I'm not really big into politics. Of course, I follow what's going on, but I can't sit at a dinner table and just talk politics all the time.
Putting that aside, I came across this article and just had to say something about it.
http://cbs4.com/defedecolumn/defede.column.rick.2.1984013.html
It's an opinion piece I found on CBS 4's Web site. It addresses the underlying racism in Rick Scott's agenda. The minute I heard Scott wanted to conduct drug tests on everyone receiving government assistance, I thought "O.K. what's wrong with that?" But then it hit me. Wait a minute- who mainly benefits from government aid? Minorities. Why is there an assumption that these people are on drugs? Racism, plain and simple. It's a blatant stereotype. Since blacks and hispanics are lazy and just want to take advantage of the system, they stay at home receiving their welfare checks, and just shoot up or get high all day. Unfortunately, that's what some people think is reality. Why the emphasis on drugs? Some people might be falsifying paperwork. Why not go after that? No, we would focus on drug use, which apparently is rampant among those depending on government aid, i.e. everyone who's not white.
I just had to get that off my chest. What do you guys think?
So I decided to have a reading done at the botanica. I called up Luis (the owner) and we arranged to meet around 1:45 p.m. I don't think he was actually expecting to show up, much less have a consultation with him. He looked very surprised when I came in, but happy all the same because this time he was making money. He charges $22 for the consultations, which take place in a small room toward the back of the shop. He asked me to wait outside the room for a few minutes while he straightened up.
In the meantime, I looked around the shop for something interesting to talk about. His wife, Maritza, was at the front of the store speaking to a customer on the phone. She leaned up against the counter where they ring people up, and was telling the woman on the phone that she had scorpions, snakes, spiders, birds and tons of other animals. I didn't really understand why she was looking at this huge vending machine they have while she was speaking to the woman on the phone. I decided to ask her what that was about when she hung up. I didn't really know how she would respond to my eavesdropping, but I couldn't pass up on this opportunity. Where were these animals? And why the hell do they have scorpions and spiders? (which I am deathly afraid of) As I expected, she wasn't really in the mood to talk. I approached her and said, "Excuse me, I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't help but overhear that you have animals in the shop. Where exactly are these animals?" To my surprise, she pointed to the huge vending machine. Instead of sodas, the machine is filled with rows and rows of animals wrapped in newspaper. There is a sign on the front that has the prices, which range from about $5 to $12. I don't know why, but I automatically asked her "So I guess that each animal has its different purpose during ceremonies?" a question which I knew the answer to. I guess I was just nervous and blurted out the first thing on my mind. She quickly replied, "Of course," in a kind of snappy tone. At that point, I decided to just end the conversation. This woman is the complete opposite of her husband. He would have explained what the significance of each of the animals is. Instead, she just gave me attitude.
Luckily, Luis was done straightening up and it was time for my consultation. Before stepping into the room, I asked him why a young man who had come in earlier kissed his own hand and touched the ground before greeting Luis. I asked him if I was supposed to do the same thing- I thought maybe out of respect to the saints and/or spirits. He smiled, and told me the young man had done that because he is a babalawo. So I walked in, without kissing the floor (which would have been tremendously embarrassing if I would have done without asking Luis) and sat down. Luis sat across from me. He already decorated the table with a candle, a glass of water and a bottle some kind of perfumed water. He also had a notepad with a pen, and the star of the show, the shells at the center of the table. Instead of reading cards, like Eva does, Luis reads shells. It actually resembles rolling dice, but instead, he studies the way the shells land. He took down my full name and birth date and wrote down words like love, work, etc. He then began praying in some language I didn't even understand. Before grabbing the shells, he asked me if I had my period. I was shocked. Why the hell did he want to know. I told him I didn't, and he explained to me that in all religions, the period is a curse that was given to women. If a woman has her period during a consultation, the person reading the shells cannot physically touch them. Since I answered no, put them in the center of the table and told me to pick them all up, cradle them in my hands, put my hands to my forehead and then bring my hands close to my mouth, as if I was going to whisper a secret to the shells. It might have sounded like a stupid question, but I asked him if I was actually supposed to say something to the shells, to which he replied yes. Even if I didn't want to say something too specific, I should at least ask the shells to show me what I want to see, which I did.
I placed the shells down at the center of the table, and he got started.
-The Consulta-
One of the first things he asked me is if I have anyone sick in my family, particularly an elderly person. I told him my grandfather is sick. He's diabetic and he's lost a lot of weight. He described my grandfather to me and told me he needs to be very careful with his health. He gave me a "recipe" for a drink that is guaranteed to regulate his sugar. He told me to boil avocado leaves and have my grandfather drink the avocado infused water every day.
He also told me that I have to be careful with my blood. He asked me if I have any health problems, to which I told him no. He told me to be careful sexually because he sees some kind of problem with my blood in the future.
In terms of children, he told me he could almost guarantee that my first child will be a boy, and he even described me boyfriend to me, without me ever describing him physically to him before.
One of the last things he said is that I can not trust anyone. I have enemies in many places, even if I haven't looked for them directly. He recommended that I take a bath from the neck down with a specific concoction: I have to boil the "Remove Envy" plant (which he sells) for five minutes, pour the water into a jug, and separate it's contents into three sections. He instructed me to bathe each day with a third of the gallon. But before pouring the water on myself, I have to mix it with a bit of "cascarilla," (which is like a white powder) and a little of flower water. The baths should help get rid of some of the bad energy that people are sending my way.
He also recommended that I schedule a head cleansing with his wife. The cleanings take place in their own. His wife uses coconut to refresh a person's head, and in turn, bring that person good luck in their endeavors. He told me there is a young lady who visits his wife every time she has a big exam. Maritza performs the ritual, and the young lady passes her tests with flying colors. The service costs about $40.
I don't how much of this is true or how effective these rituals really are. I also don't know how comfortable I feel with Maritza doing some kind of work on me. She's not very nice.
What I do know is that it was a very interesting experience. I liked my card reading experience a lot better, but nonetheless, I'm proud that I overcame my fear. In doing so, Luis is opening up to me more.
I'll keep you guys posted!
This NPR article really got me thinking about my career choice, and how excited and scared I am about what awaits after graduation. Like the article pointed out, journalism isn't necessarily a career you need a degree for. Also, it's a career path that is rapidly changing, or "realigning" as the article put it. This "realigning" is what scares me. What kind of jobs are going to be available to us, and better yet, what will the paychecks be like? I think it's safe to say that a lot of us chose to major in journalism because we actually like it. We all know this isn't a field where you make big bucks, at least not right off the bat. I can also guess that most of us have had to deal with family and friends who don't understand why we chose a career where we're going to have to struggle just to live comfortably. I still don't know if I'll be kicking myself later on in life for choosing this major. What I do know is that I absolutely love the field. I love interviewing people and learning from everyone I meet. I guess that counts for something, right?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130437287&sc=emaf
-Eva-
I've been anxious about my meeting with Eva, the Hialeah card reader woman, for a couple days now. I didn't know what to expect when Luis told me about her. I was scared of what she might see in the cards- that is, if she actually does have a gift and isn't just trying to make some money on the side. In fact, that concept of the money hungry fortune teller has actually become quite a stereotype. People in these professions are automatically thought of as phonies, i.e. the wannabe Jamaican fortune teller woman who did the infomercials a couple years ago. Though I truly had my reservations about going, I wasn't going to turn down an opportunity to meet the woman who Luis spoke so highly of. "What do I have to lose?" I thought to myself. If anything, maybe she could give me some insight about what I can expect in the coming months after graduation.
I have spoken to her on the phone like two times, and both times she sounded very nice. She's been going through some troubles with her mom who is apparently quite sick so she wanted me to call her today before I left the house. I called her as promised just to verify is she would be available this morning and she told me to come over. She does consultations in her home, so needless to say, I was a bit nervous. First, I was going into a complete stranger's house. Second, this stranger was going to sit with me and talk to me about my life. Third, I was just plain nervous about getting this close to a spiritualist. What if she told me I was going to die soon? What if she told me one of my loved ones was going to die soon?
I was having this dialogue with myself as I drove to her house, which turned out to be only about ten minutes away from mine. I drove up to her driveway and couldn't help but wonder if she was spying on me from her window. The house is right on the side of a busy road, and the driveway is tiny. She had to have noticed my car pull up, and I don't have window tints so she could see everything I was doing inside my car prior to getting off.. I pushed these fears aside and walked up to the front door. I rang the door bell and out came a young Cuban woman with a white scarf wrapped around her head. I know santeros usually wear white garments, so I figured this was her. I was actually surprised because I expected her to be a lot older than she is. She's only 47. I think it's all the smoking that has made her voice a little raspy. She welcomed me in and asked me to sit down for a few minutes. She was talking to her relative back in Cuba and her calling card was running out of minutes. Luckily, the couple minutes on the sofa gave me time to really observe her home. It actually reminded me a lot of my grandmother's home. There were tons of ceramic ornaments, family pictures and the great smell of good clean tile. I don't know how to put it into words, but there is something so comforting about a Cuban woman's home. These homes usually have white tiled floors, and Eva's in particular were sparkling clean. I also had time to notice a doll that was displayed in the center of the living room. It looked almost like a flamenco-inspired doll, but I later found out that the doll is her "gitana" (gypsy). Basically, this doll is a manifestation of her guardian spirit which guides her and helps her with her problems. Whenever she needs help with something, she prays to the gitana, and the gitana delivers. She later explained to me that she smokes a lot during her consultations because her gypsy used to smoke a lot in her past life.
Here's a picture of a gitana doll I found online. Hers looked like this one. (I didn't feel comfortable taking pictures of this woman's home the first time we met, but I plan to stop by her house in the next few days to talk to her some more and hopefully get some pictures.)
Once she hung up with her relative, we started talking about why I was there and what I had learned from speaking to Luis. I told her how Luis believes many people view the religion as a business. Apparently, many santeros charge ridiculous amounts of money for services. Eva agreed. She even told me that one of the reasons she hasn't gone through the formal santeria initiation is because the service itself costs $7,000 to $8,000. To avoid contributing more to this growing stereotype, Eva doesn't charge anything for her services. She says that God blessed her with the ability to read cards. Her gift is meant to help people who are going through difficult times in their lives, not to earn big bucks.
I asked her how she got into the religion. She smiled. Here's what she had to say: When she was 7 years old, she used to faint at random moments. No one knew what was going on. The fainting spells and terrible headaches had become a part of her life. It wasn't until she was 20 years old, that she had a life changing encounter. She was walking down the street when she was greeted by a woman dressed in white. The woman began telling Eva about the things she would experience in the coming months. Eva laughed in her face. The woman told her that she was going to separate from her husband. She also told her her family would leave Cuba for the United States, but that she would take two years to get to the U.S. She also told Eva that the spirits did not want her working any jobs in the street, as in offices, shops, etc. Instead, the spirits wanted her to work at home- to work for her community. The pair walked about seven blocks, and when they reached a corner, the woman in white disappeared. Eva was at a loss for words. Three months later, she separated from her husband, as the woman had foreseen. She also took two years to get to the U.S. After such proof, Eva was determined to find out more about that fateful encounter. She consulted spiritualists about what that encounter meant. One day she was given a deck of Spanish cards (they resemble tarot cards, but with different symbols.) Over time, she began reading the cards for her friends, and the visions the cards were giving her were coming true. From that point on, she was fully dedicated to the religion and doing good with her god-given ability.
-My Reading-
My consultation with Eva was one of the most interesting, frightening and wonderful moments of my life. She walked me to her back yard, where she has a pool and terrace area. There is a table set up in the shade, and that's where she does the readings. I sat across from her, and she placed a glass with a "Siempre Viva" (forever alive) plant on the table. Here's what the plant looks like:
It's supposed to give the visitor vitality, and the water in the glass is supposed to bring clarity. She then did two Catholic prayers, one in which she said my name. It almost sounded like a traditional "Padre Nuestro" prayer, which is done by many Catholics, especially during confession. She then began to shuffle her deck of Spanish cards- they kind of look like Tarot cards, but they have different symbols.
What she started the card reading session made me very uneasy. She told me she saw a change in my love life. For anybody else, this might be exciting news, but for me, it was terrifying. I've been in a serious relationship for the past seven years with hopes of getting married after graduation. I told her this, and she said the cards are not a guarantee. She told me to be careful because she saw some kind of pending disagreement that could lead to a separation in the future. I accepted her warning, though I secretly hoped she was full of crap.
She then told me she saw a career change in my future, one in which I would be very, very successful. This was definitely welcome news, especially after the first emotional bomb she presented me with. She said I would be very good in my career path and would make a lot of money. She also told me my boyfriend and I would travel a lot, which is something we've been wanting to do for a while. But she also told me to be careful because I would be leaving my current job because of some kind of betrayal.
She also asked me about my mom's health. My mom had recently come from a doctor's appointment, in which she learned that her blood pressure and cholesterol levels are getting worse, in addition to some other things. She urged me to tell my mom that she has to be extremely careful with her health. I have to admit, it was kind of surprising that she would bring up my mom's health with a very concerned look on her face. My mom's test results had been on my mind for the past couple days.
Her next statement, however, completely took me by surprise. She smiled, and told me, "From what I can see, your dad is everything to you. For you, there is no one better than your dad." I was shocked. Not once had I told her about my father, but somehow, she was able to see that. She was absolutely right. Though my dad and I fight a lot, I am still the biggest daddy's girl.
I don't know if all of her visions were real. I don't know if she's just a great guesser. What I do know is that I left her house with a mixture of amazement and fear- amazement at the fact that a complete stranger could know so much about me, and fear that some of her predictions could be right.
I plan on visiting her again within the next week, especially to take pictures (and maybe get my cards read again if I'm up for it.)
I'll keep you guys posted.
Friday was definitely a pleasant surprise! I was expecting Luis, the Botanica owner, to be annoyed at my presence. He sounded frustrated over the phone. He was telling me how busy he was the whole week and that he wouldn't really have time to dedicate to me, which I told him was fine because I was there to take in the whole environment.
I got to the botanica around 3:45 p.m. after being stuck in Hialeah school zones for what seemed like 20 minutes. I walked in, and his wife greeted me. She seemed more welcoming than last time; she smiled a bit more. But she's still a little cold with me. I think she feels strange at the sight of a young white girl in a botanica. Most people I've seen in the area are much older hispanics. Anyways, I told her I was from FIU and wanted to speak to Luis. She shuffled into their little back room, and I heard her talking to him. Luis called out from the back to give him a few minutes to just finish his lunch. I was so embarrassed that I interrupted this man during his lunch to ask him more about the religion he practices. I told him not to worry and I just looked around at some of the new merchandise, like these mini skulls on key chains and coins to bring good fortune.
When he came out of the back room, I noticed he looked a little sick or like he hadn't been sleeping well. I thought to myself that I would ask him later if he was maybe having some health issues. I asked him how he'd been and that I noticed he had some new items in stock. He nodded and half smiled, but didn't say much else. He was probably like "Why the hell did this girl interrupt my lunch to point out I have new things in the store?" He then asked if we could talk outside while he smoked a cigarette, which I was definitely glad to do. It was a breezy day and I felt a little awkward asking this man questions while his wife listened in the background. She makes me kind of nervous how she just silently oversees things.
The minute we stepped outside, he started smoking. I'm not a fan of cigarettes, much less having the smoke in my face because of all the wind. But putting this aside, I was glad to see this relaxed side of him. He wasn't the uptight shop owner. He was just an old Cuban guy smoking his cigarette. So I told him I wanted to find out more about what draws people to Santeria and why the religion has such a bad reputation. He looked somewhat surprised to hear a non-basic "What is this?" "What is this used for?" question come from my mouth, and he nodded in approval, saying they were good questions.
He started off by saying that people are first attracted to the religion because of curiosity. He said this was the most common reason people get into Santeria. The second is family connections. People that are struggling with either health or financial problems consult with family members, and if these family members know someone in Santeria, they urge their troubled relatives to visit a botanica. If these people have some faith in what the santero tells them, and their remedies actually worked, they're hooked. As Luis puts it, "No es lo que tu tengas, pero la fe que tu tengas," (It's not about what you have, but the faith you have in the things you do have.)
As he was smoking, I noticed he was missing some of his front teeth. At first I couldn't help but stare a bit, but I tried to distract myself. It was just very difficult to not look at it because as he talked, I kept seeing the tip of his tongue slide across his bottom gum, where he used to have a couple teeth. At some point, he must have noticed I looked and he jokingly apologized for his appearance. He had just had some dental work. I told him not to apologize to me, and that I had noticed he looked like he had lost some weight. He reiterated how busy he had been that week.
At some point during the conversation, he brought up how he's had a few experiences in the religion that have been very beautiful. Once such experience was with a 60 year old Colombian woman about two years ago. No, he didn't have sex with her- get your mind out of the gutter. He actually saved her life because he saw during a consultation that she had a tumor in her cervix. He felt bad breaking the news to her, but he told her she had to get it checked out right away. He also told her she would have some complications during her surgery, but that she would be alright in the end. She was leaving for Colombia in a few days, and after the consultation, he didn't hear from her again. Three months later, she came back to the store and thanked him for saving her life. She did in fact have a tumor, and she also had to go back for another surgery because the first doctor left some kind of material or object in her cervix. It's experiences like these that really keep in the religion, aside from the fact that he's a business owner and doesn't have to report to anyone. He's his own boss.
I also asked him why Santeria has such a bad reputation. He told me a lot of people have made the religion into an enterprise, selling sacred secrets to outsiders and turning the religion into an all-out enterprise. He described how powerful the religion is and how everything in nature has a force, a concept I didn't really understand. "What do you mean everything has a force? How could a plant or dirt have a force?" We were standing right next to a plant display outside his shop, so he grabbed the closest one and told me, "You see this plant? If I grab this plant like this, and I brush someone with is, it'll dry up. It absorbs all the negative energy." I finally understood. I didn't know the plants were able to supposedly absorb bad energy, much less dry up after doing so. But it is this power and mystery in the religion that he finds so fascinating.
In closing, I asked him how I could go about getting a consultation of my own. I've always been interested in having someone look into my life, and tell me what they see ahead. I didn't know how he would interpret my question. I wasn't there to get a freebie reading, I was just curious. He actually seemed to take my question fine, and explained to me that what he does is read snail shells. He throws them on a table, and is able to see whether that person has some bad energy or influence in his or her life, and how to get rid of it. I asked him if he has to eat or drink or smoke something in order to have these visions, and he told me he smokes during the consultations and drinks agua ardiente. He told me he does this not in order to have the visions, but out of habit. I guess the cigarettes and liquor help loosen him up so he can get a better sense of what's going on in the person's life.
He also said he likes the idea of getting someone to read my cards instead. He spoke very fondly of this one Hialeah woman who reads cards beautifully. When I asked him the difference between cards and snails, he told me that with cards, the reader is able to see that person's past, present and future- it's a more comprehensive reading. He gave me her number, and I definitely plan on contacting her. I'm actually thinking about doing both: getting my cards read and having someone (maybe a babalawo) read the snail shells.
I talked to him about so many things that day. I'm really glad he opened up to me, whether it was with the help of the cigarettes or not. I'm glad things worked out that way.
I'll keep you guys posted!
When I visited the Botanica Yoruba for the first time, I met Beatriz, a sophomore at Hialeah High School. I told her I wanted to learn more about Santeria, a religion she got involved in recently. She had to leave the botanica, but we exchanged numbers and e-mails. I sent her an e-mail and I just heard back! The great news is that she's going to contact her madrina (god mother) to see if she can get me in contact with a babalawo who can "read the shells." It's kind of like having someone read your cards or your palm, which is something I've always wanted to do. I'm just a little scared of what he might see. What if I'm not prepared to hear it?
I will also be visiting the botanica either on Wednesday or Thursday morning, so I'll keep you guys posted!
