Farewell to My Island Once Again

Once again the time has come where I end my time here on the island- leave my little room with the mattress worn through with my body's weight concaved into the center and return to my other life in the states. My entire life I have lived divided between these two places (my mother in the states and my father on the island) yet leaving either one has never gotten any easier - in fact, it has become slightly more difficult each time the older I get...

These little red flowers will forever be such a significant part of my childhood memories in Puerto Rico. My cousins and I would pick them and pull out the super fine thread-like inner stem in the center of the flower and drink the droplet of juice that came out- over and over again. Then we would take one flower's empty stem and insert into the now empty center core of an other flower and make a delicate, natural chain of flowers we could use as crowns or necklaces.

Jazmin & Alexi's Wedding

What laying back at the beach looks like. I have traveled to Europe, Greece, Hawaii and Mexico and gone to beaches in all of those places and never have I ever experienced any beach like those of my Puerto Rico. The warm, clear ocean water envelops me in a way I have no words for- only sensation.

Paseo de la Princesa - The Princess' Path - every year I visit I walk it - either alone or with fam- this year was no exception.

Saying Goodbye to 'Hershey' a local, wild, free and perhaps abandoned dog (sadly like so many others) that I befriended.

Some Supermarket Spices- thankfully there are still native industry products made.

Getting inked at home by my brothers personal tat artist. In this pic you can see my beaded arm and hand being held by that of my cousin's hand while I get inked with a Taino petroglyph of the sun on my foot. Three of the Nuyorican cousins visiting for our cousin Jazmin's wedding got inked that day.

My niece Chami and I - who didn't give me a moments rest while I was in Puerto Rico but who at this moment along with my dad- I miss the most and am finding it most difficult to balance out and justify being away from.

This will be the last Puerto Rico post for a while and stay tuned because while I was away my amazing husband worked his magic on the chicken coop and just you wait until you see that gorgeous thing!- Ciao Amarettogirl

Island Girl- Puerto Rican Vignettes II

Today we went to the Pueblo...and for my family that's Caguas and with all the malls around these days less and less shops have remained open and much of the integrity of the Pueblo shops has been lost, but they're still considered one of the places to go for more inexpensive versions of things.

Island Girl- Puerto Rican Vignettes Part I

So I haven't been blogging much lately, but no worries- I'm preparing an onslaught of cool and interesting blog posts coming to you soon! For now, due to my dad's ill health and my cousin's wedding I've had to leave the coop completion to my hubby Gregg, while I return to my island hub in Puerto Rico for 2 weeks. I thought I might share some Puerto Rican vignettes along the way with you ;))

Quenepas Or how the Jibaritos all around me on the island spell it...Canepas- (which I will honor here) are one of my favorite snacks...you crack open the green skin and pop out a juicy, fruity and somewhat massive seed ball that you suck the life out of before you spit it out.

Note-

When I was a little girl, I lusted after a batch of canepas that my older cousin and her schoolmate got a hold of. Back then canepas came in the same little brown paper bag like the one you see in the photo above.
When the older girls obliged my puppy eyes and gave me a canepa, I was so eagerly sucking the life out of it that we broke out laughing - with this gumball size thing in my mouth. Before I knew it- in one split second- I began choking violently on the slippery seed as it fell down my throat and lodged itself into the much too small space.
my bag of canepas - --- photos by m.diaz I remember holding my throat, as I lost sensation and began to see the room turn into double images. I walked in random circles, straining and turning dizzy, unable to breath. As the older girls saw what was happening they started to yell,

'¡Mami, Mami se ahogo Marisol con la canepa!!!'

My aunt came running up to try to hit my back to get the villianous seed out. When that didn't work, my aunt recalled her NYC candy-striper-nurse's-aide days and grabbed me by the ankles, turned me upside down and positioned me against the arm of the sofa to smack my back...until the seed was finally dislodged and fell out.

I had a sore,irritated throat for days after. And for those who know me - yes, that was THE aunt. Life is messy and quite ironic and 'she' my DREDLIMA, is the one that saved my life. That's what I think about whenever I eat canepa.

Luquillo beach...so so so warm and salty and buoyant I float on my back effortlessly and feel so familiar, at home and at peace with this body of water.
hipstamatic photo by m.diaz

Limbe- or little frozen ices/sorbets, in all the classic Puerto Rican flavors like coco, and parcha (oh so good!)

Piragua / Water Ices- mmmmmm mmmmm mmmm- one of my favorite flavors is Tamarindo (tamarind).

Me....

Puerto Rico's Portals II