. Para mí, es un libro sobre tantas cosas y al mismo tiempo sobre nada. En fin, aquí va un pasajito que me gustó:

Y entonces vino la consagración. Sé que nuestras vidas están hechas de indiferencia. De retazos de pequeñeces con las cuales nos contamos un cuento. Que los años corren sin sentido desbocados en la penumbra de los tiempos y a eso le llamamos nuestra vida. Hasta que una rendija de luz se infiltra y no sabes cómo dentro de tu casa está físicamente el sol.

It’s worth translating this quote from a book I’m reading at the moment; The Girl of the Trombone by Antonio Skármeta. It sounds better in Spanish but the English still conveys the message, I think.

And then came the consecration. I know our lives are made of indifference. Of remnants from smallness with which we tell ourselves a story. That the years run without direction overflowing into the penumbra of time, and to that, we call our life. Until through a crevice the light infiltrates and you do not know how the sun is physically inside your house.

Chau!

I'm SO psyched!!

So Thursday before my French class I went to Crate & Barrel because there were two things I absolutely needed to get:

1. Mini Prep food slicing thingy

2. Egg Poacher: these are my favorite

I went home after class and made myself two wonderfully poached eggs with a sautee mix of spinach, portabello 'rooms, baby tomatoes, shallots and balsamic vinager. I managed to cut myself while trying to assemble the thing but it was worth it. This was just heaven! Plus it's so tiny...too cute.

Next day at work I found out that Courtney loves poached eggs too. So, one of these days we'll have ourselves a Egg Poaching Party. Fun, eh?

Miss Molly

I cannot believe that she copied a pic from my Friendster profile and used it for her blog. That woman... she's too cute. It's a funny pic too. Even if I'm making a weird face while riding the bus to NYC in June, I can't hold it against her. He he