Marta here: Silvia shares her story today forthe first time. It was very emotional for her to travel back in time to those last painful years her family spent waiting for the Freedom Flight that would bring them to the America. I'm grateful to Silvia's daughter, my online friend, Maribel, for convincing her mom to finally share her ...
Cuban family
From Marta. With Love. (MBFCF Giveaway #6)
First, I want to thank you all for your extraordinary participation and engagement this past week as I celebrate my 6th year in the land of Blogging. Today, I want to share some of my own memories of “Cuando Sali de Cuba.”The times that I remember the most from my childhood, come to me in the form of grainy super-8 film and fading snapshots. ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba (or not) – Christina’s Story (MBFCF Giveaway #4)
Marta here: I first met Christina, author of The Red Umbrella, a couple of years ago at Cuba Nostalgia in Miami. My first impression of her was that she was "the real deal." She cares deeply about her subject matter because, in the case of The Red Umbrella, it is very close to her family's story. She has been gracious enough to share ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba – Elena’s Story
Marta here: Most Cubans are familiar with Santayana Jewelers. They are a mainstay of the Cuban exile community in Miami. I'm delighted that Elena Santayana has graciously agreed to share her family's stories. Her memories of growing up Santayana are both hilarious and poignant. (Translations to her Cubanisms are marked with a red * and are at the ...
Celebrating Six Years in the Blogosphere (MBFCF Giveaway WEEK!)
If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you already know that I love any occasion to celebrate. So, you're probably asking, "What are we celebrating today, Marta?" Let me tell you. Today marks the 6th Blogiversary of My big, fat, Cuban family on the Web. GUAT? I know. Shut up.That's right, people! SIX. ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba – Roland’s Story
Marta here: This story is really about Roland's mother. I love how totally genious she was in preparing her young son to leave Cuba at any given moment. as told to Lucy Vega In 1966, little Roly Vega was just 4 years old, born in Habana and living in Camajuani, Las Villas in Cuba. Castro had been in control of Cuba for over 5 years and his ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba – Estrella’s Story
Marta here: Estrella was 10 years old and part of the historic Mariel Boatlift which happened 32 years ago and brought more than 125,000 (!) Cubans to America's shore and to freedom.Mariel: Remembering the Boatlift By Estrella Diaz-Quibus My parents and I were part of the Mariel boatlift, where hundreds of thousands of Cubans ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba – Carmen’s Story
Marta here: Carmen tells a beautiful story about her family's many and painful losses after the Cuban Revolution and about their personal triumphs here in America. (Get tissues.)by Carmen McPherson I was born on July 23, 1960 in Santiago, on the beautiful island of Cuba. My parents were born and raised in Cuba. My father had attended ...
Cuando Sali de Cuba – “El Gallito” – Theresa’s story
Marta here: I'm celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Cuban-Style with a series of stories about Cuban American families: Cuando Sali de Cuba, stories of courage and hope. This is a short story by Theresa Cecilia Garcia Trilla (Theresa C. Newbill) submitted by Isabelle Ann Newbill. El Gallito (The Rooster)"El Gallito" is a ...
The Circle of Life
Some (very simplified, don't judge me) Cuban History for today: In 1902, a bloody war had been fought between Cuba and Spain for Cuba's independence. The Cuban's won. It was quite a crushing defeat for the Spanish. They never quite recovered from it. The president of the United States at that time was Theodore Roosevelt who had ...