Hola People!

A few translations for our gente.

Here it is:

Vivaporrú = Vicks Vapor Rub

Ironbér = Iron Beer

Hambégue = Hamburger

Guáquer =  Oatmeal (from the term "Quaker" in Quaker Oats)

Hod dó = Hot Dog

Bish = Beach

El Daung taung = Downtown

Trópico Par = Tropical Park (in Miami)

Pik sa = Pizza

La licensia = Department of Motor Vehicles

La Agencia = Car Dealership

Coh co = Costco

Esprai = Sprite

Catch = Cash

Ají Verde = Happy Birthday

I know some of you can relate...

10) Your parents were born in Cuba

09) You, your siblings or cousins are named after a Parent/Grandparent, but your name is said with  "ita" or "ito" at the end (e.g. Grandmother "Aleida", You "Aleidita" or Dad "Jose" You "Joseito")

08 )You understand when your parents say "Vivaporru" or "Quiquiribumandinga"

07) To "embarcar" doesn't mean "to embark" to you

06) You have at least one family member or "socio(a)" who lives in Tampa

05) You have Celia Cruz's Greatest Hits in your car

04) Any/every visitor to your home warrants the drinking of "un cafecito"

03) Any/every visit you make to someone else's home warrants the drinking of "un cafecito"

02) Any/every "un cafecito" warrants the need for "un cigarrito" or "un tabaquito"

01) You love this country and also love el "cubaneo", which you have the legal right to enjoy

WE GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! LET'S MAKE EVERYONE A "CUBANITA/CUBANITO", WHY SHOULD ANYONE MISS OUT?

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MY PARENTS FOR TEACHING ME THE THE WAYS OF YOUR COUNTRY WHILE LEARNING AND ACCEPTING THE WAYS OF THIS ONE.  FOR INSTILLING IN US A LOVE FOR GOD AND GOOD VALUES.   IT'S BEEN A TOUGH ROAD FOR YOU, BUT YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN RESENTFUL.  THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SWEAT AND LOVE TO SECURE A BETTER LIFE FOR US.

Te acuerdas the Cuban vacations as a kid?  A 15-minute drive to Miami Beesh that seemed like a 3-hour drive, because you were so excited to get there.  You rented at places like "Sun City", "The Colonial", "Singapore", "Aztec",  etc... When you got there Papi, Mami, Mari, Tia Cusa, Macho, Lola, tu prima Ali, Joseito (the whole familia) got out of the car, but first to go to "el Publi" (Publix) to buy groceries to save money by cooking breakfast, lunch & dinner en el "eficienci", or in english, a rented studio with a full kitchen and 1,000 beds (of all kinds, full size beds here and there, twin beds on every corner facing every direction, and last but not least, la sofacama y un pin-pan-pun...LOL

You swam in the pool for23 hours out of 24, but had to wait 2 hours after eating or snacking to go back in, to avoid "una embolia" .  You met all kinds of kids from different schools and walks of life(Hialeah High, Miami High, Lourdes Academy, HML, etc...) and somehow managed to get along so much better than you ever would outside of this "fantasy" vacation.  You met so many friends and found summer loves.  The highlight of many nights was walking up and down Collins Avenue in a "tribe" and stopping in at Walgreens or Eckerds, never buying anything.  Sometimes you ran into people your parents knew from "La Habana", Artemisa", "Oriente", etc, etc, etc... and they would stand there on the street catching up, for what seemed like an eternity! 

And when you got back to the hotel, you would put on your "trusa" and were ready to go swimming again, but you weren't allowed to go porque "la noche" air was too cold y you were going to get "tremendo catarro".  So you would plug your boombox in somewhere outside near the pool and listen to songs like "Planet Rock" & "Pac-Man Fever" (Que horror!), or sometimes you begged Papi for quarters to play Space Invaders, Asteroids or the Ted Nugent pinball machine in the hotel lobby.

Ay que days those were, I wouldn't have changed it for the world!!!!