Sunday, July 31, 2011

Occupational Hazard

Occupational Hazard
July 31st, 2011
By: Gina Yoryet Roman



Whether it is teaching, translating, editing, interpreting, writing or investigating, my occupation is words. Anything that encompasses my job requires me to convey ideas so that readers students or an audience can understand the message clearly.

So for the most part I can usually see what’s wrong with someone else’s writing (and with my own as well, although I don’t like to admit that perhaps I am not one of the best writers) and figure out how to fix it.

As as an editor, I am paid for being critical. My job is to see what’s wrong with the way words are used. When I was first initiated in this game of words, there was always this tinge of fear and stress to point out other people’s flaws in writing. Unlike a few weeks ago when I met a client who I translate, edit for and give a “touch” of tourism to their magazines.

Now that I am so used to it there are times (99.9% of the times) while I read a book my default antenna pops up and I am automatically on the look for spelling, punctuation, sentence structure mistakes, or sometimes even the right font size and style.

Sometimes it gets to the point where I don’t even enjoy a good story because I always have a highlighter in hand, ready to point out even the slightest flaw.
When I can get myself to stay still and watch a movie, if it happens to be subtitled, I am always looking for “a better way” to rephrase the sentence.

As far back as I can recall, it’s been in my nature to question myself about the littlest things, to be observative and curious and to always be alert of my surroundings but this “ability” of being critical becomes a disability when I carry it into my personal life and always look for what is wrong, as focusing on what’s wrong can cause us to miss all the good things in life. It is okay to know good from bad but for an individual’s sake, it is not good to only focus on the bad aspects.

This reminded me of when my sister came to visit. I spent more time in the kitchen than ever, despite the fact that I am not too fond of domestic chores. I did it and I actually didn’t mind it because we were spending quality time and we very seldom get to sit down and have nice meals as a family since we live so far apart.
One day, (I don’t remember whether we were preparing a meal or picking up after a meal) I did something that annoyed her and she told me very politely that it was a very bad habit. We then chatted about how every single human being on earth has bad habits but it is not a major sin. It is completely ok to point them out to the ones we care about without hurting their feelings.

As much as I find it harmless or uninportant, I try to put myself in someone else’s shoes and that would annoy me, so, I being a woman of word told her I’d work on that.

Each chapter of my life is just like each piece of writing in the magazines that I translate and edit or an article that I write.The work is not done only once and bahm, it’s ready! Before I flip to the next page there’s a lot more work involved than that, it has to be shined and polished until it’s got the best touch. It is the same case with every single human being in this existence...
Every day is a new promise and a new opportunity to focus on the best things and to try to work on our flaws.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

In the Time of the Butterflies










In the time of the butterflies
July 23, 2011
By: Gina Roman



“In The Time of the Butterflies,” is a novel published in 1994 by Julia Alvarez based on a real story that took place in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960’s under the regime of Rafael Trujillo. Alvarez tells about the happenings of the four Mirabal sisters “Las Mariposas;” Patria, Minerva, María Teresa and Dedé, symbols of courage, struggle and hope for freedom in a country subdued and overshadowed by Dictatorship and despair.

In spite of the day to day horrors of life under a brutal regime, “Las Mariposas,” “The Butterflies,” came together to overthrow Rafael Trujillo and sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom. They had to pay the human cost of political opression but to this day they still remain in the heart of many people throughout the world.

This story was also adapted into a film in 2001 starring Marc Anthony and Salma Hayek.
I’ve always had this great admiration for Salma Hayek not only because of her captivating beauty but because of her talent and her “ganas,” will for success.
In the film she gives life to Minerva Mirabal who had a dream of going to school which was not common or allowed to farmer’s daughters at that time. After begging her father, he finally gave in. Once in school Minerva started meeting people and it was then that she realized the truth about Rafael Trujillo as many secrets were revealed. As days went by, Minerva also found out that one her friends was taken by Trujillo to bear him a child and then afterwards she was exiled from the Dominican Republic to escape Trujillo's fury and venom.

Rafael Trujillo quickly became attracted to Minerva and years later he hosted a party in Santo Domingo to which Minerva was invited. Since she foresaw his intentions, she declined the invitation but her parents were afraid of the consequences to come so they convinced Minerva to go. At the party, Rafael asked her to dance with him, as they danced Trujillo kept pulling Minerva very close to him and resting his hand on her lower back. Minerva finally pulled away and slapped him leaving her family at stake.

Minerva was allowed to continue school and graduate from university and she was even handed her diploma at her graduation ceremony but her license to practice law was withheld as revenge from Trujillo

The retaliation they suffered after they protested was brutal;“Las Mariposas” and their husbands were arrested because of endless crimes they “had committed,” papá (their father) was also arrested and tortured to death.

Finally Trujillo ordered three of the sisters to be killed on Puerto Plata Road with their driver Rufino, coming back from paying a visit to their imprisoned husbands. “Las Mariposas” and the driver were lynched to death. Their Vehicle and bodies were later dumped off a cliff to make it appear as an accident.

“Las Mariposas will always remain in the heart of the Dominicans and
Museo Hermanas Mirabal is proof of that. The museum is showered with butterflies as a symbol of freedom to them and millions of Dominicans.

When I first saw the movie I was flipping through the channels and only got the end of the story so I rented it the following day and a few weeks later I went to a bookstore and came across the book. I was not only impacted by this story but I loved their symbol of freedom because I felt connected while growing up under my father’s regime….

Although my father’s regime doesn’t even come close to that of Rafael Trujillo, my sisters and I were very restricted when growing up, it seemed as if my father took things to the extreme sometimes. When I think of Minerva Mirabal I reflect myself in her because I always fought against my father’s authority. My oldest sisters were too scared to contradict him or to stand out for themselves. Unlike me, as scared as I was, I always confronted him. When I had just turned fourteen we had a very intense confrontation that we didn’t cross a single word in over a year.
My lack of maturity and understanding encircled me in my own selfish bubble and I neglected to give him a chance to explain why he was so strict.

Now that I look back, it wasn’t so bad. He was just trying to do his job as any parent can go crazy with five girls in the family.
Regardless of what the Mirabal sisters went through in the Dominican Republic, their nickname, the book or the film, butterflies have always been my own symbol of freedom.

Just last weekend, my niece, my nephew and I were trying to figure out how many butterflies I have. Among that Collection is a beautiful red blanket with a huge butterfly in the middle, once I was walking along Carretera de Chapala and I found an intact dead butterfly so I picked it up, brought it home and put it in a box. I have necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, clothes with butterflies, shoes and many other things. When I’m teaching or when I meet someone it doesn't take them long to decipher my love of butterflies and they sometimes ask why.

I may have told a few people that I just simply love them but in reality, long ago I adopted“Las Mariposas” to define “me” and my sense of pursuing my ideals in life, to cherish the freedom I once fought for and prevailed.

“Long Live the Butterflies”

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Is reproducing a woman’s real purpose in life?

Is reproducing a woman’s real purpose in life?
July 11, 2011
By: Gina Roman



“Aunt Georgie, can I ask you something,” my ten year old niece asked me in the middle of lunch on Tuesday. “Yes Saranna Jasmine?” I replied. “Why aren’t you more like mom?” She questioned me. “What do you mean,” I said. “Why aren’t you married and have a family?” She inquired.
YIKES! I said as I gulped the mouth full of enchiladas giving myself some time to come up with a good answer or another subject to brush that touchy topic off.
It is not that I am not used to hearing that question, it seems as though every time I visit (very seldom) my mom’s relatives, the only topic to discuss is why I am not married nor have I had kids.
It was just very unexpected from such young and naive little person. It felt very ackward because my mother was sitting right beside me and my sister and nephew were there as well. She kept going on and on asking me about boys and why am I not even in a serious relationship and trying to find candidates for me.

This topic of children and reproducing always gives me an UGH feeling!
To this day I still cannot say whether or not children is one of my biggest desires in life. I still don’t know if I’ll ever want them. For one reason or another it has never happened, not even when I was with the “love” of my life. Perhaps because distance was always an issue and because we didn’t spend much time together physically. Or perhaps because of stronger reasons, that is not something for me to ponder into or try to find answers anymore. Sometimes it is better to let sleeping dogs lie.

At this time and moment in life I feel like I have to step up and make lots of things happen because I’m missing out on so much, I am always driven to learn more. Are there moments when I feel loney? Yes! Are there moments when I wish I came home to someone and say, “love, I’m home,” Instead of hearing the echo of the slightest sound in the apartment? Certainly, but that is not a reason to want to bring a child to this world.
I wonder why people have not one, but two, three kids, maybe to make sure they avoid feeling guilty and lonely later, sometimes because they feel that nature is obligating them to do so, sometimes because of the fact that their partner will linger around “longer,” or to create the one who will inherit their wealth, properties, businesses, etc.

In many countries in Latin America it is almost a sin and it is not well seen by society when a woman in her thirty’s is not married nor has a family but it doesn’t bother me in the least because at the end of the day, nobody else but me will have to face me, narrow down what I want, need and should be doing and find my REAL purpose in life.

One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to ever settle down with someone for the simple reason that I am afraid of being alone; I’ve known many people who get married because they are co-dependent and because they think that real happiness is to be with someone and that they have to have company when in the long run , the gap of solitude ends up getting wider and they end becoming more distant and lonely.

I’ve always believed that one of the best things in life for a woman is to be successful and independent so I don’t want to ever marry anyone just for money because to this day I love my freedom and thank God I’ve been able to provide a sustenance for myself and I guess because I’ve become very selfish somehow (I love my space, I love waking up whenever I want, I love not having to share my bed with a snoring, slobbering or breath-stinking person, I love to NOT have to deal with crying and needy children).

Knowing me, If I were married and had kids, I would always want more. When I was 20 I was able to buy my first house with one of my sisters, at 24 I was able to take my name off that loan and co-sign for another house with another one of my sisters, I ‘ve worked at a million different places that have forced me to increase my knowledge in countless areas, I’ve traveled a share amount – not as much as I’d like to in the last two, three years.
Every single time after I accomplish a goal, I ask myself, “is this it?” I want more and I need to be doing more or this is not enough.

Another reason why I am not necessarily passionate about children is because in this world everything is at stake and whatever happened to morals, values, respect and all the good aspects of humanity? There isn’t much left of what it was once. I can barely drag my own to feet to try to be a better human being in the midst of this chaotic jungle. When the “right” time comes I would love to adopt a baby or two and really focus in them, in making them good beings but before that happens there is a world for me to conquer.

Although (from my perspective) the beauty of a woman is not measured on the size of her cleavage nor the shape of her butt, but measured on what her body is able to accomplish, to create another human being and still manage to look amazingly beautiful. Since I don’t have kids I strongly believe that my brain is my strongest and most attractive asset so all there is for women who don’t even come close to being with “THE ONE” nor want kids, is to unleash their power to the maximum and do something with it.