Session 2:
April - 24 - 17
Mariana:
The visits to the doctor are good?
Carmen:
Es bueno! No puede hacer nada más! Cambiar de píldora nomas.
Mariana:.
Para comprar las píldoras hay un descuento?
Carmen:
Yo no pago casi. I have medicare, medicaid and her first.
(They talk all at the same time about medicare, medicaid and her first, but I can't understand what they are saying)
Carmen:
If I pay, I pay only 1$, 1.20$
​
Nellie:
I think it depends on the kind of pills you get. Because I got medicaid and medicare, and i don't pay one dollar! I only take them when I need them, but I pay!
Carmen:
The pills I get they are good for me too, and I pay only one dollar.
Gloria:
If you got a pain, the doctor gives you a prescription, and you go to the pharmacy and they give you the generic. And the generic doesn't help you! You need something strong. So I buy tylenol extra strength. And that helps me… because i have pain in my knee. And I need a strong pill. The generic I have to take more then one pill, and that hurts my stomach, so i don't touch it.
Nellie:
The pills that she has to take, I don't take, because i know what's coming after. If she has a pain, she has to take it. But if I could avoid it… i have pain in my legs, specially…. La píldora que tu dices que te tienes que beber, tiene aftereffects?
Carmen:
No, they told me no. You know what they told me yesterday? To drink a lot of ginger tea. Every night a cup of ginger tea.
Nellie:
Yo también tomo té de ginger. La muchacha que a mi me cuida, me trae un pedazo de ginger, pero a mi me gusta más el sobre. Antes yo no lo tomaba porque estaba esperando a ver si tu te morías, entonces me moría yo (she jokes with carmen that before she didn't drink ginger tea. She knew carmen was taking it and wanted to see if she died from it, just to be sure it was save).
Carmen:
Yo estaba esperando a que tu te murieras primero.
Gloria:
There are different medical plans… I got in healthcare now…. And i want to change.
Brenda explains the activity of showing images.
First image:
Carmen: It's a mountain! And a baby! And two dogs!
Nellie:
She´s comfortable! And that happen to be dogs. She has two dogs to take care of her. And she's sleeping there…
They all talk at the same time and its difficult to understand but they repeat the word “dogs” a lot.
Frank:
She is happy, she is rest.
Nellie:
Imagination is different. A lot of people think different.
Brenda:
Yea, it could be night or maybe sunrise. Do you like the colors?
They say yes.
Nellie:
Porque a veces nosotros pensamos…. Que queremos ir a un sitio que no nos molesten que no nos toquen, que no esto.
Carmen:
I do that in the house, when i want to be alone I go to my bed, i close the door, i turn on the tv, and that's it no body bothers me.
Nellie:
When i was young and used to work, I had 3 kids, I used to take the train and i used to see people like this in the park, all around, homeless all around. Sometimes I thought I should stop working and be a homeless. Don't have to think of nothing, don't have to think what's going around with the kids or nothing. Their mind is not on that, and you can see it. That's something that i would never do, but that's how i sometimes used to feel. That i should be free. Yo have 3 kids, you have to watch this, do that,... and I was broke! You have a few dollars in your pocket but not as much as you work…
Mariana:
This is a collage, a photography collage, you have to look closely…
Nellie:
Is there two woman in there?
Mariana.
It's a woman and a man.
Nellie:
And you get the… what did you call this? Collage? It means what?
Mariana explains.
Nellie:
What could that imagination be for the one who did that? They are supposed to be kissin? Because we don't see them kissing?
Mariana:.
We don't know the relationship they have.
Nellie:
The relationship too…
Gloria:
I imagine that he tried to kiss her, and she… but the boy is in the middle!
Frank:
My girlfriend she tried to kiss me. Women are more mature than us. They always make the move.
Nellie:
They got to be lovers!
Carmen:
They are already kissing each other.
Brenda:
Yea it's about affection
Gloria:
Estan escondidos, detrás de la pared.
Mariana:
Why do you think they are facing the rocks?
Carmen:
Because they are (me?)
They all laugh.
Nellie:
I mean they are kissing each other…
Frank:
Yea thats (me?)
They all laugh.
Frank:
Last night I kissed….
They all laugh.
Brenda:
Thank you!
Frank:
Thank you for (?)…..
Brenda:
It forces you to think….
Nellie:
They could be friends to, because the way she is holding him. They are kissing each other, they are holding each other, and they are cold.
Mariana:.
They have this masks, but they are not really connected.
Gloria:
They tried to kiss, but something is in the middle.
Brenda:
The third one is a picasso.
Nellie:
Jesus!
Carmen:
It's a picasso?
Nellie:
This means a lot, it could be a family, and they are sharing the music. They are putting their minds somewhere else with the music. They got to be home, or someplace that they wish they could be there, like that, happy. To me it looks like a family and they are contented, because they have the fruit right in the lap.
Gloria:
They hear a melody. They relax and hear the melody.
Nellie:
El hombre tiene que estar contento, es muy romántico.
Nellie:
They relax with a drink.
Gloria:
But I don't see the bottle!
They all laugh.
Nellie:
No but sometimes you sit and relax and have a drink, i don't drink but I used to drink!
Gloria:
Están bien cómodos, no dress no nothing, they relax
Nellie:
And after that they go to bed.
Gloria:
Are they man or woman? There are 3 over there! Its 3 woman!
Nellie:
They are relaxing!
Gloria:
I'm here to relax… i don't want to put cloth or nothing, because i want to relax.
Brenda explains the blue and the rose period of picasso.
Brenda:
Do you like it?
Frank:
I love music, i play guitar.
Mariana:
This is Alfredo Jaar. He interviewed people and asked them if they are happy.
Gloria:
Esa es una carretera… es usted feliz? Oh yea! If I go with my lamborghini, right there… oohhh yea i would be happy!
Nellie:
I guess when you are travelling for pleasure you are happy because you're going somewhere. And the weather is good if you go out of new york city. I do that, I love when i go out with my daughter. Specially in christmas, i love to see the trees change. The colors of the trees. I like to ride around just to see the colors of the trees. My daughter doesn't care but i enjoy that.
Brenda:
This one is an abstract painting.
Nellie:
That's something that we do!
Brenda:
Do you like to paint?
Nellie:
No! I mean, we don't know how to paint, so we just put color.
They all laugh.
Nellie:
Nosotros como no sabemos pintar tiramos colores. But i don't know what the painter was thinking of!!
Brenda:
What do you think of the colors?
Carmen:
I like the colors!
Mariana:
Does it communicate anything to you? Because abstract paintings force you to use your imagination…
Nellie: It could be a (walk?) (wall?)
Gloria:
Me estoy imaginando rocas… I think they haven't finished painting…. There are drops there… se le cayeron las gotas.
Brenda explains about the dripping process of the painting.
Frank:
It looks like the map of the united states.
Carmen:
Sí parece el mapa!
Brenda:
This is the last image and it has a text: “Something which is…. “
Mariana talks about conceptual art….
Long silence.
Gloria:
Qué te imaginas que van a hacer ahí? Asar un lechón o qué?
Nellie:
Pero qué es una casa?
Carmen:
No no, tienes que imaginarte leelo.
Nellie:
And this is supposed to be…
Mariana:.
It's a painting…
Nellie:
A window frame? It's a picture frame… something that he is thinking on putting in there, but he hasn't done it jet…. What would i put there? Well if it is a picture frame… maybe a picture of my granddaughter.
Gloria:
Flowers
Carmen:
Roses
Nellie:
It could be a farmhouse in the middle, and the trees are around, from years ago… I see Dela there running around with her bicycle.
Carmen:
Yes I see my great granddaughter around there!
Brenda:
Which are your favorite images.
(They say I like this one, that one… but i don't know which ones they are referring to.)
Gloria:
I like the trees because because I imagine that near to that road there is an ocean, and i like fishing.
Nellie:
I like the one where they are relaxing and drinking.
Frank:
I like all of them.
Brenda acknowledges they favorite ones and relates them to their personal interests.
Brenda:
This pictures make you think in your personal experiences?
Nellie:
I like this one because she is free. And i like that one because it's like a family thing.
Mariana:
What would you be interested in doing next week?
Nellie: You could bring more pictures or…
Gloria:
Temas de salud… qué podemos comer? Cómo podemos rebajar? Qué tiene mucha grasa? Qué es lo que a nosotros nos conviene? Todo eso. Good things for the body. Something for the health.
Brenda:
Mental health?
Gloria:
Mental health… yeah, but something for the body.
Nellie:
How we could deal with our health, what is good for us.
Brenda:
Maybe we can focus on the body itself.
Nellie:
Yea thats good.
Brenda:
Do you want snacks? I'll bring snacks… not too much sweets.
Nellie:
I drink diet soda. I was in the doctor and I made a commitment. I can't have diet soda any more. I had to decide to go back to coca cola or pepsi cola, but I have no taste for them. I can't have no diet, but I have no desire for the other. When Gina comes, when Noah comes, the baby is not allowed…. I mean i drink a lot of water, I have a little sip. I used to run away from the sugar but no i can't. Now i'm low on sugar too…. Ahora tengo que comer dulce!
(They all talk about sugar and how bad sodas are but it's difficult to understand what each one is saying)
Nellie:
Sometimes I have to go upstairs to cafe coffee with sugar and a cake to bring my sugar up.
Carmen:
You are not drinking diet soda?
Nellie:
I'm not supposed to!
Carmen:
Ok, that's good for you!
Nellie:
A mi mis pies no me los tocaron, pero yo tengo dolor ahora. Tu ves mis pies y están lindos no tienen golpecitos nada, pero yo tengo dolor. A veces no puedo dormir en las noches. And I take a pill. Pero no quiero que los doctores me toquen ni me hagan nada, yo cojo mi dolor. Yo quiero seguir caminando. The bottom of my feet hurt, and I thought it was the sugar. No, it's not the sugar. My sugar has been low!