Now that I'm back in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood of Boston overrun with 20 and 30-somethings (38% percent of JP's population was between the ages of 25 and 44 in 2000 according to the Boston Foundation Indicators Project - and a great portal to engage them with each other, Neighbors for Neighbors I jumped in and got involved in the JP Women's Book CLub and revitalized the Spanish Dinner group, which seemed dormant, from what I could tell.
The result? An awesome book club meeting last Tuesday night at Liz's house to discuss March by Geraldine Brooks with about 8 or 10 other women and a fantastic dinner with three other women tonight para hablar espanol. We met at El Oriental, the Cuban restaurant in Jackson Square, an area of Jamaica Plain with lots of Spanish-speakers which re-opened last November after falling victim to the run of arsons in Jamaica Plain in 2005
We met, we ate mofongo , sopa de pollo, yuca relleno, arroz y frijoles, and other yummy treats. We spoke lots of Spanish, told stories of living and visiting Spanish speaking countries, and talked about work in a foreign language. At the book club, I spent 2 hours in a room with women of varied ages and professions who all have a passion for books and the library. Women who put themselves on the hold list for a book and are number 15 in the queue and are willing to wait. Like me!
It felt GOOD. I've been back home for 6 and a half months, which is completely incredible to me. I almost can't believe it some days. I've taken one Spanish class in that time, which was great, but I still find myself losing words every day. So this is great. And I've been looking for a book club my entire life. My mom has been in hers for almost 30 years. Promixo vez, vamos a tomar cafe juntos. (Next time, we're going to have coffee together.) And next month's book is The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides the Pulitizer Prize winner for Middlesex. I read it back in 1993 when it came out, in college, and I've seen the film, but I'm looking forward, after reading half of it so far, to discussing it with adults, 14 years after my first impression of it.
Jamaica Plain is home. (At least for now :))
1 comment:
Interesting to know.
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