HispanicHeritageEssayICS16HER

Hispanics have had to overcome any challenges, and still have many challenges to face. Like in Cuba, where the dictatorship of Fidel Castro, and his communism(The World Fact book). Or in Columbia where poverty and hardship over run the land(Cuba). But even though there are many problems, many of the people still have hope. People like Franklin Chang-Diaz, or Gloria Estefan, who have battled hard ships of their home country to get to where they are in history today (History). So today, I am here to talk about a brave Cuban family who was willing to overcome everything to seek a new life, a better life. They are my role models, my inspiration, and full of tales to tell. Anyway, lets tell those tales.

Let's start with my mom. She was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, and lived there for the first twenty-six years of her life. She lived with three generations, her grandma, her mom and dad, and her brother. She eventually meet my dad and after marriage, they moved to an apartment, and eventually had me. Life was pretty good for them, but when I was two, my dad checked out the school I was supposed to go to when I eventually turned five. When he saw the school, he was mortified. The school was in very bad condition. My father wouldn't accept this and when he told my mom, they concocted a plan to escape. Though they didn't have much of Fidel Castro to worry about, they had other problems. They struggled financially, in Cuba, there basically is no good economy, and most of her family were teachers. My dad had to work very hard to send me and my mom to Tampa, Florida, and eventually himself. Life here at first wasn't better than there. She felt like an outsider in a world where you couldn't trust anyone. It wasn't much of an improvement financially either. We had a house and a few pieces of borrowed furniture, and that was it. When I started going to school, things started taking a turn for the better. With me out of the house, she was able to work, and our income doubled. She was able to buy stuff like furniture for the house. All thanks to her hard work and determination, she was able to overcome her challenges( Selgas Becky).

Next up is my dad, and there isn't much I can say about him. The reason is that he wouldn't talk as much as mom. What I do know is that he was raised in Pinar del Rio, just like mom, but unlike mom, he went to America when he was thirty. For that time, he lived much poorer than my mom. He had to deal with three older siblings, two sisters and a brother. He was the type of person who was always trying to be tidy, and would wear shoes all the time. Most of the other kids would make fun of him for this. His life changed drastically after the age of sixteen, as I quote,"When I was one through sixteen, I was a man. When I was sixteen through thirty, I was another man." He didn't tell me how his life changed. When he was thirty, he went to America on a tiny boat with three other people. Their food was starting to run out, and the sun was beating them to death. They would have been goners if an unnamed boat had not saved them. To this day they still do not know who drove the boat, but if they did, he would repay them in any way possible. When he met mom, they saw my school, and moved to America. First they had to go to P anama and then go here. This grueling process took them two months. When he got here, they started working and made a living( Selgas Becky).

Finally, there's my brother. He has no stories of suffering or triumph, only opinions. He likes that he is Cuban because he gets to see his family all the time. He would rather live here than in Cuba, because he doesn't speak to much Spanish. He thinks that the life style here is very unique and massive. He thinks that Cuba is very homey, but small. He cannot decide which one he likes better. He wants Cuba to improve, but he wants it to also stay the same. All together, he likes both places, but he hasn't really lived long enough to get a strong opinion yet( Selgas Becky).

It's safe to say that Hispanics have had to deal with all lot. From the communism in Cuba(Geos) to the poverty in Columbia(Cuba). But like Franklin Chang-Diaz, or Gloria Estefan (History) there are people who have overcome challenges to solve problems. Basically what I'm trying to say is that Hispanics are people too, and just because they are from another country, that doesn't mean we should treat them differently.

"Cuba." //Country Reports//. CountryReports.org, 1997. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. [].
 * Work Cited**
 * My teacher recommended this site.

"Geos." //The World Factbook//. TheWorldFactbook.org, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. [].
 * This is the CIA's website.

"History." //CelebrateHispanic Heritage//. CelebrateHispanicHeritage.org, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.[].
 * My teacher recommended this site.

Selgas, Becky. "Hispanic Interview." Personal interview. 25 Apr. 2016.
 * My mom is a Hispanic.