Monthly Archives: December 2009

You Won’t Find Our Story in Any History Book

Posted on December 27, 2009 by | 2 Comments

By sixth grade my Spanish School experience led me to conclude that our teachers wanted us more Spanish than Westindian. So unique were we,
however, that being ourselves made us quite different; at least that is what I thought. Continue reading →

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Posted in Silver People of Panama, West Indian Panamanians

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And During Christmas Time… Sorrel!

Posted on December 19, 2009 by | 5 Comments

Sorrel in its resplendant beauty with the traditional piece of ginger to prepare the drink.


Raspadura, or unrefined sugar cakes with its
very own Panamanian flavor.

At last it is Christmas season and the thousands of sacks containing agricultural products in the farmer’s market (Abasto) have turned a seasonal red with the production of Sorrel or saril (pronounced sah-ríl), as it has come to be known amongst the Spanish speaking people here! It is the principal raw material for the preparation of our traditional Christmas fruit drink. Known in Puerto Rico, Mexico and other parts of Central America as Jamaica, this plant/flower is planted here in Panama on June 24, the day of the patron saint San Juan Bautista and harvested in early December just in time for Holiday festivities. Continue reading →

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The Westindian Business of Food and Me

Posted on December 16, 2009 by | 4 Comments

My favorite sesame seed buns.

Even today I enjoy eating
home made baked goods.

Throughout my sixth grade experience I kept up my regular appearances over at my father’s friend Clyde’s dental shop more out of a secret aversion to something that had irked me from time immemorial- going into the domestic service on the Canal Zone. I had attached myself to the clinic as a way of learning something useful that might leave me a worthy option in my adult life and save me from the indignities and hardships of domestic service. Continue reading →

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Posted in Panama Canal, West Indian Panamanians

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The Emotional Ghosts

Posted on December 11, 2009 by | Leave a comment
This is how my grandmother seemed to me, ghostly-
there but not for me-
and certainly no bulwark against the hostilities of life.

While sitting in class I couldn’t help but reflect on how I was surrounded by extremes especially at home- indifference on the one hand and a battering reaction to my person on the other. Continue reading →

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To All Our Beloved Mothers

Posted on December 7, 2009 by | Leave a comment
Barack Obama, President of the U.S. and
his paternal grandmother, Sarah Obama. Image

Tomorrow in Panama we celebrate Mother’s Day- El Día de la Madre. Unlike in many Latin American countries which observe it on the 10th of December, it coincides with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception which underlines the belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on December 8th, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on September 8th. It is the patron feast day of the United States and is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church as well as other Christian churches. Continue reading →

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Posted in Silver People of Panama, West Indian Panamanians

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The Lessons of Isolation Telling its Tale

Posted on December 4, 2009 by | Leave a comment

Image

After being rescued by somebody like Big Red it became evident that we were living the rashness of more than two generations of individuals who lived on the periphery of two confusing social systems- two societies that were producing a people totally devoid of the sentiment of closeness- the Panamanian society and the American Canal Zone. Continue reading →

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Posted in West Indian Panamanians

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