tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post213941942264198870..comments2023-12-16T05:27:05.041-06:00Comments on mexpatriate — in the key of steve: spies in the cupboardSteve Cottonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00468378507171761868noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2289482511228853984.post-48583720111687260662013-01-24T20:44:07.727-06:002013-01-24T20:44:07.727-06:00My friend Teresa (now living in Japan) had trouble...My friend Teresa (now living in Japan) had trouble getting my comment engine to work. Here is her post --<br /><br />just<br />wanted to make a few comments.<br /><br /> <br /><br />1. my parents were from pinar del rio. i remember going there as a little girl to visit my grandma. she had no running water or electricity. needless to say, no indoor toilet or t. paper, how would you like to wipe with cornhusks? i believe sometimes newspaper was available for that purpose. her house had dirt floors and a thatched roof. yes, i come from humble beginnings. i have very fond memories of visiting and to this day, whenever i hear frogs and crickets, i remember the big tin tub where i was bathed and would hear those sounds at night. there were no roads leading to "mi abuela's casa" so we would always take the train and get off near her house. i remember like it was yesterday yet sometimes i can't remember where i put my glasses just a few seconds earlier.<br /><br /><br /><br />2. since you can't tell who a cuban person is just by looking at them, i won't even attempt a guess. none of my friends have ever figured out that i am cuban. if the fact that i speak spanish happens to come up, they ask where i learned it and i tell them that i am originally from cuba so it is my first language. some people assume that all cubans are black, and although there are a lot of blacks and mulatos there, as you know, there are also many whites. i think the people who make those assumptions are also the ones who wonder why so many of us left our country. some go there on vacation<br />and see only what the government allows tourists to see and think cubans don't have it so tough, they are soooo wrong. <br /><br />3. i hope you get to go back eventually. too bad your february trip didn't pan out but it seems you have enough to keep you occupied for a while.Steve Cottonnoreply@blogger.com