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.
I have been to Cuba Nostalgia three times in the last few years…I so want to know what you thought!
I totally have “saudade.”
Carrie-I really enjoyed it! My medio-Anglo husband was having a hard time dealing with all the noise, but my mom who was on cloud nine noticed how uncomfortable he was that she grabbed a mojito for him and after that his other half, medio-latino, came out. Being there made me proud to be part of a Latino community. My parents are from Mexico and my mother is a very proud one…she, I believe, is anomaly in her own culture….she LOVES everything tropical…especially SALSA dancing….anyway it was her idea we go. We soaked it all up (the music, the art, the food, the people)…so that’s what I thought of it.
I am really interested in the stories that Cuban immigrants have about how they got to the USA. My mom’s neighbor was kind enough to cook us a home cooked Cuban meal and actually shared the way she immigrated here. I felt lucky to have heard her story…she also came over (she lives downstairs from my mom) with everything she needed to teach me how to make cafe cubano. I had no idea it really is all in how the sugar is incorporated.
Ahi esta amiga….my thoughts about cuba nostaligia…. LOVED IT