The Queen Of Water

The Queen Of Water

YA/adult fact based fiction
"And then there were us, the indigenas, with skin as rough and
ruddy as freshly dug potatoes, cheeks rubbed raw by the sun and wind.
The mestizos called us longos, stupid Indians, dirty Indians, poor
Indians. We had awkward, backward names like Farignango, which our
grandparents signed with an X on contracts they couldn't read. In
this way, our grandparents sold their land and then, forever after,
paid the mestizos half their harvest to rent what was once theirs."
When author Laura Resau visited Maria Virginia Farignango, a
student at the Colorado community college where Resau taught English,
they talked for hours. As a very young indigenous child in Ecuador,
Virginia was one of very many girl children sent to live with well off
mestizo (non indigenous) families.
"...the arrangements were often vague. There was a blurry line
between giving daughters away, having them work as nannies or maids,
and selling them. It was sometimes unclear to the girl how often she
would return home for visits, how much--if anything--she would be
paid, and even whether the arrangement was temporary or permanent. In
some cases, when the wealthier families did not uphold their end of
the vague bargain, the girls were essentially stolen..."
Virginia was stolen. For eight years she didn't see her
family. Her bosses had lied to both, telling her that her parents
would sell her to someone else and telling them she was now too
refined to want anything to do with them. During those years she was
treated like a slave, sleeping on a rug on the floor, eating from
separate dishes, often locked in the house. While only a child
herself, she was tasked with cleaning, cooking, and caring for a
toddler. The wife beat her severely. When she began to develop a
figure the husband started to make improper advances.
But Virginia was clever and took advantage of every opportunity
she could find or make. She was a covert student. With her teacher
bosses sure she was still illiterate, she taught herself from their
textbooks to the point that when she had a chance for formal schooling
she was an outstanding student. It was her cleverness and spunk that
made Resau want to write her life story. Luckily for her and for
readers, writing her story with the help of an experienced author was
one of Virginia's life goals.
On a personal note, I had a really good week. Class was great. Work
was also. I really had fun serving Thursday. When I serve I make
sure I can answer any question our student clients can ask about the
food. I hit the jackpot: almost two dozen about the panini and seven
about the corn fritters. When I serve I'm going to be simply the best
because our clients deserve no less.
I got the listing of break out sessions for the conference I will
attend next weekend in the Big City (Portland). It is going to be
amazing!
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who has been working hard
to make the conference a reality. It will be such an opportunity for
all of us who have the great good fortune of being able to attend.
jules hathaway


Sent from my iPod