Women are Catalysts for Melding Cultures

I am a little tired tonight, but it has been worth it. I awoke today at

6:00 am. (by 6:00 the old rooster, Alejéndro, has been crowing his old man crow for two hours) I got up early to go meet María at the library; she had invited me on Wednesday to come to her house to

make corn tortillas. SO I DID. This morning was really lovely, actually, this whole week has been lovely.

San Miguel is becoming more beautiful with every new day.

María, who we meet through the school, has two wonderful daughters about my age, one is in University. Her daughter wakes up at 4:30 am three times a week to go to school in Panama City. I went to Maria’s house to learn about making tortillas; María’s mother and father were there too, along with some of her neighbors. She started a fire on an outdoor concrete table and put a clay plate on top of the fire. She then presented this bowl of soaked corn and rice, which she proceeded to push through a hand grinder (it is a simple hand propelled machine, which I don’t know the name of). After the corn and rice was ground, she added salt and started making pancakes with her hands. The way she kneaded the corn dough into well formed discs showcased her skill and the time she has spent perfecting this technique. 

About 20 minutes later we were on the patio eating fresh tortillas with queso fresco (which is made in San Miguel by Aminta), and drinking a herbal tea María made from a lemon grass plant in her front yard. With the beautiful view of the valley, I was speaking in Spanish to this beautiful family and enjoying the delicious food. By 9:00 am I was walking back home with a full belly and a huge sense of self. I had just made a connection with another culture deeper than I had initially realized. All the things I consumed for breakfast were made in San Miguel, and I had learned to make each from women who had learned from past generations family recipes for cheese, tortillas and tea. It was a beautiful moment, and María has invited us back for a meal on Tuesday.

Earlier in the week we had the great pleasure to have the helping hands of Largo (Zac Long), and Joe Montana (Joe Mckittrick ), two interns from the valley. They helped us finish the chicken coop, and perform other tasks that men do best. Keep in mind we are a household of five girls living in rural Panama, so the help of men is really appreciated.

Unfortunately I am not sure they enjoyed their stay with us as much as we girls did. The rooster started crowing at 3:30 am, prohibiting them a good nights sleep, and Joe Montana got stung by a wasp on the eye lid, which I hear is still swollen. By 7:30am Joe and Largo had started their hike into the valley.

We were also blessed with the presence of Andrea Davis, and Anne Walker Harrison. Andrea is an intern in the valley, she is half Panamanian, and has a desire to connect her work in the valley with the people of San Miguel, so she stayed a few days with us making connections in the community around the notion of agriculture. Anne Walker is a veteran of Kalu Yala, and a familiar face to many people in San Miguel, so she stayed with us too and introduced us to many of her friends in the community.

Andrea and Anne Walker woke up early to meet with Niña, the purpose: Milk her cows! I met up with them after English Class on Niña’s porch. Everyone smiling, Anne Walker with a liter of fresh warm cow’s milk in her hand. Once back at the house they couldn’t wait to make coffee and use the fresh milk in their coffee. I was very proud and happy to see them so happy with their efforts. At 10:00 am Lillian Sonnenberg and I accompanied them to Aminta’s house, she lives across the river. We gathered in her open air kitchen and started the process of using Niña’s cows milk to make cheese, known as queso fresco, exactly what I had eaten with María. This was another moment this week where I realized the importance of the San Miguel women, their strength, their knowledge and their great love to socialize and connect… truly inspiring.

It is through the women in the house and in the community that cultures are melding.