Although boxing with Nardo for four hours makes me feel gross (but awesome), rain in Havana is disgusting (and invokes a vomit reflex).
At home, rain is cleansing. We’re usually in a drought anyway, so rain dances are welcome. Here, if you perform a “rain dance,” I will want to practice my boxing moves on your cara (face).
When it rains in Havana, all the poop, trash and dead animal carcasses get caught in the runoff down Calle G (my street) and not even the best galoshes can protect your feet from the bacteria and mold.
On the plus side, rain inspires many great thoughts like:
- I am pretty much desensitized to dead animals.
If someone at home pouts their lips and tells me, “aww, I saw a dead squirrel on the sidewalk today” I would most likely shrug it off as “at least it wasn’t a dead goat” or, as Lizzie says, ask “did you step in it? Because I hate it when that happens.”
Sad, but so true.
- Although I am desensitized to dead animals, Santería is not for me and serves best in my life as a new list of baby horse names for my brother’s horse farm.
Meet baby Ochún, Chango, and Yemoya.
This past weekend we went to Matanzas to learn more about Santería and how they sacrifice animals at their ceremonies (although there is the occasional tree) for the different Orishas (Gods). They also offered to do readings for us where they put magic powder on a sacred board and the Babalawao (pronounced BAH-BA-LAO) would tell you your destiny and your Orisha. Even if you don’t believe in Santería, everyone has an Orisha (God) that identifies them.
As cool and awesome as magic powder sounds, I told the Babalawao “no, gracias” and said I would choose my own Orisha. I picked Chango, the one in charge of lightening and manhood because everybody wants to be friends with the lighting God. CLA-RO.
He told me I couldn’t do that, but that doesn’t much matter. He's not my homeboy.
- I want to buy a “Jesus is my homeboy” T-shirt.
Because he is. Chango and I are just friends.
- With this new lightning friend, I am officially ninja-ready.
duh.
This weekend will be lame-city because I am going to try and get some of my papers done. But then again, it’s Havana…the epitomy of a not-so-lame-city.
La reina de ninjas,
Sara la fresa
p.s.- i realize from my last entry that “leonesa” means a dessert (that is quite delicious i may add) but I meant it to mean “female lion.”
i hope these pictures upload!
Rain here too my little queen of the ninjas. The garden is growing so fast and the birds are already nesting. Every day they sing out "I miss la riena fresa!"
ReplyDeleteSo does the gardener.
I finally got to name a baby Bacchus!! Time to celebrate! More wine! Kidding, I love the Santeria theme (maybe we won't tell Monica all that is involved). Miss you.
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