The Story of Luis, the Botanica Owner

Luis Perez sits in a dimly lit room in the back of his store, puffing his cigarette and sipping agua ardiente, a strong alcoholic drink whose name translates to “burning water.” He holds a cluster of small white shells in his hands. A statue of an old black man stands next to him on the floor as a source of spiritual inspiration. Above Luis are statues of Catholic saints with Yoruba names. The saints are guardians and often help guide Luis through his visions. Luis is getting ready to do business.  

People come to him largely out of curiosity, to see what his services are all about and how he can help them. For a fee of $21, which is left on a small plate in front of the black man statue, he can help those struggling with health problems or economic issues, usually by recommending baths with special herbs.

“It’s not what you have, but the faith you have in it,” Luis said about his business, which he runs with his second wife, Maritza.  From the outside, people might not understand how herbs and rocks might help heal, but he says a little faith in nature’s gifts can go a long way.

“Faith can move mountains,” said Luis. “It’s when you think you can achieve something or believe that something will happen. A little rock, a plant, anything natural- you think to yourself, ‘With this I will overcome.’”

Luis is the owner of Botanica Yoruba 7 located at 474 E. 49^th St. in a tiny Hialeah strip mall. The “7” in the name is symbolic of Yemaya, a Yoruba creation goddess that is Maritza’s guardian.

This has been their shop for the past six years. From the outside, the shop seems small, and in fact it is. But Luis and his wife have turned the place into a one-stop shop for Santeria products, filling it from top to bottom with shelves of potions, candles and figurines, as well as charms, cauldrons and instructional manuals. 

His favorite part about the business is that it lets him deal with the public indirectly. They do come to him for services, but he has the right to turn them away if he wants.

Such was the case with an older woman who called him one day. She wanted Luis to help her reunite with her estranged 40-year-old son. Luis simply told her, “He’s a grown man. Let him live his life.” And that was the end of it.

But there have been other times when Luis has been able to save someone’s life.

Two years ago, a 60-year-old Colombian woman came to his shop. It wasn’t the first time she had visited Luis for his services. During the consultation, however, something went a little different than expected.  Luis had a vision that she had a tumor in her uterus.

“My visions come to me like a movie,” said Luis. “At that moment, they’re showing me that something is inside her uterus. Something is wrong.”  

 “I don’t want to scare you,” he began to tell her. “But this is what I saw.” He explained how the saints told him that she would travel to Colombia for surgery. She would have complications because the surgeon was going to leave a piece of a tool in her uterus. Ultimately, she would recover.

The woman immediately flew to Colombia to meet with her doctor. Months later, Luis got a call. She was on the line, saying “Thank you. You were right about the tumor. You saved my life.”

Luis had a similar life-changing experience. It was the reason he decided to fully commit himself to the religion.

“I owe my life to this religion,” he said.

16 years ago, Luis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Doctors saw a dark mass in several X-rays. Surgery was the only way he could stand a chance at survival, and even then, doctors worried he wouldn’t make it out alive.

Luis visited a spiritualist, who told him he would definitely undergo surgery. But the mass inside him would disappear. The cancer would vanish. His faith in the religion would help him survive.

The day of the surgery, Luis arrived with a courage that even surprised the doctors.

“My hands are in God,” Luis told the surgeon.

No one could understand how a man diagnosed with an advanced cancer could be so sure of his full recovery.

When Luis woke up, he felt sore all throughout his abdomen. He felt where the surgeon had cut him open. But the procedure hadn’t gone as planned. When the surgeon cut into Luis to remove the mass, he didn’t see a thing. He couldn’t find it. He didn’t know what was going on.

Luis did. Luis knew at that moment what had happened. His faith got him through the surgery. His faith helped him escape a possible death.

It’s moments like these that keep Luis committed to Santeria, a religion he says many people take advantage of.

“A lot of people exploit the religion,” Luis said about practitioners who milk their clients for all they have. Many of these spiritualists try to give their clients guarantees, either in love, their jobs or other situations. They’ll perform a costly ritual and convince the customer that his or her problem is solved. They’ll even give out sacred religious items for the right price. 

“I’ve heard of cases in which people sell the necklaces without performing the rituals,” said Luis. “One thing is to charge modestly for a service well done. But sometimes they invent things just to get money. They take advantage of people who aren’t really knowledgeable about the religion,” who are known as “aleyo.”  

For Luis though, the religion is sacred. You can’t give out secrets or guarantee that you can solve everyone’s problem. His objective is just to be upfront.

“Nothing will happen to me if a ritual is performed in the wrong way,” Luis said. But if someone is prescribed something they shouldn’t be, it can actually set them behind in what they’re trying to accomplish.

Luis was born in Havana, Cuba in 1954. He spent four years on the island as a political prisoner for his strong beliefs against Fidel Castro’s revolution. Aside from becoming disenchanted with the island’s political regime, he also began to stray from his mother’s religion: Jehovah’s Witness.

“I read the bible three times, and took some time to mediate on things,” said Luis, whose main issue with the religion was the belief in perfection and the hostility toward nonbelievers. 

“God isn’t perfect. I’m not perfect,” he said. “The most important thing is if someone shows you love and how they treat you. You shouldn’t turn your back on someone just because they disagree with your religion.”

Luis never told his mom that he wanted to leave her religion. “I respected her too much for that,” he said.

When he came to the United States in his early twenties, his mission was to start working as soon as possible. He had a job as an air conditioner technician, pool repair man, electrical engineer, and many other positions in the service sector.

But dealing with the public on a daily basis frustrated him so much he decided to take matters into his own hands: he was going to create his own business where he could be behind closed doors. Instead of being at the mercy of demanding clients who needed repairs done fast and on the cheap, he would be his own boss.

“When I make up my mind to do something, I make it happen,” said Luis. “I’m consistent in that.”

Aside from recognizing his own temper and will power, he’s learned that not everyone can be trusted.

“That’s why whenever someone asks me, ‘Hey Luis how are you doing?’ I always respond ‘busy, very busy.’ Don’t tell people your problems or plans. Say something neutral,”’ Luis said.

But despite his standoffish personality, Luis and his wife have made friends in the neighboring businesses.

“They are very good people,” said Isi, a nail technician at Illusion Hair Design, which is right next to the shop.

Isi does Maritza’s nails and often visits the shop to buy lotto tickets. But one thing always stays at the door during their interactions.

“Here we don’t talk politics or religion. It’s just business,” she said.

Ezequiel Molina is the owner of Star Dancers, a dance supply store that has been at the same plaza for the past 16 years.

“He is a very good neighbor,” said Ezequiel. “Here everyone has their own distinct business, and there’s harmony.”

Ezequiel also goes into the shop frequently to buy lotto tickets.

For Luis, the shop has been very profitable. He’s a businessman at heart and has been working with his wife for a month and a half updating the Web site for their shop, www.botanicayoruba7.com. The new site features around 1,6000 products for sale, ranging from money-granting amulets and belly dancing tops, to incense and beaded bracelets.

It’s been a tiring endeavor giving the shop a complete online makeover, but one he feels is well worth the effort.

“I could pay someone to do it, but if I want it done right, I might as well do it myself,” Luis said.

He takes a break from his non-stop work and steps outside his shop to breathe a little. He pulls out his cigarette and leans up against the shop entrance, which currently features a display of medicinal plants used in Santeria cleansing rituals. 

 “Sometimes I feel tired, but if I continue to be given the strength, I will work this religion,” said Luis, as he blew a cloud of cigarette smoke into the breeze. “It’s given me a lot. I’ve been able to help people, a lot of people, and I even see the fruits of my labor. Many are actually better off than I am.”

Jokingly, Luis says one of his dreams is to actually win the lottery.

“But even if I would win it, I wouldn’t leave the religion. I can’t leave it. I owe my life to it,” said Luis. “My destiny is to die working this religion.” 

Ethnic Media Newcomers

Here's a short video I found that features editors from several ethnic newspapers talking about the importance of ethnic media. Hope you like it! 

What Exactly is Ethnic Media?

I didn't really know what "ethnic media" was, except for the fact that it was ethnic, obviously. I didn't realize the extent to which ethnic media plays a part throughout the country, and the world for that matter. Like we discussed in class, ethnic newspapers provide us with a true look at what different communities find important, from Seminole family gatherings to Jewish wedding announcements and even ads for Asian real estate agents. We don't realize the concerns of different communities until we get a good look at them up close. Even though what's actually published in a newspaper depends on the biases/priorities of the editors, it is definitely a good place to start researching when covering a particular area.


Our discussion raised a very interesting point: how much of a role does ethnic media play in perpetuating ethnic stereotypes? Well, the answer is somewhat complicated. The media should not perpetuate stereotypes. If they do, they're only adding fuel to a "racist" fire. People that have preconceived ideas about a certain ethnicity will only become more muddled if they are reading articles that seem to support those misconceptions. For example, if all people read about Cubans is terms like "rafters," or "exiles," that is all they'll  come to know about Cuban people. The same goes for Colombians. If all we read are stories about Colombian drug smugglers, than we'll continue to think of Colombians as drug users.

Therefore, the responsibility of the media is to report as fairly and truthfully as possible- the cultural events, political turmoil, entertainment pieces, crime, good deeds, everything! If this is not done, then all we'll get is a skewed view of how things really are, and what people really think about different issues.


I know it's easier said than done, but the effort has to be made.


Likewise, we have to make a greater effort to consult these ethnic media sources. Like Reisner pointed out, we can find great sources in these newspapers, which is something I have never considered. It's definitely a great alternative to only consulting the same experts time after time. Who better than those actually living and working in the communities we cover. It's reporting from the ground up.

Speaking of Ethnic Politics....

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?

Reading the Shells

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!

What's the Point of Journalism School, Anyway?

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 the card reader

-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. 

 

She then placed the stack on the table, and asked me to divide it in three separate piles. She then combined all the piles once again, and began laying the cards out on the table. Here's where things started to get interesting. As she placed the cards, her facial expressions began to change. She went from smiling one second to being very concerned the next. Sometimes she laughed and other times she took a few puffs of her cigarette with a very worried expression. I was becoming more and more nervous because I didn't know what the hell she was seeing in those cards. I don't know if it was my own facial expression or the nervous energy I was giving off, but she told me to relax several times. She reassured me that getting my cards read was nothing to be scared about. I tried to stay calm. 


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.