Mauricia and Conway

The way we usually think of the United States is very different from how the small towns in its interior actually are, where courtesy and good manners seem to abound. This is precisely the way things are in Conway, just four and a half hours outside of New York. The homes here date back to the 1700s; in autumn, it is a must see for local tourists.

In the city’s center, the markets and shops seem to come straight out of a Hansel and Gretel fairytale, while the houses have the most beautiful gardens and look almost embroidered. Surrounded by mountains, a dazzling crystal-clear river meanders through the town, and its two bridges compete to outdo each other’s surreal beauty. One of them, untouched by automobiles, has been turned into a garden. Surprisingly, even in October one can find enormous roses, multicolored dahlias that look like a cheerleader’s pompoms, and leaves turning every color, each of these honoring the town’s reputation for having the most beautiful autumn show in the world.

Everywhere there are Japanese tourists and photographers, dazzled by this national celebration — a truly soothing event. Conway is celebrating because a Fairy Godmother has just pulled into town. Her name is Mauricia Alvarez Tavarez, Julia Alvarez’s sister. She’s also a psychotherapist, who founded, in partnership with Harvard, the most important and successful clinic for psychological help to the Latino community.

I say Fairy Godmother because she sure looks the part ,with her clothing from the ‘60s, her necklaces and beads, and her braided white hair. But there is nothing naive about this trained people watcher, whose generosity knows no bounds and who often amazes those unaccustomed to excellence and good manners. Mauricia has started the Siempre Unidas Foundation (Always United Foundation), in honor of her parents, Dr. Eduardo Alvarez and her mother, the pioneer of the U.N.’s Program on Aging, Mrs. Julia Alvarez.

With this foundation, Mauricia hopes to support artists from all the coastal regions in South and Central America and the Caribbean, where they can recover and revive their dreams.

The elderly are also pleased as they will be able live off of her green vegetables, as well as the women who will live off of her crafts (Mauricia already has 16 alpacas and sheep on her farms). The cooking students and chefs in Conway and surrounding areas will have work with the restaurant chain she is about to create for the community.

I have come with my bricks to help build her bridge with the Dominican Republic, where the cheerful and inexhaustible creativity of our America is sure to travel.