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
Sorrel in its resplendant beauty with the traditional piece of ginger to prepare the drink.
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
Posted in Silver People of Panama
Tagged Christmas-in-the-Black-Canal-Zone, Jamaica, saril, sorrel, yuca-pone
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
This is how my grandmother seemed to me, ghostly-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
Posted in Beji-Nite-Church, West Indian Panamanians
Tagged Fanny-Reid, Instituto-Nacional-de-Panama, Obeah
Barack Obama, President of the U.S. andTomorrow 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
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
