Photographs are important to people who have immigrated from their
birth country. They contain memories of the past and may be the only
remaining links to their country of origin. For many Cubans who were
unable to take much of their personal possessions when they left the
island, photographs of their previous lives number in the precious
few.
As an
exile, I have been fortunate to have been able to collect from family
and friends a small but significant gallery of photos of my early life in Cuba and of family members who
came before me, and which I want to share with you here.
At the
time that I left Cuba, immigration to the United States could only be
made through a third country, so my journey to the U.S. first took me to
Spain, a country which is as much a part of me
as is Cuba and the U.S. Spain gently eased my transition, and was
the perfect place for my first solo foray into the world as a 18-year
old adult.
After
several years in Spain, my papers were approved and I emigrated to the United States. I worked, studied, and made many
friends during those first years, some of whom I am still in contact
with.
Visiting Cuba after an absence of over 21 years
was a bittersweet experience, that certainly influenced my life and
prompted the writing of my first novel, Havana Split.
I visited
Cuba
again in April 2003 as a result of an invitation by a group of
Havana Artists and Writers. Many changes have occurred since my
first return and I'm sharing them here with you.
In April, 2004 I
went back to visit my family in the province of
Camagüey, Cuba. The trip prompted me to
write a "Blog"
(web-log) about the journey and my
impressions. I took a lot of photos with
my new digital camera -- so many that I've only
been able to post a portion of them, divided
into three parts: Buildings & Churches, the
Women I know and met, and People & Places.
Easter 2008 in Camagüey, Cuba
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