Wednesday, September 15, 2010

My Heritage- Part 1

Just looking at me with my golden blonde hair and green eyes (and not knowing me) you wouldn't believe me if I told you I am Hispanic. However I am. I am 25% Puerto Rican to be exact and extremly proud of my heritage. I am half German, and the other 25% is a mix of English and French. English because we found a Noel family crest in England, and French as Noel is Christmas in French. My mother's maiden name is Gonzales. Here is the story behind my unique heritage:

In December of 1929, mi bisabuela Florence Ernest (for whom I am named) (great-great grandmother) moved her husband, her daughter Iris- who was pregnant with my grandfater, and Iris's two sons (Charles and Cecil) from Puerto Rico (where exactly in Puerto Rico we are not sure- we think San Jaun which is the capital city) to New York, New York. They came in through Ellis Island where Iris's last name was changed from Gonzalez to Gonzales. Why we don't know, this is what my grandfather (Pop) told my mom. In January 1930, my grandfather Milton Selvin Gonzales was born. Upon entering the U.S. mi bisabuela said "We are in America now, we speak English" and that was it. No more talk of Puerto Rico or anything. Back then, it wasn't like it is now; where you tell everyone where you are from and are proud of it. In the 1930's everyone just wanted to blend in and be accepted. Most people didn't even know what a Puerto Rican was (take for example my paternal grandfather, Red). The jobs for Puerto Ricans were few and did not pay a lot, but they were jobs and they supported the family. Mi bisabuela was the matriarch of her family and was a very great lady. To me, she is very inspiring. She had the guts to move her family from everything they knew to a place where they knew nothing and didn't fit it. She did it because she wanted a better life for them. My mother was named for her; in fact at first Pop thought mom's name was Florence Jacqueline not Jacqueline Florence as it is- he was very excited to tell his abuela that his daughter was named after her. Mom named me for her as well; Jennifer Florence. One day if I am blessed to have a daughter her middle name will be Florence (not negotiable- its tradition). At first I didn't like it because it was long and different from everyone else's (ex- Jennifer Marie, Jennifer Ann, etc). By high school I realized how unique and special it is and now take pride in its uniqueness.

Times have changed and now if you hail from a different land, you make sure everyone knows it and take pride in it. I am extremly proud of my heritage and one day I hope to learn more about my roots. I learned Spanish in an effort to get closer to it and understand it better.

Loki!


I haven't blogged about my puppy (dog really as she is 4 but she still acts like she is 3 months old!) Loki in forever, so I thought I would share some updates about her (in an effort to blog more too). As I said before, Loki is now 4 and will be 5 in February- wait I don't want to even think about that one! Loki is still the same rambuctious animal she was when we first got her, although her manners have improved greatly. She listens better (she still has her moments), isn't a complete goober brain all the time. Loki is still nuts about swimming and retrieving. She isn't as enthusiastic about a tennis ball as she is about her retriever. She still has endless amounts of energy. She does have a bad habit of barking a lot when someone comes to the door. Mom likes it b/c then ppl know we have a big dog in the house. I like the intial barking, then I'm ready for her to shut up. Lately, Loki has decided that 9-9:30ish pm is bedtime, and will trot off to my room where she sleeps. She will nudge my door open (if she can) and then flop on the floor and snooze. If she can't open my door, she comes back to the living room with her sad eyes until you open the door or she lays back down in the living room. Last night I went to my room to put something away and I told Loki "bedtime" she got right up and pranced right to my room. Loki has gotten used to riding in my new car- the first time she wasn't so sure b/c of the different smells, but now she is golden. She gets in and takes a nap. I always put a blanket over the back seat to prevent fur getting on my seats. I have noticed recently that she won't come out of the car until you invite her out or give her permission, which is great. That way I can have a hold of her leash, so that when she gets out she won't run in front of anyone unexpectedly. She still has her moments when we wonder if her obedience training even sunk in, but for the most part she is good. She is 62 lbs of solid musle,not an ounce of fat on her. The vet is very happy with her health, and is impressed by her muscle tone. This is a big difference from our last lab, Shadow, who was overweight at 100 lbs and healthy but still some fat at 90 lbs. Loki we have maintained her weight b/c it is far easier to maintain her weight than get her to lose it. Labs are notorious over eaters and will eat anthing in site so its important to make sure they eat the right amount. I love it when we go to the vet and hear that we are doing every thing right. Makes me feel like a better owner :) That's all for the Loki report as of now. Stay tuned, as I'm sure I'll have more Loki Adventures! -cheesy I know, but hey I gotta have fun :)

Hispanic Heritage

As many of you are unaware October is Hispanic Heritage Month. As I am Puerto Rican, and I want this month to be well known, I am going to be posting stuff about Hispanics/Latinos and other related Hispanic information. I want to spread awareness of this month. Hopefully I won't annoy anyone although if I do feel free to block my statuses for the month of October b/c the majority of my tweets and status updates will be about Hispanic Heritage.
This past Sunday, mom and I went to Soldier's Memorial Park off of 14th and Market for the Hispanic Heritage Festival. We had plans to go Saturday night as we figured when a lot of the bands and salsa music would be played. However, I caught mom's cold and was not in shape to go. So we went Sunday, and our first thing to do: find food. We were starving! So we found Rice and beans with beef and plantains (arroz y frijoles con ropa de viega y platanos) from a Cuban stand. It was sooo good (muy sabroso). We split the plate and listened to some band and then later a girl singing Selena songs (I love Selena and this girl had a great voice). Later we found a Nicaraguan stand and got a Spinich Empanada (Empanada con espinca) and split that...oh that was yummy. For dessert we had tres leches (3 milks) with strawberries. Once we had eaten, we listened to some music and checked out the booths. It was a good festival and we are going to make it a yearly tradition as the festival is yearly. This was our second time and the festivals 5th year. The first year dad went with us, this year he was too tired to go. Otherwise he would have gone as he loves Hispanic food and the culture. Yesterday when I got home from work, mom suprised me by making a Puerto Rican dish- Arroz con pollo (chicken with rice). It was sooo good. She has a family recipe but this particular one is from my Latina magazine that I get monthly. We have lots of leftovers which is great. Next dish I am wanting is Red rice and beans (Arroz y frijoles rojos)- another Puerto Rican recipes of mom's that she got from her family when she lived in New York. Now I know, Arroz con Pollo and Rice and beans is not soley a Puerto Rican dish, they are common all over Latin America; I first had Arroz con Pollo when I was a foreign exchange student in Costa Rica. I lived off of Arroz con Pollo y elote (corn)! Every meal was Arroz con Pollo y elote y Fanta (the best orange soda ever). However each country adds their own spin to the dish, which makes each dish unique. It is mid September, (scary!) yet October is right around the corner and I am ready for Hispanic Heritage month! I will use this to blog more often...as I have been slacking in that area.