March 8, 2009
Thank you, Las Mujeres Solares for giving us reasons to celebrate International Women’s Day! Below is a tribute of memories from this past summer,
One of my favorite memories of Adelina is when she had to climb on her roof to re-attach part of her solar panel. Even though she always does everything at the house (she is the mother, father, provider, fixer-of-anything, cook, gardener, everything), and I was so accustomed to seeing her doing unexpected things, she was nonetheless sooo embarrassed to be climbing on her roof. She just thought it seemed so un-lady-like! It became a huge ordeal, and I thought it was just as normal as everything else I’d witnessed in Nicaragua! -Lori Hanna
I think most of the best memories with Dona Carmen involve her reactions to my brother Matteo and I being goofballs, such as singing Disney songs or playing soccer in that little hallway/living area or toying with my niece Skarleth while doing the dishes. I rarely saw Dona Carmen laugh except for those times. I also enjoyed teaching her how to cook French Toast… she took it with humility and appreciation, and then surprised me when she served us French Toast a week or two later! She said “I learned!” -Daniel Hensel
I always appreciated how willing Maria was to teach me about the culture of Sabana Grande. Maria dedicates her time to caring for her three grandchildren cooking, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, doing mountains of laundry, cleaning her house inside and out, and gardening all of the fruit, vegetable, and herb plants surrounding her home. Once I had bridged the language gap, I felt comfortable asking how I could help contribute to the chores around the house. Maria was quick to respond that she thoroughly enjoyed cleaning and cooking for everyone in her home, and if I wanted to learn, she would love to teach me. From learning how to wash clothes on a rock while bringing water from a well; to hand making nacatamals, the lessons in learning how to be a homemaker from Maria were some of my favorite memories from this past summer. -Anna Young
The cooking lessons were not limited to Sabana Grande. While working for Grupo Fenix in Mangagua, Nicargua during summer 2009, Vince Romanin, had the opportunity to learn a peanut hot sauce recipe from two Mexican nuns, Pera and Luce, who work with Grupo Fenix. Vince reminisced about his time with Pera and Luce, “The Nuns were always gracious hosts, and were even willing to give me cooking lessons! I still think of them every time I make peanut hot sauce.” (see the following link for Vince’s blog posting of his cooking lesson for peanut hot sauce. Including the recipe!)
Grupo Fenix Volunteer Pete Kolis lived with Frederlinda Perez in Sabana Grande this past summer. When asked about his favorite memory of Frederlinda, Pete was eager to respond with many;
I love Freder’s mashed potatoes. It was a little slice of home when they showed up on my plate. I half expected gravy, cranberries, rolls, and apple sauce to be just inside the kitchen. Now, let me tell you that orange sweet potatoes are familiar to me, but I was surprised to find orange mashed potatoes so far south. So I asked Freder what they were made of. It turns out that ketchup can both sweeten potatoes and turn them orange. Truly a taste of home! If you don’t believe that they were delicious, grab some french fries and see which condiment you crave.
Freder lives with her mother and father, Doña Ramona and Don Nicasio. Walking back from the Solar Center, I often saw Freder and Doña Ramona through the window of the kitchen, busy cooking. One day, Doña Ramona decided that I wasn’t doing enough to earn my meals and told me that I would have to dance for my dinner. Making sure that it was visible through the window, I danced, and performed so well that I commanded an encore performance.
I wasn’t the only performer in the house, though. Along with her own son, Freder had assumed responsibility for three of her sister’s children, and the five of us, after studying, drummed, harmonized, lip-synced, and danced for her to the sounds of the radio in her kitchen after dark.
One day, wanting to purchase a large bucket at the town’s bucket store, I joined Freder on a trip to town. Walking with Freder (about 5’1″ in heels), I (5’11″ in my stockinged feet) must have looked quite the sight. I certainly felt it. Looking down the crowded street to the indoor market and all the buyers and vendors therein, I had the sudden realization that I was the tallest person within my sight. And not only the tallest–I could see the top of every person’s head. My distress was eased when Freder bought me a vanilla smoothie from a local vendor, but the germs worried me. Until that point, I had been careful to avoid drinking un-purified water, milk, or anything that might have the local germs. The smoothie–cold, sweet, and delicious–violated all of that. I suggested that if I fell sick and died the very next day because of the unpasteurized germs, it would be her fault for having purchased me the vanilla smoothie. Cold-hearted, she laughed at my hypothetical doom.
Near the very end of my stay with Frederlinda’s family, I had the pleasure to take Freder out for hamburgers and shakes at Gigi’s Hamburgers, an “American-style” hamburger joint in the nearby town. Though nothing to compare to a good butterburger, it made me happy to be able to thank her for letting me stay with her and her family for the summer. -Pete Kolis
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