Here are a few pictures of a day at Kalki Beach - it's a beach at the west end of the island. Went snorkeling and saw a barracuda and a bunch of other fish I had never seem. My friend, Mike, pointed out all the things I never would have seen had I been alone. Forgot to take my underwater camera with me so all you get is the above-the-water scenes - the beach, some of the coral and shells. :)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
A Curacao Tradition - Sinterklaas
Here’s the info we were sent about Sinterklaas. It really is a big deal here, especially if you talk to the Dutch – it seems to be almost bigger than Christmas.
Every December in the Netherlands, Curacao and countries around the world, the festival of St. Nicholas is celebrated. It is one of the biggest and most loved festivals of the year in Dutch communities.
Who is Sinterklaas?
Saint Nicholas lived in the 3rd century AD and was the bishop of Myra (Turkey). He is revered as the benefactor and protector of children. He died on December 6th, 343 AD, and ever since, the festival of St. Nicholas has been celebrated on that day (in the Netherlands it is celebrated the evening before - St. Nicholas Eve).
What are the traditions?
Sinterklaas and his helpers, the Zwarte Pieten , traditionally travel to Curacao by steamboat, all the way from Spain where they live in a big castle. When the steamboat arrives in the harbor (this year on November 19th, at about 9 am), hundreds of children will be welcoming Sinterklaas, singing songs, waving and cheering. There will be a parade, and they will spend time visiting the island, and of course wrapping all the presents for the big day!
Sinterklaas is dressed like a bishop, with a bishop's hat ("mijter"), a red mantle and a golden staff. His big red book is full of information about all the children he will visit. He rides a white horse, named Amerigo, and his helpers, the Zwarte Pieten, entertain everybody with acrobatics, funny jokes and candy.
Traditionally, on St. Nicholas Eve, December 5th, Sinterklaas and the Zwarte Pieten go on the rooftops and deliver the presents through the chimney, and place these in the shoes of the children. Children put out their shoe before they go to bed, sing a Sinterklaas song, and usually leave some hay, water and carrots for the horse.
What do we eat?
In the stores right now I can get the typical cookies and candies related to this festival: speculaas (spiced cookies), pepernoten or kruidnoten (little round spiced cookies), marsepein (marzipan) in all imaginable colors and shapes, taai-taai (cookie), chocolate letters and all sorts of little candies.
The interesting thing about the Zwarte Pieten is how the story has evolved. As you’ll see in the pictures, people darken their faces and make their lips really pronounced. Originally it was said that the Zwarte Pieten were St. Nicholas’s slaves; then they were his helpers; and now, in an effort to be more PC, the story is that their black faces come from the chimney dust. Some of the locals and the non-Dutch teachers here find the celebration of Sinterklaas offensive. We will be having a Sinterklaas celebration here at school on Monday (DEC 5) – it will be interesting if nothing else.
Also, it used to be if Sinterklaas thought you were “naughty” you would be put in a burlap bag and beaten with a little handmade-handheld broom. They sell miniature bags in the stores for all your Sinterklaas present-wrapping needs.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Angelica's Kitchen - Curacao Cooking School
Went to a local cooking school - here was our menu - tomato and cucumber salsa; hidden sardines (puff pastry appetizer), plantain soup, curaçao chicken with rice, and for dessert? pumpkin pancakes topped with ice cream and a curaçao liquor sauce. We started the evening off with a glass of wine on the patio of the cooking school. Then we went into the "kitchen" and our instructor, Clarita, demonstrated quickly how to make each dish; she then paired us up and we each made one of the courses. In between we drank wine and stopped to dance to Caribbean music! As my grandmother used to say, a good time was had by all. :) Check out the pictures.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
November 15 - Update
Check out a few new posts - put them in chronological order - so if you got my test run there are a few more thrown in. :) Plus, when you get to the bottom of the page you can click on "older posts" for the rest of the posts.
Hope all is going well in your worlds.
:) jj
Hope all is going well in your worlds.
:) jj
Koredor Walk
There is a walking/running path here called the Koredor - one day I took my camera along to take pictures of things I see along the way. The one slide with the factory-looking area is the desalinization plant - it takes the ocean salt water and creates fresh drinking water. There is also a slide of the boat I am going to buy. (he he he :) ) It's a 3.2 mile loop - half is along the ocean and the other half is alongside a street. I try to walk it a few times a week. There are not really sidewalks here in neighborhoods so lots of people go there to walk and run.
Koredor walk
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Monday, November 14, 2011
B-day Celebration - 14 November 2011
Here are a few pictures from dinner on my birthday - an Indonesian restaurant on a hill overlooking the ocean. That's me with the middle school math teacher - he's from Chicago.
B day
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Saturday, November 12, 2011
My Saturday - 12 November 2011
Here's a highlight of what I did this past Saturday...
-Went to a landhuis (land house), which is similar to a planation house in the US, that has been converted into an art gallery. Didn't get too many pictures of the exhibit that was there but more of the outside area.
-Went to the Heineken Regatta which happens once a year here...I don't remember ever being to a regatta before - watched some sailboats and then some windsurfers.
-Had our second cook-off - this month's theme was desserts - I am happy to announce I won! with Strawberries and Lemon Creme. I don't have a slide of me being "crowned" (because, well, I was being crowned :)) but the woman in the picture is the 1st cook-off winner - she came in 2nd this time. And the other slide is the people waiting in anticipation of announcement of the winner.
My saturday 11 12-11
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