Earlier this month, I went to New Jersey to visit a friend. Miguelina, a co-worker of mine, invited me to New Jersey to see her town.
Miguelina and I met at CFY. She is a part-time staff member, and is delightful. When she found out that I moved to New York City in August, with no connections to friends or family, she was mortified. She immediately invited me to New Jersey to meet her family, and share a meal with me. She said, “My family is your family, and my house is your house.”
I went to visit her on a Sunday afternoon. I had never been to Jersey before, and was a bit concerned about getting lost. If I take the wrong train in NYC, I am still in NYC, and in a subway system I am familiar with, and a guarantee I will get back home. If I take a bus from NYC to Jersey, and get lost, there is no safety net, no knowledge of the inner-workings of the bus system in suberbia NYC. Fortunately, between text messaging and phone calls, I found her!
The bus I took was the ridiculously tiny bus (maybe fits 15 people). To stop, you yell at the bus driver to stop. I ended up getting off several blocks too late, but I found it ok.
I met Miguelina in West New York, NJ. It was beautiful. The bus route was right along the Hudson River, and there was a walking/running/biking path that followed the river with an awesome view of Manhattan.
We walked the path for awhile catching up. I found out she is originally from the Dominican Republic, and moved to this country when she was 14. She agreed to help me practice my Spanish, and I have been forcing myself when e-mailing her to only communicate in Spanish.
We then went to her favorite coffee shop for cappuccinos and cookies with dulce de leche (dulce de leche literally means sweet milk...it's like caramelized sweetened condensed mil. So. Good. Miguelina ordered for me, because there it looked like the staff were more comfortable taking orders in Spanish, than in English.
She then took me to a Dominican Republic restaurant, because I wanted to try food native to her homeland. Again, she ordered for me, because she knew what she wanted me to try. I had to suspend my vegetarian diet for the food. I had mangu, which is a typical Dominican Breakfast. It is mashed plantains, cheese, salami, and eggs. Yum! And to drink, I had Morir soñando (milk and orange juice). It tasted a lot like an orange julius. Miguelina said when you visit someone, the first thing you ask them is if they want a Morir soñando.
After lunch, we drove around the surrounding area. She took me to Hoboken (where Cake Boss, a TLC show is located), and to see the Washington Bridge.
It was a great first visit to Jersey, and to Miguelina! I will definitely be coming back...if anything to eat more dulce de leche :)
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