Prodigal Daughter

By MC

"Forgive yourself for not knowing what you did not know before you learned it." Dr. Maya Angelou

Bo. Caguanas, Utuado, P.R.

My first blog entry and its about returning to my hometown after 30 yrs. With my parents, Hector and Esmeralda. During COVID pandemic. Lastly, 11 days before my surgery. We visited "El Parque Ceremonial Indígena" where I have spent many days during my childhood. It has changed a lot, as far as accommodations like parking space, nice restroom facilities and a gift shop! (I bought a necklace and a nice pair of Taino inspired earrings). But I still can remember where my dad had taught us, six girls (three daughters and my three cousins). how to use a "yagua" to slide down the grassy "jardas".

We went down a nice pathway to get to the "bateys" and I can not deny I was in awe of all the amazing greenery, sun and wilderness. Perhaps, it was also an effect of so many months in isolation. I was also worried that my parents could not walk up the trail on our way back. But they did amazing. The reason to go to Caguanas (as I told my parents) was to take a picture of the "montaña Cemi" for my renewable energy project. But it meant a lot more, for me as I left Utuado as a teenage girl of 15 yrs to finish high-school at CROEM in Mayaguez, P.R. Returning as an adult woman of 47 yrs and coming full circle. Dr. Maya Angelou says in her quote: forgiving yourself for not knowing then but doing better when you know better. A life's lesson.

We had an amazing day and drove to Lares (25 minutes from Caguanas) to visit one of the coffee Haciendas but they were closed, as it was a Sunday.

Before, I leave you. Remember I was worried about my parents walking back up the trail? Well, funny story. A disclaimer: my dad has a dark sense of humor. We did not go all the way down to the river, as my mom wanted. But we spent the morning walking around the different areas and taking pictures of the amazing gigantic trees, stones with symbols, etc. When it was time to leave, we let my mom go first to give her encouragement to walk up the trail (or jarda) as she has double knee replacements. At the middle of our way back, my mom was tired and I was saying: "¡Dale tu puedes!" But my dad: "Eso, you wanted to go all the way down to the river, if we had done that I would had to do the same as Salcedo". My mom gave him a stare that could kill. But me, I laugh all the way back to Mayaguez! LOL.

PD: Look for what happened to Salcedo so you can understand.

Mi gente: HAVE AN AMAZING ACADEMIC SEMESTER!