Europa es una masa indefinible de desechos. La lava ha corroído la suficiencia de las piedras, perforado los metales, mineralizó los árboles y las plantas. Licuó las montañas, obstruyó los ríos.

The Opoponax in English

Here Witting heads on  before anyone else into playing with ponctuation to bring a point across. Here is the epub.

columna

Escribo una minúscula columna para un papel impreso que se publica trimestralmente en la región donde vivimos. Esta fue mi primera entrada.

[apologies, only in Spanish this one]

diás-po-ra • sustantivo femenino. Conjunto de comunidades de un mismo origen o una misma condición establecidas en distintos países.

> Octubre 2022

Dejamos a la familia, a nuestros muertos, nuestra cultura, nuestras tradiciones, nuestra comida típica, el entorno familiar. Sacamos las raíces y las trajimos —recortadas como bonsáis— al viejo continente. Las razones, tan diversas como nosotr@s: el deseo de mejorar económicamente, la violencia de las sociedades en las que vivimos, la opresión de los prejuicios culturales, el amor… sin fin. Muchas veces salimos disparad@s, otras planeamos cada movimiento. El punto es que ahora estamos en El Conflent, intentando adaptarnos e integrarnos en la colorida sociedad francesa. Sinceramente, ¡tengo muchas preguntas! Aquí las voy a exponer como forma de ventilar algunas sorpresas y/o frustraciones. Esta es una columna de opinión tipo crónica, en caso de estar en super desacuerdo con lo que escribo o de tener información que pueda ayudar (a mí y a l@s much@s otr@s hispanohablantes del área) envíala, al final encontraras como contactarme. Este ejemplar del Radis Libre celebra el otoño. Y yo no logro más que enfocarme en lo que sale en todas las redes sociales: el maldito día de la "hispanidad". ¿De verdad? Mira, lo entiendo de parte de muchos ibéricos, que en pleno siglo XXI todavía sostienen a su rancia y obsoleta monarquía, pero, ¿la gente en Las Américas?.. ¡¡Hazme el favor!! ¡No hay nada que celebrar! Para saber más sobre el genocidio, la invasion y el saqueo, recomiendo excarvar un poco en la historia y reflexionar sobre el estado actual de la latinidad. Hasta aquí. #tapatiaenelsurdefrancia

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Fernanda Vega | she/her/hers

Respectfully living on Pays Catalan

aun en SD// still in SD

Poco a poco surgen burbujitas hacia las puntas de mis dedos. Simbolizan las historias cortas y largas que me apetece compartir, muchas reflejaran una ficción, otras tantas semi biográficas. Intentaré utilizar algunas habilidades traductoras, más no es una promesa debido a la pereza o falta de tiempo. Aun así, se van dibujando más claramente en este, mi idioma materno, que otrora manejaba de mejor forma y del cual deseo tener mayor dominio.
Las preparaciones para el viaje están finalizadas. Andi y yo tenemos hasta las mochilas hechas. Lo que se dé en falta, será solucionado vía electrónica. Prometo no diseñarme un verano más nudoso que un sarmiento, para poder vivir en el momento y disfrutar de las muchas partes que tendremos.

Mi única penita ahora, es que no veré a Oli por dos meses. Hace tres años que no nos separamos de este modo ¿qué estaba yo pensando?

The sunny day and its warmth wakes me up. Also, my partner’s phone whose alarm is not the jungle sound it is to be. I hear the blender, Rudy is up. I also hear Akbal –our doggy,– what is she doing inside the house?

A few weeks ago, she started sleeping in Rudy’s room. She feel comfortable and safe around him. She likes him so much, and I say he likes her back. Oh Akbal! The first time I laid eyes on her, I feel in love. She was playing among her nine siblings at the farm where she was born. She looks so much like her mama who happens to be our friends’ noble dog.

As my daughter and I prepare to leave SD for many days, I imagine how Akbal would behave when she realizes she has Oli’s attention all to herself : )

The preparations are all in place. We even got our backpacks ready.

This challenge was much so on the weekend. However, I have a great great excuse, two of our friends’ wedding. A much expected celebration for I knew it was going to be a fun one. Many people came, we got to meet the bride and groom’s families and exchange anecdotes. The ceremony was, of course, emotional (and humorous). The food, the drinks were delicious. But the best part was the dancing music! I danced until my legs and feet hurt –and beyond– All sorts of latin music was played to our enjoyment. Oh oh, great times!        [255]

It is not a surprise to learn that my body was dehydrated the day after, right?
Not making excuses, just giving them.

Anyhow, today I am checking emails and reading from Jeff Goins, the person who signs the my 500 words messages. I am inspired and I am not so energetic as I would need to be to expel all of those words in an admirable or engaging way. Regardless, here I am. Ruminating all of the ideas for short stories yet undecided where to begin. Many fiction and semi-biographical ones are slowly making bubbles into the surface of my fingertips and the conscious of the mind. The one condition for those air bodies is to be written in my native language. Moreover, to exercise some translator’s skills, I shall try to create bilingual blogs, yet not a promise.

my 500 words-starting

#my500words :day 1

Thanks to a yoga teacher and her commitment to write five hundred words for thirty consecutive days, i challenge myself to do the same. in the onset of the summer break -i thought- this is a great idea for me to develop better habits about improving my routine of expression. Moreover, traveling for six weeks with my 14 year old daughter promises to be colorful, entertaining and a zen learning experience. Why not documented for the whole world?

i will be writing at least that amount of words and posting raw material, yeah. one of the conditions is to avoid editing, oh oh (do i still want to do this?). do you think you can? visit this page.

It is not difficult to write, for me. It’s hard to coordinate my thoughts so they are set up in an entertaining (for you audience) way. i will try and please bear with me (or bare if you and i clik ;), as i imagine i will get better each day and will have a more defined style.

Anyway. i’ll share with you the exciting story of our summer. Andi, my daughter, and i are leaving San Diego for two thirds of the summer. We will be going to México, my native country. First stop is Guadalajara, where my parents and much of my extended family live. Second stop is México City -or DF as Mexicans call it-. The last and longest part of the trip is the peninsula of Yucatan mainly the state of Quintana Roo. All of these steps with just a backpack and a purse worth of luggage.

Preparing for a trip like this is fun. Making an itinerary, making a list. Thrift store hopping. [285]

Making the itinerary was not so hard. Guadalajara is a must, got to see the family. My paternal grandparents are getting older. Spending some time with doña Columba y don Fernando Vega is on the calendar. Equally important, time with my parents and brother is a priority: catching up and chatting -mucho chisme-; checking out my brother’s new pad and hearing about his new hobbie, cooking; meeting with my old time friends (from high school); and of course some cantina diving with tequila and cervezas is in the same calendar as the abuelxs.
México City is a cultural mecca for the hijos del maiz, so taking Andi there is a rite of passage. The first time I remember visiting this urbe, I was the same age Andi is, I was with my tia Yoli. University City, the stadium and the blue corn quesadillas are memories for such trip. For our days within the twenty-two million people of this metropolitan región, i have the Zócalo, Xochimilco, Coyoacán, el Chopo, Chapultepec and Teotihuacan on the list. We will be meeting with Una and Mar in DF, Andi’s friends from Waldorf, to share part of our adventures. Quintana Roo and Holbox, well that is material for the next entry. It’s warm outside and I want to have a lazy day in SanDi, before the lazier days in México.