In October of 1961, having been in the states for about 8 months, we found out about the delicious custom of Halloween. At first there was the confusion of why we would be dressing up: "Is it like carnaval? Is there a parade we get to ride in?" ("Pardon me..... but your Caribbean roots are showing.") It was exactly like a Jerry Seinfeld ...
Cuban-American Life
I hope you enjoy my posts about my crazy and wonderful Cuban-American life.
Beisbol and Urban Legends
HEADLINE: The Cardinals ended a 24-year World Series title drought with a 4-2 win over Detroit in Game 5. That's baseball speak for "the World Series is over and the St. Louis Cardinals won." I like baseball. I'm Cuban. I'm pretty sure it's a federal mandate of some sort - "if you're Cuban, you must like ...
Las Hermanitas Verdés
Because some of you were curious. Here is our "recently arrived from Cuba" picture. I can see that we obligingly smiled for the camera, but I can also see past the smiles to the pain and confusion we were experiencing. My sisters, from left to right: Miriam, Ofelia, Alina and Helen. That's me with the mop of curls clutching my ...
“Are you making arroz con pollo?”
I'm picking up my mom for the weekend. Her presence here changes our routines in a variety of ways. For Jonathan, it means giving up his downstairs bedroom, because she has trouble getting up stairs (he's ok with that). For Eric, it means sharing my attention and practicing his college Spanish (which is really pretty great). Her visits ...
“Ju got some ‘splaining to do..”
Lucy's piano teacher is trying to keep her challenged. He has started her on Beethoven and I love to listen to her trying new things each Wednesday when he comes over for her lesson. Imagine my surprise when, after playing "Fur Elise," about 20 times, I hear the familiar opening notes of... THE CUBAN NATIONAL ANTHEM!! "What? How? ...
Smart Cubans
This was on my desk this morning. Eric found it last night. (It used to reside on the back of my old Toyota Corolla. ) Last night Amy, Adam and I went to see a play called 'Sonia Flew' at the Laguna Playhouse. It was a complex story of a young man wanting to go to war shortly after 9/11. His mother, Sonia had been sent to America after the ...
No more Ché for us, thanks.
He's gotten way too much press in the past 50 years. He's been romanticized and has become the poster boy for revolutions worldwide. Let's make it our goal to educate our sadly ignorant world about the misconceptions surrounding his "accomplishments." JUST SAY NO to "Romancing the Ché." Read the truth here ...
Life on the hyphen…
This is my first attempt at blogging. I don't know why it seems like such a big deal to me. As if this is some kind of debutante ball I'm meticulously preparing for. I write all the time. I spend countless hours writing emails to my friends, letters to editors, and chatting on line. But suddenly blogging feels like I have arrived. I have somehow ...
