I did an interview a while back with NPR talking about my recollections of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a young Cuban child living in Miami. (Also, that sounds really cool to say, but that's not important right now.)
Here's the link to that – Is Anybody Listening?
Apparently, that link was picked up by a reporter from the BBC News Magazine and he contacted me last week and we did a phone interview in which I told him what I remembered from that time. (Again, I'm seriously feeling soo cool just writing that.)
Reporter Jon Kelly wrote a lovely piece titled The Six Key Moments of the Cold War Relived in which he interviewed people (like me!) who had lived through a particular decade and remembered how the Cold War affected us personally. I'm quite proud to add my voice to that group. Thanks, BBC News.
Speaking of the Cold War, I have a friend, Susan, who is arguably one of the most well-traveled people I've ever met. In 1989 during a visit to Berlin, she brought me back this souvenir:
The "rock" inside this tin is a piece of the Berlin Wall. This is a real-honest-to-goodness historical artifact and representation that the ideals of freedom still exist in the world. It's one of my most cherished possessions.
My Coming to America Story is also an artifact of the Cold War Era. As part of my personal history, it informs the values that I live out daily and how I've chosen to raise my family and conduct my life.
I'm seriously proud and delighted that BBC News Magazine chose to feature my story, along with the others, as an illustration of how History (with a capital H) is really played out in the context of everyday lives.
This is indeed,very cool,but also illustrates the point that history is best learned,and best remembered,through the eyes of those who experienced it. Especially useful is seeing a variety of people’s experiences. If we had reconnected much earlier,I would have appreciated your input when I directed my son’s 8th grade class in a play about the Cuban Missile crisis.Along with the historical material,I included our family’s memories of that time. I know you would have added a lot!