Es tiempo de cambiar- it's time to change!

*sing like Juanes*

Nothing to do with Panama per se, but I am making a public commitment to eating healthier and losing weight.  I go back and forth with this every year, but I have to take a good hard look at my age, my eating habits, and my potential health risks and do something now, preemptively.  (making that list of foods I love did not help either!)

It is actually annoying when friends tell me I am not big or chubby, that I am just "curvy."  Or worse, that I "wear it well." ummm... thanks? Yes, I am curvy, but I have entirely too much all over. I couldn't stop being curvy if I tried. That does not mean, however, that I should not drop some weight. Discovery Health thinks I should drop 40-50 lbs. I am not convinced.

This is not an eating revolution just yet. But I am starting with more water and more fruits and vegetables, fewer sweets and going from there.  Wish me luck! I am only posting this so you hold me accountable.

ex- president, ex-dictator in the news

I haven't been linking articles about the case since most that I find are in Spanish, but here is an article (very short) about the ex-president, Ernesto Perez Balladares, being investigated for corruption (now that they found him!).
Ex President interrogated on money laundering charges

In most of my interviews, I ask people how they feel about the current government and what they hope this administration will achieve. Security and cleaning up of corruption have been the two most popular answers. No one will deny that current President Ricardo Martinelli has money. He is rich. However, that is exactly why people believe he is not corrupt and why he is the person who can stop, or diminish at least, the corruption within the government.  

One person told me, "Martinelli is rich, but he is no crook. He made his money the honest way. From hard work. His parents are immigrants. They worked hard. He can stop this thing (corruption) but only if the rest of the people (in the government) cooperate."

(picture below is Perez Balladares)

In other ex-head of state news, Noriega's request to stop extradition to France has been denied. HERE is a Washington Post article about it. His argument was based on POW status and the Geneva conventions. His US prison term actually ended in 2007, but he has been chilling in prison in FL waiting to see where he would go next.  He wants to return to Panama. France plans to try him on money laundering charges. 

christmas in the tropics!

I found this while organizing my pictures for the next mass upload.  I think my blog lacks sufficient pictures so booyah. there is one.

And this one I stole from Thelma. Family time on Christmas Eve

better late than never, right? 

no to racism, yes to my mom!

Today is the International Day to Eliminate Racism.  The National Coordinator of Afro-Panamanian organizations has used the opportunity to create a short video about racial discrimination in Panama and tie it to the afro-descendiente Census 2010 campaign.

Today is also my mom's birthday. I have shouted her out on all medias available to me.  I think as I get deeper into my dissertation research, I really appreciate my mom for always cultivating a pride in who we are and a Black consciousness in me, despite/because of our location in a overwhelmingly white sometimes racist New England town.

My mom is also the best cook and baker in the universe! If she makes it, you will want to eat it. (yes. food is always on my mind)

Here we are in Juarez, Mexico back in summer 2006 eating some tacos. mmmm. good times.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

oops- carnival pictures

I have a lot more, but here is the fb album from carnavales (feb 13-16th). Sorry. I forgot to post them here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2191886&id=1309093&l=69d82404fb

the little things

I am a simple girl. Some may disagree, but there are many small things that make me laugh and smile in life. The fact that rather than send Lance Bass into outer space they sent "cargo." Natasha wanting a Snuggie before they were popular... and buying one! At any given moment, something that seems trivial to someone else will cause me to smile or burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

One sure thing to make me smile? My first love: food.

Here in Panama, there is little chance that I will lose weight lol. Here are a few things that always bring a smile to my face:

mangoes, papaya (fruta bomba if you will), pineapple and watermelon.
chicharon.
carminolas
arroz con guandu en coco
yucca en mojo
pollo guisado.
sancocho with the spicy sauce and rice.
Coffee con leche
Corvina al ajillo
pargo frito
platanos en tentacion
chuletas ahumadas
black beans and rice- arroz moro (congri)
Ceviche (not as big a fan of the creamy ones)
Vanilla ice cream with swirls of dulce de leche

I do cook for myself. often. This post was inspired by a salad I had for lunch and dinner yesterday:
romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, black beans, and chicken with a dressing I made from oil and vinegar, salt, pepper, and this yellow hot sauce. it was delicious and just what I was craving!

a few days ago I treated myself (from the comfort of my own home) to a huge mug of coffee with Kahlua and a few dollops of said vanilla ice cream with dulce de leche. what a soul warming experience lol (this was at night of course. I don't drink in the mornings... I mean some days I have thought about it. The days I spend transcribing are not as fun as they sound lol)

oh the list goes on and on. I usually share deeper topics so I wanted to lighten it up a little bit, and perhaps make you a little jealous if you are not here eating these things with me. I will continue to add to the list as I consume flavors that make me smile!

p.s. DUKE's ACC tournament and regular season titles also make me smile. Men and Women!! See you in the big dance... unless you are UNC, in which case I wish you the best of luck in the NIT. t hee hee

Blacks in Panama, multi--racial in the US

One day a few years ago I was in McGruder's grocery store in Alexandria, VA with my friend, Malinda. The Ethiopian cashier asked me what my t-shirt "everyone loves a mixed girl" means.  I said it means my parents are from two different groups and that my sister bought the t-shirt for us. She slammed my change down on the counter and told me she did NOT like that. at all. She doesn't believe in that.  Everyone should stay with their own. Then, she turned to Malinda and asked "and you? are you mixed too?" Malinda shied away and said she was just black. whoa. I have no idea why she had such a violent and hostile reaction to my t -shirt, but for my own safety I decided not to ask a million questions that day. We quickly left the store.
** just to be clear, I consider both of my parents to be Black. in my universe Black does not only mean "African American". Raised in the US, I do and have recognized that my parents belong to two different government boxes. I will never diminish my family's Panamanian/Latino pride nor the pride of being African American to make classification easier for people with narrow definitions. We don't have to homogenize Blackness to achieve solidarity** off the soapbox.

Interestingly enough, as a question about African heritage makes an appearance for the first time on Panama's 2010 census, in the US this will be the 2nd census which allows people to choose more than one racial identity.

I wonder if these homogeneous groups we like to create (namely black and white) will be complicated at higher age groups, or if this change in identification will be reflected mostly in younger respondents.  This is not to say that a larger number of "mixed" people are younger, but more probable (in my opinion) that younger people are more likely to reject the racial binary and openly identify with more than one group.
And what will Hispanic/Latino look like? or Asian/Pacific Islander? as they are identifications based on geographic origins and language, not color in the way in black and white.  The Time article talks about a Brazilian lobby group, which undoubtedly is thrown in with the majority Spanish speaking Latino/Hispanic group. I am not sure what all of the choices are. If anyone who has received their packet wants to weigh in, I would be grateful. Alas, I will not be counted this year.

from the USA article and in response to those who feel the US is headed toward a post-racial (whatever the heck THAT means) age via Obama:
This month, the Census Bureau will remind Americans that racial classifications remain an integral part of the country's social and legal fabric while, at the same time, recognizing that racial lines are blurring for a growing number of people.



It will be interesting to see what comes out of both of these census maps! I feel like a qualitative demographer :-)

USA today article specifically about multiracial people and the census
TIME article about the census

un-linking the past and the present

There is a blog called the Silver people Chronicle whose objective is "the restoration and preservation of the little known but significant contribution of the West Indians in the culture and history of the Republic of Panama."

there is a link on the blog to email the author. As our work overlaps, in my humble opinion, I exercised the opportunity to give a small introduction to my own project and ask if it would be possible to meet- whether in Panama or the US.

This is the response I received:

Dear Ms. Curtis,

I am pleased that you have found our blog and find some worth in it. However, currently I have no time to dedicate to meetings or gatherings that will not directly help our cause; I really have no time. Please continue perusing our sites that I have listed below and if you would really like to help our Foundation and the enormous project we have undertaken, you can spread the word to others who may be interested and/ or contribute a donation to our cause.

My best regards,

C. Roberto A. Reid

wow. ok. Well then. I am sorry C. Roberto A. Reid does not think that linking academic projects that deal with the same small research population "directly helps their cause." One of the reasons I wanted to to do my particular project is because many researchers are studying what happened to West Indians when they came to build the Canal. I am not at all saying that is not a useful and admirable undertaking. There is much we do not know and we need to rescue these stories before the opportunity for first person narratives die out. But today, Panama's poverty rates are 40%! In a country with less than 3.5 million people, in a country with a Canal, the 2nd largest free trade zone in the world, with a development boom. How has what happened contributed to where we are for all the generations that have lived in this country AFTER canal construction? After the Americans left? After we lost one of the largest (if not the largest) sources of West Indian employment? How did that Zone shape how we thought about opportunities, investment, ownership, and self in relation to the Republic of Panama?

He doesn't have time to meet. Ok. But I take much more offense to the self-importance and mutual exclusivity he feels his projects has in relation to mine, and presumably other projects that research contemporary life in Panama.

Thanks for nothing, compay.

Sr. Reid,

I am sorry that you do not feel academic projects that deal historically and presently in the same small research population directly relate to your cause.Despite the mutual exclusivity that you perceive I will, however, continue to read your blog and those of others who do similar work since the historical piece of where we came from and what we have been through, in my humble opinion, has everything to do with my project of trying to capture where/why/how we are now.

Best,

Ariana Curtis

International Airport in Colon?

prensa.com Panamá - Panorama

Colon is a city plagued by government neglect and high unemployment, and as a result, high crime rates. When I saw this article I thought- great! jobs in Colon, both construction and running the airport. Then I thought to myself... wait. will this be like the Free Zone (Zone Libre) where the workers are not from Colon despite the Zone's placement on the Atlantic Coast? What does the government plan to do to help Panama's 2nd largest city?

vamos a ver...

(one picture is so you know where Colon is located. The other is a picture I took outside of Hotel Washington in Colon)

Video about the 2010 Census in Panama

I did not know before arriving in Panama that this was the year for the census. I also found out, quite early in my trip, that for the first time I question about "being black" would be included. Panama is not the only country to do this; this question is being included in many countries, although the wording is not the same everywhere.

I attended a workshop on this very topic in Colon back in December with some of the people in this video (Eunice Menesses, Ricardo Weeks). And in my interviews I ask people about the census, how they feel about this question and how will they respond when they come knocking at the door in May! (will post an interesting exchange about this once I translate it)

*edit* I just received an email with the official logo as well*


this is in Spanish, but in an effort to educate about the census (may 16 2010) this video was produced. I am interested to hear thoughts about it. The question that will, for the first time, appear on the census will look like this:

LA PREGUNTA QUE SE INCLUYE EN LOS CENSOS PANAMÁ 2010 CON RESPECTO A LOS AFRODESCENDIENTES ES LA SIGUIENTE:

¿Alguna persona de este hogar se considera negro (a) o afrodescendiente?

Does anyone in this home consider himself/herself black or of African descent?

Sí _____ No ______

Si se contesta afirmativamente, entonces ésta da paso a otra interrogante específica:

If you answer yes, then this leads to another specific question:

¿Se considera usted…

Do you consider yourself...

negro (a) colonial _____________ negro (a) antillano (a) _______________

negro (a) _____________ otro_______________ ninguna_____________ antillano(a)


youtube also has related videos, and if anyone is interested this site has also has articles about the census (the question of afro descendiente) in Costa Rica, Chile, and Argentina.

big changes in a short amount of time

ok yes, I still owe stories about the invasion march, about my trip to the US; however, here is a story about the large changes that took place in two generations among canal workers as a result of the Torrijos-Carter treaties. Opportunities for Panamanians to advance opened as a result of the treaties.

Many people of my grandmother's generation left Panama disenchanted by the double racism and discrimination (from US and from Panama) that plagued work opportunities and society in general, especially in the Zone. There are people of this generation who do not remember Panama fondly and did not speak highly of the country to their children. They did not want to return. In this story, one of my interviewees, now a captain in the ACP, recounts when his grandfather returned and visited him at work
__________________________________________________


When I started working I was working as a electrician, as an apprentice. I worked in the same areas that my as my grandfather worked in. He worked in industrial division in Colón. And he retired from the Canal in 1959. Went back to Jamaica. Lived for several years. And he probably came back to visit when I was working. So I was working 1970? He is back, so it’s 11 years later and he is coming back and visiting.

And when he left there were no Panamanian black electricians. There were no Panamanian black machinists. There were no Panamanian anything. They were all helpers.

So as I took him the tour inside the industrial division and he stood and he looked around and he saw my workshop and he saw what I was doing and he saw the machines I was handling. He stood up and he cried. He cried.

He couldn’t believe that these changes has taken place in that short a period of time. He had not even envisioned any of these things happening. And so this is what some of those folks are living...

And so the folks in his generation, which were those early ones in that year when I was coming out[of high school] and some of them were leaving...And they were debating should they leave, should they stay. It was just starting to change. My father is 80 something on...

What I believe, however, is that some folks who left and may have eventually come to see themselves as having made a mistake by leaving. It is hard for you to face that reality and come back and look that in the eye. Folks who stayed may even, to some extent, some of them, would have it better than those who left. So that is not easy to face...