Gloria Jaume: Venezuela, Land of Grace.
I was born in Venezuela, land of grace, in the 1970s to the 1980s. We were seven brothers and one sister. We lived very differently in my country. I grew up in an oil community. We played with tradicional toys. We all grew up together with family and neighbors. Venezuela is a beautiful country. It is a country that makes you feel happy anywhere. There are plains, snow, beaches, mountains, and more in Venezuela. We are Venezuelans from Latin American. Now, we are immigrants but we always move pa'lante!
Kusi Castillo: My Childhood Memories
I remember my childhood in Peru with joy. The best memories that I have are before I went to school.
During my preschool period I remember I was always a very happy girl. But, I also remember that I dreamed of being a bigger girl. So, I was always waiting for the future.
I remember very clearly how much I loved and admired my parents, I looked at my dad as a very tall man, almost giant with his long legs, and my mom was likehe most beautiful princess from the best story that I had read. How nostalgic is that time in my life now - when everything was part of a game, when it didn’t exist any problem at all... The only problem that I remember I had was at lunch time, when sometimes I had to eat the food that I didn’t like.
After that, everything was interesting. I was always singing, dancing, drawing, painting, making up stories and games, and dreaming about how beautiful it was to be alive, and how more beautiful life could be. When I started school I realized, little by little, that life is not a game, art is not everything and not everything is happiness.
But, how much I miss that time! When my world was a beautiful game, where I was always expecting for the sunrise, and I never wanted my days to finish.
And, now I know how lucky I am to have these memories.
During my preschool period I remember I was always a very happy girl. But, I also remember that I dreamed of being a bigger girl. So, I was always waiting for the future.
I remember very clearly how much I loved and admired my parents, I looked at my dad as a very tall man, almost giant with his long legs, and my mom was likehe most beautiful princess from the best story that I had read. How nostalgic is that time in my life now - when everything was part of a game, when it didn’t exist any problem at all... The only problem that I remember I had was at lunch time, when sometimes I had to eat the food that I didn’t like.
After that, everything was interesting. I was always singing, dancing, drawing, painting, making up stories and games, and dreaming about how beautiful it was to be alive, and how more beautiful life could be. When I started school I realized, little by little, that life is not a game, art is not everything and not everything is happiness.
But, how much I miss that time! When my world was a beautiful game, where I was always expecting for the sunrise, and I never wanted my days to finish.
And, now I know how lucky I am to have these memories.
Lisbeth Sosa: Summer in Venezuela
Mérida, Venezuela
Arepa
Flying Parrot Game
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I lived in Caracas, Venezuela. My beautiful country has, in my opinion, many beautiful places. I enjoyed my childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in Venezuela.
I have memories of my childhood where I played with my friends and my cousins in the streets near my house. When it rained, we all got wet in the rain. I ate a lot of mangoes under a tree that was near my mother's house. Every night my mom cooked me arepas with cheese. My school in Venezuela was great. I remember the parties at the end of the school year. We dressed up and I could put on makeup. In Venezuela there is a climate of two seasons: winter and summer. In the summer, I went to the beach, the swimming pool, the parks, rode bicycles, and played a game called flying parrot. I also loved to travel to other cities. I liked traveling to a city called Mérida. It is a mountainous city with a cold climate and the food is divine. The people are very friendly there. I have a very large family there and beautiful nieces who I adore and are very intelligent. As an adult, I studied at the university, I had a good job in a bank and a stable life. However, my country has had a dictator and communist government for 20 years. The situation started to get worse and I decided to leave my country for a few months. That is when I arrived in New York on vacation and by God's plans, I ended up living in this beautiful country. It makes me nostalgic not to live in my country with my family and not to be there on occasions and celebrations. It makes me sad how a government can end a nation. However, I want to make the most of the opportunity to live in New York and learn another language. |