Interpretations of a Bilingual Life

Cuba Nostalgia. It’s the name of an event we are going to this weekend with my mom during our visit in Miami. Everytime I visit this vibrant and colorful city I exclaim to those around me that all of my senses are reawakened! The sound of Latin, tropical music from the radio stations make my body break out in convulsions for the urge to dance, dance, dance. The beautiful south Florida beaches entice my eyes and smell to imagine myself living here one day (which I know will never happen), and the taste of everything Cuban here from the pastelitos de guayaba to the typical Cuban dish of ropa vieja mmm mmm mmm make my mouth water.I was thinking about the numerous times I have visited Miami. I lost count years ago, but I also realized that I have been to this beautiful place at very different points in my adult life, therefore I have had the opportunity to experience it from multiple perspectives (e.g., single-twnty-year-old, engaged, married, to a new mommy with baby in tow). One day I’ll share how each has shaped my time here.I know that when I return to my home in Central Texas I will once again repeat the same thoughts and desires of which Brazilians call saudade (and for what the rest of the world refers to as nostalgia even though it isn’t a literal translation) for wanting to be in the heart of Miami. Until my next visit I will indulge in Miami (a.k.a Cuba) nostalgia.