To complete the property tour, we looked at the bedroom, comfortably proportioned for a queen sized bed and a floor-to-ceiling closet with a large window facing Paolina Park. The attractive bathroom was functional and came equipped with all the essentials. Lastly, we looked at the garage. Maria Laura informed us that Italians refer to a garage as a “car box”. The car box was large enough to accommodate a mid-sized car, a workbench, and storage for tools and seasonal items. I was overjoyed…
I grew up in Titusville FL, a small town know for being the perfect viewing spot to watch the space shuttles launch from Cape Canaveral. The town was so small I could walk from one end to the other with in an hour. My favorite thing to do was to walk to a nearby lake and relax with with my friends, we would fish and climbed tree for…
Miami, FL is a place that has to be felt rather than seen or heard—and by that I mean observed beyond all senses, with mind, body, heart, and soul. I’ve been entrenched in it my whole life, a little Cuban princesita not so different from all the rest, but it’s only as I’ve gotten older that I’ve fully felt like a part of a community, a culture. I feel it when I talk, casually, to the elderly cashier at my neighborhood grocery store, a familiar combination of Spanish, English, and what many call cubanismos, phrases with meanings that simply will not tolerate literal translations, spilling forth. I feel it while seated at a table of no fewer than four relatives on any given evening, judging the quality of a restaurant on the quality of their flan de caramelo or their café. I feel it, too, in the colorful songs of Ernesto Lecuona and the ardent verses of José Marti, but most of all in the anecdotes of my grandparents and great aunt, the nostalgia of long-settled immigrants, echoes of sorrow, shared over dominoes and rice and beans and coladas of espresso.…
I never realized how lucky I was to be granted such a stupendous life until I saw the poverty some people live in. Over the summer, I was fortunate enough to be able to take an ephemeral trip to Nassau, Bahamas. It was much different than I imagined it would be. I remember walking around and almost being frighten to leave my parents sides. There were natives on every street corner trying to con their way into you spending money on their fake product; there were people going through the trash looking for food; there were people sitting on the street with all their belongings tied up to their bicycle street. You could just tell this country was nowhere near as advanced as the United States. It was nothing like the pictures and it got me thinking of the gloomy lives these children will have to grow up in and all the opportunities that they don't have available here.…
It started just as any normal Saturday would; December 8, 2012, I woke up, went through my morning routine and went to soccer practice. I was competing for a spot on the North Carolina ODP (Olympic Development Program) soccer team. Training was being held at fields about two hours from my house. I sat in the backseat of my dad’s car with my two sisters and as we rode to the fields I began to mentally prepare myself for how I would play my best and make the team.…
I came to the United States from Colombia when I was just 3 years old. I was brought into the country of bright opportunities because like every other parent, my mother and father wanted what was best for me. My mother had to give up her dream job in Colombia, which was being an accountant for an essentially important company, in order to facilitate my well-being and open up the doors for my future. As the years progressed, I began to acquire both languages, English and Spanish, but there was a point where I became tongue tied and had to assist in speech therapy. My parents would talk to me in Spanish at home but in school all I would hear was English, my mind was extremely confused to the point that I made my own language by using both tongues in one sentence.…
For many immigrants, the reason for leaving their home country behind was to find and live a better life elsewhere. In this research paper the history, reason, and effect of the immigration wave of Cubans during the mid to late 1900’s will be discusses as well as the residual effects on both Cuban and US governments. The goal of this research paper is to inform the reader of the importance of the Cuban presence and culture in the US and triumph throughout.…
The Dominican Republic, known for its beautiful beaches and balmy weather, was the last place I ever imagined I would find myself in this past summer vacation. On this week long trip, it wasn't for the warm ocean waves or the traditional Dominican cuisine I was called to, I was called to serve the beautiful Dominican people. On the third day of the trip, instead of heading out to the worksite where we had been pouring the concrete footers of a plastics and water filter factory, I opted to travel with a group to the childrens' cancer ward in Santiago and visit the patients. We started out our visit by performing a few dances we had taught our vacation bible school and handing out fun little gift we had brought with us. We played ball with some…
When people ask me, “What’s your favorite country”, I start to think about many places in the world France and Eiffel Tower, Italy Coliseum and about Brazil with many beautiful thing. I would probably say BRAZIL! In my entire life I have never went to Brazil but if I have the chance to go my dream world become true! You may be asking Brazil is my favorite country if you want to know the answer reads and find out.…
But there is one thing, that, my family don't know about me. It's that i became a man in front of them and they don't think about it!.…
I would like to say I know Spanish, after four years of studying in high school and multiple trips to South and Central America, yet it seems every time I leave the States, I find myself in a frantic struggle to process the words I know and figure out the meanings of the ones I do not. Sometimes this simply means missing out on a few insignificant details, other times it can seriously complicate life.…
“Take time to be thankful for everything that you have. You can always have more, but you could also have less.” -Anonymous. My family and I have gone to Haiti for the past three years. Haiti is a third world country in the Caribbean about 1836 miles from Chicago. We go there to help others and to receive the gift of giving instead of presents for Christmas.…
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, a place where tourists come from all over the country to enjoy the sun, the beaches, the islands, and the coral reefs. Puerto La Cruz was a getaway for a lot of people, just some place to go on vacations and have a good time, but for me it was my home. The spring of 2014, by that time every morning when you walk outside your house you can feel the sea breeze and even when it’s cold, you close your eyes and smile, because it warms your heart. Now if I close my eyes, all I can do it’s relive that moment over and over again. The moment when only six words coming from my mom’s mouth felt like a thousand knives in my heart and changed my life forever. “We’re moving to the United States”.…
Overwhelmed. The only word I can think of when the flight attendant calmly says, “Welcome to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, you may now unfastened your seatbelts.” Tears fell from my eyes and all the emotions that I was feeling for the last 4 hours suddenly began pouring out. I had never been to Haiti and the only mindset of it I had was that there was killing and kidnapping. I was extremely anxious because of that. “NO!, YES!, NO!, YES!, NO!!”, my conflicted mind begins to yell. I couldn't believe that I was actually there. Holding up the line, I got off the plane as slowly as possible. Ironically, being up in the air was much more relieving than being on the grounds IN HAITI !. “Daph, you’ll be alright,” my mom says. “Hopefully,” I mumbled. I thought to myself that maybe just maybe I will actually enjoy it.You will never actually understand the importance of bigger things without appreciating the little things…
Last Summer, I visited Costa Rica on a kayaking trip with Falling Creek, a summer camp in Tuxedo, NC. Every year, 20 or so kids get invited to the program called HUCK, where you go kayaking in places around the world. Last summer, all of the kids that were invited went to Costa Rica where we would have a great time experiencing new culture and great whitewater. The First few days were great and those were some of the most powerful, best rivers I have ever kayaked.…