Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Chef Nevarez


What an exciting weekend! To begin, Saturday was our day of cooking. We found out last Wednesday on our way to Longhorn Steakhouse when S Carmen casually mentioned that Ash and I were going to cook on Saturday for lunch. What a pleasant surprise right? Wrong! Ashley and I looked at each other with the expression of "What the..? What are we going to cook?" on our face. I quickly panicked as I tried to think of "meals" I can cook. (Quick note: all the sisters expressed how much they LOVED Mexican food upon our arrival three weeks ago and asked if we could cook anything). I thought, "Wow, they are really going to test us!" So after dinner that day, Ash and I taked about all the possible meals we could make without burning down the house, or at least the kitchen. We decided to make Green Chicken Enchiladas with traditional Mexican rice and beans, guacamole, chips and chocolate cake for dessert. On Friday when we went grocery shopping for all of the last minute ingredients, we discovered that Ralph's in Puerto Rico did not carry Enchilada sauce (who are we kidding, we weren't going to make it from scrach; I regrettably can't cook beans..yet) so we switched to plan B. Instead of Enchiladas, we were going to make Chicken tacos.
    Saturday morning, we started bright and early because in case anything happened, we had plenty of time to fix it. So as the sisters were starting their Chapter Meeting (thats the reason we were cooking) we started chopping in the kitchen. Ash startd with the cake and I started with the chips. I cut the tortillas in pretty little triangles and fried them up. Some were perfect, some were "tanned" and some a little roasted, but they were all delicious! Then I began the guacamole (my favorite). Ashley had already cut the cilantro, onions, tomato, and limes so my job was to smash the avocados, mix everything and add salt. MMMmmm (my mouth is watery just thinking about it!). Meanwhile Ashley is preparing the rice (which was AMAZING) and warming up the beans. Yeah, we didn't cook the beans from scrach; it takes too long. Any ways, finally we prepared the chicken and grilled it. We set up the table, fixed the food buffet style, and were done right at noon, just in time for lunch. Or so we thought. Usually, we eat lunch at noon but no one said we were having lunch at noon that Saturday. So we waited... and waited.... and waited. We wondered how long can a Chapter Meeting be? The sisters must be starving by now. So at 12:45 sharp, the sisters enter the kitchen. They compliment the smells and the looks of the food but, I just want them to taste the actual food. I was a bit nervous. When Ashley and I entered the dinning room, all the sisters began to compliment the actual food. We were extremely pleased by they compliments. They went something like, "It's so GOOOOD", "I've never had rice this delicious", "The chips are great", etc. Boy, was I happy. And then the unexpected happened. S Mary Ruth said she wanted us to cook for her birthday party. Since S Mary Ruth and S Vivian are born on the same month, S Vivian said we can cook for her too. And then, S Rufina (the sister who cooks most of the time) said that she didn't know who was going to cook on her birthday, but it wasn't going to be her. Wow! I was a bit shocked they liked it that much. Not that I expected the food to taste nasty or anything but I was really really happy they liked it so much. Some of the sisters even got up for seconds! So once again, Ash and I exchange that same look as we did when we found out we were cooking in the first place.  Last but not least, the Devil's Chocolate Cake! What a way to end a meal! I'll just say that some of the sisters took a nap after this lunch.
    Then Saturday evening, Ash and I went out with Yvone and her husband Ceasar (a couple that the sisters have know for almost a decate and are in the same choir group). They took us out to El Conquistador resort in Fajardo. I went to the casino for the first time and played on the slot machines. Those are the only machines I understood. All in all, it was a good evening of just being out and in a new enviroment. Then on Sunday, Ash and I went to mass in the morning and then spent the whole afternoon in Plaza Las Americas. Its like a smaller version of the Mall of America with a little over 300 stores. Walking around and seeing all the familiar stores made me feel as if I was 'home" for a bit. Again, it was nice to just be out and about, walking, people watching, and doing a little shopping. It was a great and enjoyable weekend and we found out that this weekend might be full of excitement as well.
       S Maria's nephew is getting married this weekend and S Mary Ruth told me that we might be going along with her.  The wedding is in Maria's hometown of Mayaguez. Mayaguez is located on the west side of the island and rumor has it that the best beaches are on the west! So i'll just wait and see what happens next... Till then, toodles!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

We don't explode, we stretch...

Maybe about 90% of the time I had dinner at Gorecki I would always end my meal by saying, "Ugh. I feel I'm gonna explode" (after eating so much of course). And onetime my dear sweet friend Jackie Murillo corrected me one time and replied, " We don't explode, we stretch." For some reason I thought that was the funniest thing, anyone could have said. But having that shame of being so full that I couldn't move, or eating so much I would get tired and sleepy, made me come to the decision that I should not ever have that feeling again because it wasn't a good one. It was selfish to eat that much food simply because I could. I am proud to say that I have not said, "I feel I'm gonna explode" much since I graduated in May 2010. Of course until today.
   S. Mary Ruth told me yesterday that S. Carmen (aka the Prioress) wanted to take us (the September birthday girls) out for dinner today. She said it was a surprise and had no idea where we were going. We went to Longhorn Steakhouse (S. Carmen's favorite restaurant!) to celebrate our birthdays for the third time! I ordered a Tender Mushroom Filet Chops smothered with onions, mushrooms, and red wine sauce with french fries. This was of course after, a slice of bread with butter, 2 wings, a Caesar Salad and half of my Pina Colada. After the meal, I murmured Jackie's response to my little guilty after meal guilt. I laughed. But it was all so good and tasty and the steak was juicy and well done (sorry I don't like pink meat) just how I like it. S. Carmen asked if we'd like dessert and looking around I could see everyone was full as well. So she suggested we buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts and take them home. I couldn't believe she could still crave something after our dinner when I felt like unbuckling my pants. As we walked into the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop, we were greeted by a lovely gentlemen who gave us all free, fresh, soft, mouth watering and melting glazed doughnuts right off the line! Mmm, did I mention they were free?! So I ate it and unbuckled my pants instead of trying to suck in my stomach. "Sweet Jesus" as Ann Marie would say. it was a perfect treat. The entire evening was a gift on top of a gift. I have really felt at home here (with the exception of last weekend). The Sisters are all truly, Gifts from God.
     The reason I said that I have celebrated my birthday three times is because I have. One: the day of my birthday, two: Yesterday (the Sisters celebrated all the September birthdays), and three: Today. Yesterday we had a blast! Mass, dinner, the singing, dessert, the games,  the blessing, and all the gifts. I haven't had such a wonderful party since my Quinceanera. I received some PJ's, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, drier sheets, soap (lots of it!), face wash, and most important cards. Each Sister wrote a card in addition to their gift and they expressed how grateful they are that we are here, how much they care for us, and some of the Sisters wrote "blessings from God and the Virgin Mary". I love them! Its been great. 

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Can I have some TCL to go please?

Okay, so it took me two weeks to become "ill". Since I was a little girl, whenever traveling my family was always very careful because I was the one that fell, got injured, got sick, cut herself, pretty much the one that accidents always happened to. So now that I have been in Puerto Rico for two weeks, can someone please tell me how is it possible that my right eye is swollen for no given reason? I had an ingrown pimple (i know its sick) next to my nose and all of a sudden I wake up and my right eye is swollen all around =(. I really just wanted to be home this weekend. Ashley and I shared similar feelings today about that. 
    Its not that any particular event happened that made me feel this way, but I just got really home sick. i just wanted to see my mom and have her nurse me back to health. She would have put some ointment on my face, probably made me a tea to drink and some chicken soup. Gosh, I miss home right now. I will not post a picture of my face because I think its pretty ugly looking right now. I just hope the swelling goes down by tomorrow just in time for school. 
   its getting late so I'm going to go to bed. Miss you Mom, Raulito, and Dad. Miss you Sisters and all the kids. If I would have been home today, we would have gotten off work at 6pm, gotten home like at 7:30 pm, and my Dad would have probably invited people over to out house for a bit. 
   On the bright side, things can only go uphill from here.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Todo En Su Tiempo

Wednesdays around here are sort of a "free evening" day because we only have morning prayer (so, if the Sisters wish to do something out of the daily work, they can take this evening). Today, September the 8th, is S. Maria's Birthday! She would not tell us how many years she has been alive but my guess would be about 50-55 tops. S. Maria is such a lively woman who speaks ridiculously fast in spanish. When she talks I literally just try my best to listen for key words so I can make out what it is, she is talking to me about. Then I repeat what I think she said and she'll say yes or no. Once, I told her that she speaks really fast for me and she looked at me for 5 seconds, raised her eyebrows, and smiled. She is a sweetheart too. One always knows when S. Maria is around because she whistles her way throughout the house, so you can hear her before you see her. Happy many Birthdays to you Sister Maria!
     Today at Colegio San Benito (how funny huh, english translation: College of Saint Benedict) was my first REAL work day! I had two classes come to the computer lab: one was math, the other narrative writing. With the math class, I sort of just supervised the students and made sure they were all playing math games. But in the narrative writing class, I helped with Microsoft Word editions 2003 and 2007. It was simply spell check, open file, save and print. The teacher (Ms. J. Morales) had given them an assignment to write their own narrative short story. As I walked around the computer lab, I read bits and pieces from the student's papers, some of them had titles like, "Violent School", "Biggest Loser, Gustavo", "Robot Mixer", and "Ms. Morales and her Puppy." Something I noticed right away was how meticulous the stories were. For example, "Biggest Loser, Gustavo" (more like BIGGEST LOSER, Gustavo!) went something along the lines of, "Gustavo is so fat. He wants to loose weight. So he plays a show to get fit. He weighs 3,000 pounds. He has to be naked because no clothes fits him. So he loses weight. Then he is happy because he is fit." Wow! I can really picture this Gustavo guy being really fat and sad, but determined to loose weight. So he participates in a game to help him "get fit". Sounds a lot like the TV show "Biggest Loser", but the fact that a 2nd grader can type this amazes me for some reason. I cannot complain, I had a great day in the lab.
     Then, I helped Ashley with Mrs. Velasquez class. I believe Mrs. Velasquez has the most kindergardeners out of the three classes. She has this one particular boy (whom I will not mention his real name and will call Bobby) who is a handful himself. He did not attend pre-school, and is the youngest of them all. So, Bobby said (because he didn't ask) he needed to go to the bathroom and I said no. There was about five minutes of class left and since he wasn't doing the "Pee-Pee dance" (you know when a child is holding their legs tight and swinging them from side to side saying, "I really need to go") I thought I could make him wait it out. But he insisted that he needed to go and started crying, so I walked him to the restroom. He went in, washed his hands and came out. As he was walking out, I told him that we needed to hurry up because it was already time to go home. Well, instead of hurrying up to the classroom, Bobby started running towards the gate (about a 50 yard dash). He ran all the way to the front of the gate, turned around, ran towards the classroom, then turned back around and ran towards the gate again, waited, then ran to the classroom (meanwhile, I'm running behind him the whole time scared to death that this little boy might actually exit the gate). I have to admit, its funny now, but I was worried. But he made it to class safe.
      After school, S. Mary Ruth and S. Vivian took Ashley and I out for a drive. We drove up to Naguabo (the next town East) and walked on the beach. The scenery was breathtaking, the water was clear, little fish were dancing around our feet, and the sun shining high like only the sun can. It was the perfect place to take the time to really see a part of God's perfect creation and feel blessed for having the privilege of just being there.
     I really am happy to be here, and truly am grateful for being able to experience what I have experienced so far. I know it has only been a week and 4 days and have a lot to learn, but not every 22 year old, just out of college grad has the opportunity to live in a Benedictine Monastery, with 10 wonderful Sisters and volunteer at a K-9th grade school where everyday is a learning experience. Yes, I could have been working for a salary or hourly wage, but would I be discovering who I am? Or who I want to be? Or how I want to be? With myself? Towards others? Probably not. And like my sweet Father always says, "Todo en su tiempo" (Everything in its time). And  right now that "tiempo" is about me and my spiritual, physical, and mental journey with the Benedictine Values and how they will define my values for the rest of my life.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Shoe Heaven!

Well, it turns out that there is a little shoe store on the way to the post office and Ashley and I decided to "take a look"on out way back home. BAD MOVE! They have many heels, wedges, pumps, flats, jewelry and clothes! We didn't take a look at the clothes, but the most expensive pair of shoes was oh, about $12.99. I have to admit I am pretty pretty excited! Now I'd like to show off the Purple Pumps Ashley bought me for my birthday. Thanks Ash! Now guess where I'll be buying Ashley's birthday present?!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Festival De La Pana

Flan de Pana
Today Sister Vivian took her mom Luz, Ashley and I to the Festival de la Pana in her hometown, Barrio de la Mariana. It was the 23rd Annual of this festival where everything sold (at least food wise) is made with Pana. Pana is a fruit that grows on these tall green trees and depending on the size can almost pass as a green basketball. Also depending on how ripe the fruit is, it can be bitter to very sweet. Ashley and I tried sushi made with Pana, Flan de Pana, pastries made with Pana, and I bought a cocada con Pana. To be pretty honest, I cannot explain the taste of Pana. For example, the sushi had Pana instead of rice, but it tasted just like sushi with a slightly different taste. But nothing out of the ordinary. My apologies if my explanation sucks, but thats how I feel, I cannot explain it.
After the festival, Sister Vivian took us to Palmas del Mar which is a private resort outside of Humacao. The location has an amazing crystal blue beach on site and the homes there look like the "Suburbs". Beautiful, big homes that over look the beach. I was very surprised for some reason when I saw this place. Even though it is very very beautiful and elegant, it would be a shame to travel all the way to Puerto Rico and judge the entire Island based on this tiny private resort. I feel that I have experienced and seen more of Puerto Rico living in the monastery than I ever would staying at a resort. 
  Any ways, going back to some of the things I have done this week include going grocery shopping with Sister Rufina and helping her make the salad for dinner, celebrating my birthday, going to school and assisting Ashley as we both taught about 18 kindergardeners the A-B-C song and danced all around the class room, and attending Visperas (evening prayer). I'd like to mention that Sister Rufina is allowed to give us "the body of Christ" during evening prayer. Sister Mary Ruth explained that she is certified to do that and that Sister Carmen whom is the Prioress is automatically allowed to do that because of her position. There is something unexplainably powerful about having a woman take this role. I understand Sister Rufina cannot bless the wine or the bread like a priest can and she cannot hold mass either. But the simple fact that it is her, presenting the Body of Christ to me, make me feel as if patriarchy is nonexistent for those 5 seconds in the Catholic Church. I am surprised Saint Benedicts Monastery does not practice this, but I am sure they have very good reasons why they do not. the Sisters from the Monasterio Santa Escolastica do this out of necessity because there are only two Priest in this area. I just waned to mention, that I love it!