familia

Pondering death, spirit and the wrath of God

Pondering death, spirit and the wrath of God

Happy New Year everyone! Mine is off to a shaky start. After spending quality time with family and enjoying the mountains and beaches of my Caribbean homeland, I'm back to the cold reality of winters in the heartland... pondering death and new beginnings. A close family member died unexpectedly the day I came back. My family is feeling sadness and the strange emptiness of losing someone you thought would be around for a long time. This death was preceded by my first experience of an earthquake. It is nerve-wracking not knowing when the next one will strike and whether the…
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Of cold dinners: A mother’s work never ends

Of cold dinners: A mother’s work never ends

When my mother flew from the Caribbean to care for me after labor, she would not stop giving me advice. She made a point to pass on what my grandmother taught her: "a mother's work never ends, she eats when she's no longer hungry, she sleeps when she's no longer sleepy... a mother's life is one of patience and sacrifice." I heard as I rolled my eyes during my first week of recovery,  refusing to let go of my life as I knew it and crying in the shower in confusion and fear at the daunting task before me. Why…
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Recién nacidos: rituales y supersticiones

Recién nacidos: rituales y supersticiones

Una de mis primas acaba de tener gemelas idénticas. Dos perlitas dulcísimas (que Dios se las bendiga!). Hoy las fui a visitar y antes de ir ya me estaban advirtiendo: si tengo la menstruación no puedo cargarlas si he cogido sereno tampoco si les tiro un piropo debo decir "Que Dios las bendiga" o les cae mal de ojo si de casualidad les da hipo, debo ponerles un hilito con saliva en la frente Ok, voy preparada con las informaciones necesarias para conocer a mis primitas y cuando llego me informan de que a las bebas las van a "ensalmar"…
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La Marchanta

La Marchanta

Every week, she shows up at my mother's kitchen door with a big bag of Casabe and a wide smile. A flat, mildly tasty and rare bread, Cassava bread is one of the few truly authentic meals Dominicans inherited from our long extinguished native ancestors, the Taino Indians. Dulce, who is as sweet as her name, travels over 20 km on foot every day, selling Casabe around my hometown. She is happy and plump like an Italian mama, except she's not Italian and her life is far from happy. But who can really tell when you look at her picture?…
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