• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
My Big Fat Cuban Family

My Big Fat Cuban Family

Recipes · Blog · Shop

  • Meet Marta
    • Media Mentions
  • Lifestyle
    • Cuban-American Life
    • My Big, Fat, Cuban Family
  • Entertainment
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Television
    • Concerts
    • Books
    • Theatre
  • Celebrate
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Cuban Christmas
    • Mother’s Day
    • Movie Nights
    • Summer Nights
  • Recipes
    • Cuban Recipes With Pictures
    • Family Favorites
    • My Cook Book
  • Shop
    • Cuban Foods Poster
    • Cuban T-Shirts
    • Costa Rican Foods Poster
    • Honduran Foods Poster
    • Puerto Rican Foods Poster
    • Salvadoran Foods Poster
    • Scottish Foods Poster
    • Customize Your Own
    • Cuban Goodies In Your Mailbox
  • Contact
    • Advertise
  • Archives

Is Anybody Listening?

October 22, 2012 By Marta Darby Leave a Comment

It's barely 5:30 AM. I'm in the uber-hip offices of NPR in Los Angeles waiting to be called into the studio.

I'm cooling my heels in the lobby as I wait to be summoned into a recording studio to tape a segment about my recollections of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

October 22, 1962. I was only 7 years old and my family was living in Miami when I first heard that the world was about to come to an end. And it had something to do with Cuba. Of course.

Those days come back to my memory like grainy snapshots:

  • Duck and cover drills at school where we had to hide under our desks. (Seriously, people?)
  • Dinner conversations about what city might be the first to be hit. (We agreed, rather dispassionately, as I recall, that it would most likely be New York.)
  • If the Russians were to start World War III from Cuba, would Cubans then be sent to camps like the Japanese during World War II?
  • Nikita Kruschev (the name of the Soviet Premier at that time) was fun to say.
  • President John F. Kennedy had betrayed the Cuban troops in April of 1961 at the Bay of Pigs. Could he be trusted this time when the entire world was poised for nuclear destruction?
  • Would anyone be left standing?

Is Anybody Listening?

Today marks the 50th anniversary (!) of the Cuban Missile Crisis and I was invited to share my Childhood Memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis on NPR with host Michel Martin. The segment is called Tell Me More. It will be airing today around 1:00 pm PST – click on the link at that time to listen. (I think I sound much taller on the radio, but that's not important right now.)

I remember the entire episode in a surreal and fearful manner. The world was on the brink of nuclear destruction and I would probably not live to see my 8th birthday. What a world.

Fidel Castro is on his deathbed as I write this. Wouldn't it be fitting if his life ended today? It would just be so much easier to remember the date that way.

You might also like:

My Big, Fat Cuban Family From Marta. With Love. (MBFCF Giveaway #6) Cuando Sali de Cuba – Lillian’s Story Refugees. Not immigrants.

Filed Under: Cuban-American Life Tagged With: 50th anniversary of Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Cuban family, Cuban Missile Crisis, Cubans, Fidel Castro, John F- Kennedy, NPR

Previous Post: « Remembering Papi. Resolviendo – Cuban style
Next Post: Cuando Sali de Cuba – Ada’s Story »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

TRY SUPER SMOOTH CAFE LA LLAVE ESPRESSO

Cafe La Llave

My Cuban T-Shirt Designs

“Cuban T-Shirts

Subscribe to MBFCF Newsletter!

Never miss a post! Sign up with your email address to receive recipes, news and updates right in your inbox!

Cuban Foods Poster

“Cuba

Cuban Coffee Poster

“Cuba

Cuban Desserts Poster

“Cuba poster - Cuban desserts subway art print

Get Snacking On California Strawberries!

California Strawberries

Most Recent Posts

  • Best Places That Will Ship Cuban Food To Your Door
    December 15, 2020
  • My Big Fat Cuban Family Christmas Gift Guide 2020
    December 3, 2020
  • My Needs Are Simple: The Verizon CareSmart Watch
    December 3, 2020
  • The Quest for Authentic Chimichurri – Cocina Knows
    November 30, 2020
  • Hogwarts Halloween
    October 30, 2020

Cuban Recipes Cookbook

Cuban recipes with pictures cookbook from My Big Fat Cuban Family

Abuela Mami

Abuela Mami Gifts

Cuban Food Market

Cuban Food Market

Follow Me on Instagram

Follow Marta on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: No posts found.

Follow Marta On Social

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

FEATURED POSTS

  • Best Places That Will Ship Cuban Food To Your Door
    December 15, 2020
  • My Big Fat Cuban Family Christmas Gift Guide 2020
    December 3, 2020
  • It’s Cuban Christmas Crema De Vie Time!
    December 7, 2017
  • My Big Fat Cuban Cooking Playlist
    November 21, 2016
  • Crema de Vie (Cuban Egg Nog) Recipe
    July 27, 2016

Blog Archives

Footer

Meet Marta

Marta Verdes Darby is a Cuban-American food blogger in South Orange County.

Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Sign Up For My Newsletter

October 2012
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Sep   Nov »

Copyright © 2021 my big fat cuban family