Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Proud of my heritage

I've noticed several of my blogs are written as a result of watching a movie. This one is no different. One of the few movies that provoke me to cry or get teary eyed without fail is "The Lost City". This movie is one interpretation/experience of a family during the Batista/Castro period where Revolution was prominent and on the rise. It shows how a wealthy family goes from having it all to losing it. If focuses on the journey that led one member of the family to the States (Andy Garcia) and the difficulty of leaving his country behind.

Every time I watch this movie, I appreciate what my grandparents did (both mother and father's side) for their children and future grandchildren. Each member in my family has a different story of their leave from a country they loved so much. Some went to prison trying to fight Fidelistas (Fidel's military), others worked the farms to earn an escape visa from the government for their immediate household, while still others could and would never escape and ended up dying in a country that betrayed them.

I love my Cuban heritage and I'm proud my parents and grandparents are Cuban, but I am so grateful that they sacrificed everything to come to a country where there was still liberty. My Abuleo (mother's dad) still doesn't speak English (which I'm not too proud of but he's stubborn =p), but whenever I've asked him about Cuba, he's proud he's from there but even more proud to be in the country that's blessed him with all that he has: America.

I don't understand when people are so proud of their country that they parade around in their flags everywhere and talk about how much better their country is than America....etc. My question to them is "why don't you move back if it's so great?" They're in America for a reason. This country is far from perfect, especially now, but it's still a great country that offers so much, which is why people die trying come here.

My children will learn both the Cuban culture and Puerto Rican culture (because my huband is P.Rican), but they will also learn that they live in a wonderful country and although their heritage is Hispanic, they are American first.

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