I am from coffee beans
from sandy beaches
and the roaring waves of south beach
I am from gallopinto
—arroz con frijoles
the aroma of garlic and onion sizzling on the stove.
From listening to the plants
From big sisters and big brother
And my father
From sopa de pollo for illness
and towering cedars.
I am from the boiling pot layered with sticks and banana leaves
Steaming,
Holding in the marination of bitter orange,
Calla Lillies,
and birthday pancake cakes.
Hi! I am Sofia, I use she/her pronouns and am a first year student here at UBC. I was born in Florida and moved here from Seattle, Washington.
I took this class in hopes of learning deeper about my culture and the latin community here in Vancouver (I am nicaragüense).
Before I moved here I spent a lot of time hanging out with my siblings and taking care of my niece. I like to go out dancing with my friends and like playing sports. Some of my other hobbies include art, reading, listening to music, cooking and sewing.
I cant wait to get to know you all and learn in this class!
-Sofia
Hi Sofia! The form of your poem is fantastic! I appreciate how it moves from coffee, to a meal, to dessert… So clever! I also love the imagery in the third stanza, especially the agency that the poem lends to the cooking implements and banana leaf wrappers. This is a lovely way to get to know you better! So glad to have you in LAST315!
P.S. Have you heard of Jessica Hernandez’s “Fresh Banana Leaves”? We read it in a different Latin American Studies course last year, and it had insightful reflections on the role of banana leaves in Central American foodways. If you’re interested in reading it, let me know, and I’ll share a PDF 🙂
Hello Sofia,
What a beautiful poem! Stanzas 1 and 2 transported me back to my childhood–I could hear the conversations of my own family in the background, smell the scents, and I even thought to myself, “que rico!” when you described the food. My favorite line is when you speak of talking to the plants. It’s a beautiful line that I also connect to. Being your Salvadoran neighbour, I wonder if we grew up talking to the same types of plants… I bet we did!
Can’t wait to keep learning about our ancestor’s and family’s foodways this term with you! See you soon in class.