Reading and Speaking skills practice: Review and evaluation
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Chapter 6… Manuela and eternal love, from the book In the land of volcanoes, by edudelcorral
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
It could, or not, be said, that in the life of every great man, there is a great woman to be found at his side. In a few words, Grandmother Manuela was certainly an extraordinary woman, and Grandfather Jairo was also a great man.
Her sweet disposition and the cool serenity of her mind, combined to distinguish her with a special kind of inner loveliness, forever present every moment of her life. Moreover, her physical beauty and charm (legendary since she was a child in Honduras), together with her internal presence, manifested themselves in a most definite magnetic personality. Without ever intending to do so, she painted herself into such a beautiful living picture, so absolutely and stunningly captivating, that she invariably attracted the world towards her, and there, as it was held involuntarily trapped, it would gravitate revolving around her.
Grandmother was definitely a devout person, but she always held an open mind and an extremely respectful attitude to other people’s beliefs and their own personal ways of contemplating life. Consequently, she was never known to have tried to impose her view on those around her. That happiness she carried inside, could, on occasion, be just barely caught in a slight glimpse revealed by that mysterious smile of hers, which she perpetually wore, faintly delineated, on her delicate lips.
When she was still a child, her mother hired the linguistic services of a foreigner. He was a gringo that came from Alabama, and lived a few blocks from her house.
“So that he will teach Manuelita to talk, even if it´s the kind of American-English that he speaks. It may be useful someday, that is of course, if she happens to find someone who talks in such a strange way,” her mother would explain to her friends and neighbors.
In the heart of the downtown area, of the tropical city of Choluteca, the extreme heat could be experienced like in no other city in Central America. For many years the city had held, for better or for worse, the highest temperatures between Guatemala and Panama. In the long afternoons, as it finally began to cool, the streets would gradually fill with passers-by. They would fill the streets, as they enjoyed the more agreeable hours before dusk. At that time of the evening, Manuela´s mother would open the doors to her famous and well-known restaurant. For the last four generations the restaurant had belonged to the family, and most importantly, the recipe to the famous Mondongo Soup, made out of beef innards, had remained as the family’s heritage, a closely guarded secret.
In the same block as the restaurant, lived a French widow. She had a daughter Manuela’s own age. She paid her generously as well, to teach Manuela to talk, read, and write in French. She would also give the neighbor’s daughter all these delicious sweets and desserts. There was a condition and that consisted in that they talked as long as possible, but in French, of course!
“… because if it’s a matter of talking to Manuelita in Spanish, between the townsfolk and myself, we do it all day long. Especially the people from Choluteca, they talk to her all the time, so much, that anybody would think that she belongs to them.”
That explains how, since she was a young girl, Grandmother learned, not only to talk, but also to speak and think fluently in three different languages, as if they were her own.
It may be, that she did not use these other languages with the people of Choluteca, she grew up with, or perhaps, neither at León, where she lived after she married and for the rest of her years. However, she did have a library, and it was impressively well-stocked. There was a variety of books, covering so many different subjects, and in all three languages. This was the fountain, where she would calm the thirst of knowledge and her deeply rooted love of reading, so typical of her personality.
Before dawn, at five am, when the bells of the cathedral were barely tolling, Grandmother would already be completely bathed, dressed, and sitting comfortably, as she drank her coffee, while she savored those quiet moments, in the company of one of her books.
Because of the war, my father, who at the time was an official in the Sandinista Forces, was forced to spend most of his time, in the northern parts of Nicaragua. His headquarters were at Esteli City, where the armed conflict and the air strikes had grown to alarming and devastating proportions. Consequently, my mother found herself alone in León, in the company of (up to that moment) her three children (I was the eldest of the three, to be followed by Daniel, a year younger than I, and the last of us was Angelica, who was, almost, a year younger than Daniel).
Thanks to the occasional and totally improvised, clandestine visits my father would pay us, whenever conditions allowed, the family kept on growing, until slowly but surely, my parents were blessed with the total grand sum of ten children to call their own. By Nicaraguan standards, it was neither a small nor a large family.
Mother was constantly busy, all day long. Besides all the household chores that our growing family entailed, she maintained a series of responsibilities, together with the Women’s Revolutionary Forces. She was not only their Regional Secretary, but also, one of the most firm believers in the ideals that the revolution represented. If all the above were not enough to trouble herself during the day, she additionally volunteered to help with different social activities, such as the intense and highly successful campaigns to eradicate illiteracy, in the rural areas of the country. As a consequence of all these activities, she was forced to spend a lot of time away from home, and in a certain way, from our lives as well. In quite a natural manner, it was my grandparents that assumed the role of second-parents in my life, as well as in the life of the rest of my siblings.
Talking about my mother, it was her who told me how my grandparents met. This happened on a sun-filled afternoon after lunch. My grandparents had left to spend the day in Chinandega, my great-grandparent’s home town. My sisters, my brothers, and I were spread out on the brightly colored hammocks, which hung, in the shade under the balmy palm trees. We were in the patio in the back of the house, and that patio was my favorite in the house. We were lying in the shade, as we enjoyed Mother’s company that lazy afternoon.
She was telling us the story of how my grandparents had met, and of course, we were all ears, for we had never heard it before. As she explained that afternoon, when Grandfather was only fifteen years old, he had been to the celebrated Sea Festival with his mother, doña Leonor. These festivities were held in the month of May, during The Festivities of the Holy Cross (called Las Fiestas de Santa Cruz) in the port town of Corinto. The festival consisted in a major gastronomical event, where you could find and enjoy, all these different and delicious dishes, mostly prepared with fish and seafood brought in fresh by the local fishermen, who caught them abundantly at that time of the year, in the waters nearby the port.
Vocabulary
chores [noun] [countable] (tasks, assignments, homework, errands) an ordinary job that must be done regularly.
You can go play after you’ve done your chores.
an unpleasant, boring, or difficult thing that must be done.
Taking care of the babies is an exhausting chore.
Something that is difficult or unpleasant to do or deal with (task, burden, necessity)
Cleaning out the basement is really a hard chore.
entail [verb]: (To involve, or to be the result of something) if a situation or action entails a particular thing, it involves having or doing that thing:
These cuts will entail some job losses.
entail doing something:
Building the airport entails reclaiming huge areas of land from the ocean.
maintain [verb]:
keep something the same:
Maintaining your current weight through exercise and healthy eating is important.
It’s sometimes hard to maintain the right balance between your work and your home life.
keep in good condition:
to make sure that something stays at the same level, rate, or standard
Some schools experienced difficulty in maintaining staffing levels.
Regular inspections ensure that high safety standards are maintained.
to make regular repairs to a building, road, vehicle, etc. so that it stays in good condition
a lovingly maintained houseboat
Adverbs frequently used with maintain
▪ beautifully, immaculately, lovingly, poorly, properly
to provide someone with the money and other things that they need in order to live
He was barely earning enough to maintain himself.
keep up to date
They maintain the website up to date with the last minute updates.
ideal [adjective] (suitable, convenient, proper, best, ideal, first class) of the best or most appropriate type
The fair provides an ideal opportunity for job seekers and employers to meet.
Upgrading your computer seems the ideal solution.
I’m still several pounds above my ideal weight.
ideal for: The sandy beaches are ideal for families with young children.
far from ideal (=not very good): Conditions were far from ideal for children in the school.
{only before a noun] (as good as you can imagine, and probably too good to be real
They present themselves as an ideal family.
In an ideal world, there would be no poverty.
assume [verb]: take an idea as true:
to believe that something is true, even though no one has told you or even though you have no proof
Everyone accepted she was telling the truth, although, in fact, this was quite a lot to assume.
assume (that): I’m assuming everyone here has an e-mail address.
I think we can safely assume that he is out of town.
assume someone/something to be/do something: I have always assumed her to be British.
to be based on the idea that something is true
This forecast assumes there will be no recession.
This score is assumed to represent the achievement of an average 7-year-old.
to officially start a new job or position
He formally assumes the presidency next week.
She has been invited to assume the role of mentor.
to start to control something although no one has officially asked you to
His first priority was assuming control of the army.
to begin to have a particular quality, shape, expression, etc.
The animals assumed their normal resting position.
Time with the family has started to assume greater importance.
To pretend to have a particular feeling or attitude
Fay assumed an air of innocence.
spread out [verb] if people in a group spread out, they move away from one another so that they cover a large area
Let’s spread out more and search the whole field.
to separate things that were together and put them separately on a surface
We spread our papers out on the table.
to cover a large area of land that you can see in front of you
She gazed at the city spread out below her.
to put people in many parts of a large area.The peacekeeping forces are now spread out over most of the country.
balmy [adjective] (warm, pleasant)
A balmy night
The balmy weather
all ears [expression]: ready to pay attention to what someone has to say
“Are you listening to me?” “Yes, I’ m all ears.”
celebrated [adjective] famous and praised by many people
She is a celebrated artist
celebrated for: The garden became celebrated for its exotic plants.
festivity: [noun]: [uncountable] (happiness, pleasure, joy) a happy feeling that people get when they celebrate a special event.
There was a wonderful air of festivity in the whole neighborhood.
festivities [plural] (party, afterparty, all-nighter, baby shower, carnival, festival ) a lively and enjoyable celebration.
Today’s festivities include a parade and an open-air concert.
In the land of volcanoes’ Chapters Purchase the book Talking easy English lessons Versión en español