New Monologue

"La Gingra" by Carmen Rivera written in spanish is about a young Puetro-rican American woman who travels to Puerto Rico to find and connect with her ancestral roots. There is an interesting monologue which includes both spanish and english in a phone conversation with her mother about choosing to stay in Puerto Rico permanently. I think this monologue could work well as the intermediate of the three I plan to showcase at STAC night. The first, is the Lorca monologue that emphasizes this old generation being set in an earlier time, spoken in spanish. The monologue here has nothing to do with the changing of culture specifically about being hispanic but rather focuses on the idea of being free from the family's control. Then this second monologue is about the transition between being hispanic and american or rather american and hispanic because the girl goes back to the roots of being hispanic. So maybe this monologue would be better as a simple contrast to the first. The third I have not found yet but I wanted it to be in english reflect on a heritage that she does not know anymore. The three would show very drastic differences based on being hispanic as emphasized by the degree of being spoken in spanish.

Maria
(It is nighttime. Maria is talking on the phone with her mother.)
Mami, encontrare un trabajo aqui… estoy segura… porque necesito hablar Espanol, Mami if I don't practice I won't get better… since I don't practice at home I have to practice somewhere… Mami yo odio ese trabajo… a ellos no les va importar… I'll mail in my resignation… I don't have to give them two weeks notice, believe me they won't miss me at all… I don't care if he doesn't give me a reference… ?Como me vas a decir que no puedo vivir aqui!? … No me puedes decir eso! Yovtengo veintidos anos, I can do whatever I want!!! Mom, mom, mami, let me speak… (Maria holds the telephone far from her.) Mami, are you finished? You're not even giving me a chance to… okay, okay, Because I love it here… me encanta Puetro Rico ?entiendes? Yo quiero vivir aqui, mom… mami… tu siempres estas hablando de Puerto Rico, tu ninez… It's not different for you! Tu amor por Puerto Rico es mas que recuerdos, yo tambien quiero recuerdos de Puerto Rico… mami… forget it… you never listen to me anyway… mom… okay, me tengo que ir, no quiero que la llamada salga cara. Bye… what? … si a todo el mundo le qustaron los regalos… tia Norma? …Si le di el regalo que tu mandaste… no se si ella lo ha abierto… no, no me dijo nada… okay… bye. (Maria hangs up.) ARGH!!