|
|
|
|
|
The feather; the pen
Bienvenidos al noticiero: La Pluma. Welcome to the Newsletter.
Hola <<First Name>>,
Summer is synonymous to taking some time away from the daily. It conjures images of long road trips pushing hundreds of miles a day, to packing a quick picnic and going to the neighborhood beach. You might book a VRBO with all the amenities or backpack into a National Park remote site. It often includes water in some form ranging from ocean waves to the ice cube in your drink. It might also include: Reunions.
Reunions come in various forms. This summer, reunions began to pop up on my calendar. There is the 150 th First Congregational Church reunion (note my July blog). There are two family reunions, one on my husband’s side in Minnesota – a first in his life – and one on my side, in Illinois plus, Sister Adella celebrates her 75 th Jubilee as a Franciscan Sister – all on the same day!
Other reunions include high school class gatherings of the one-time cheerleaders and football players, and the rest of us. That event was set, yet again, after two postponements due to COVID. Of 600 classmates, some 130 have registered to sit inside, eat, and enjoy a program, just as COVID variant # whoknowshowmany begins to surge along with Monkeypox being declared a public health emergency.
 Then, there are the spontaneous reunions whereby people reconnect of their own planning. Time and space separate people, but flukes or focused intentions can bring them back into the same space again. My blog this month, reunites Patti and me after 37 years of often, parallel living experiences. (link to blog)
Abrazos,
Profe Jan(et)
|
|
|
|
Finding Spanish wherever you are!
If you’re browsing through Flea Markets in the tiny towns of northern Wisconsin, look for the tables set in front of a van selling Amish marmalades, local honey, and bandanas. You might find Ricardo and Maria wrapping the jars in newspaper and greeting everyone in English or, if you’re lucky, Spanish. One Wednesday, I stopped at the Fireman’s Flea Market and ambled over to their table, trying out a “Buenos días,” to see if they’d respond. That was over ten years ago, and we reconnect every summer. Since our first conversations, their daughters take time from their work in Illinois and Texas to join them in their parents’ vendor/camping adventures. You see, Maria is now in her 90s and Ricardo will joke about how he is married to an older woman. Try a “Buenos días” and see what great people you can meet!
|
|
|
Family “a la Latina”
It is said that the familias Latinas are close-knit. This includes the practice of building family houses around a single block bringing everyone together. In Saltillo, Lucio’s family can cordon off the block, string up piñatas for their parties, and never disrupt someone not related! In Cuernavaca, Rosita and Rafael added bungalows around their ample patio for their children as they grew. But the largest gathering of a “Mexican” family is outside of Cuernavaca. Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos is an orphanage where nobody is considered an orphan! Some 600 kids take care of each other, raise chickens, hogs and tilapia, graduate from their own schools, AND never go up for adoption! They are, after all, a family. (Link here)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAFul6RXCHI
|
|
From Northern Shores/Southern Borders: Revelations of a Bilingual Life, p. 11:
"My 'northern – sauerkraut' roots provided a foundation of work, community and family ethics. My Spanish 'southern – salsa' side gave me another perspective, another dimension, and another world. I chose curiosity over fear of the foreign. Each stranger – a potential friend.”
~ Janet Kurtz
|
|
Northern Shores Southern Borders
available at:
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com
Shop local when you can!
CatTale's, Brainerd
Central Lakes College, Brainerd
Chippewa Valley Museum, Eau Claire
The Local Store, Eau Claire
|
|
My upcoming event topics include community activism, border/immigration current issues, bilingual benefits, and culturally mindful travel.
Click here to contact me to be your next speaker.
Each presentation is tailored to the specific audience. No reruns! My book offers a plethora of topics. Let’s make a plan! |
|
|
|
You have been added to my La Pluma newsletter list because you have shown interest in my work. Please feel free to unsubscribe at any time using the link below. Gracias!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
