Our Path as a Family

Flora Rodriguez

ESL 100

10/27/13

                                                Our Path as a Family

Hunger and terror are the words that my mother uses to describe the devastating days in The Civil War. I was born on a cold December night in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1989 from an Armenian mother and Cuban father. By that time, the Soviet Union collapsed and all fifteen republics were trying to become independent from Russia. Therefore, the conflict started between many of republics, and one of conflicts was between Armenia and Azerbaijan starting the Civil War. The war erupted because a small Republic called Nagorno Karabaj with an Armenian population decided to be independent from Azerbaijan and become part of Armenia. The economy was down, people were claiming their rights, and day by day friends and family members were disappearing. It was a time of fear, tears and suffering. The big chaos of the Civil War changed the path of my family forever.

            The first big step that we made was to escape from Azerbaijan. Fidel Castro who was the president of Cuba back then, sent the plane to Baku to save Cuban civil students. As a result, my family and I had the opportunity to escape because of my Cuban father.  The airport was shut down, and it was practically a miracle when the plain arrived. My mother was holding me very close to her body while she was running to the airplane. My father who was holding my older brother in his right hand and a bag of clothes that he barely had time to grab in another hand was running after us. It was cold and rainy. It was like a life or death race to get to the airplane to be safe. My mother who made to the airplane, who forgot about my father and brother, the first thing she did was to unwrap me to see if I was alive. A soft pink cheek and a red pail mouth was the first fact that made my mother cry of happiness. Seconds after with tears in her eyes, my mother started calling my father’s and older bother’s names. When they saw each other that was the moment of satisfaction and greatness. The first flight was only three hours to Moscow.  After two weeks living there as refugees in the Cuban embassy, we received the all necessary documents to fly to Havana, Cuba.

            During my first seven years that I lived in Cuba, I grew up in a very harmonious atmosphere with my family, including my Cuban grandmother and grandfather.   Even though there was a lack with food, water and electricity, I was a happy child. Learning Spanish was easy for me because I arrived to Cuba when I was a few months old. My brother that was seven years old learned faster then my mother. She, instead, took her time to get comfortable with the language. I remember my childhood running barefoot in a hot summer night with my friends in the small neighborhood. Memories that I have from that time are after school was how my grandmother made my preferred Cuban coffee with the exact sweetness and powdered milk. I was a loved child. Spending time with my grandmother after school made it a wonderful experience. Even though my parents eventually separated that made me an independent and responsible girl. When my mother learned Spanish enough, she got an offer of diplomatic position in The UNESCO office for United Nation in Costa Rica as an interpreter.  Once my mother got her stability and independence, she brought my older brother and me there. She also married a wonderful man.

             My family and I arrived to the peaceful country with no armed forces named Costa Rica. It was a totally different experience always having food at home compared to Cuba. Regardless of the cultural shock that I had for couple of months, I felt in love with Costa Rica. My mother built our new home there. Having a diplomatic status, my mother was able to put me in a Japanese school. Living in Latino country, with multiracial multicultural and linguistic family and studying in Japanese school made my life full of unique of experience. I never felt the language barrier because it was the same Spanish language like in Cuba.  I enjoyed good time in the beach with my friends, since the trip were really common and cheap.  In addition, living in Costa Rica made me love the nature and care about animals.  The philosophy of Costa Ricans is being relaxing most of the time and living life day by day. On the other hand my older brother and I had our own philosophy that my mother transmitted to us such as, be grateful build your own independence and be successful in any task you made.  I finished my high school with good grades. I was in my new phase to start my adult life. Meanwhile my family was having a hard time in their company.  It was a very hard time for all of us. The anxiety for a better life pushed my stepfather perused the American dream. He came to U.S.A and lived by himself for almost four years, building the conditions to bring us from Costa Rica. Once he was able to do that, we came to Chicago with all wishes and desire of better life.

            For the better part of our lives my family and I had experienced a lot emotional and physical changes that made us stronger and united. In my opinion, having this all made us love and respect each other even more. My stepfather is still working in the same company but in a better position.  My mother is studying most of the time with my little brother because of the language barrier. My old brother stayed in Costa Rica with his girlfriend. Today, on a cold rainy day drinking my coffee at Starbucks before my early class starts, brings me memories of how my little brother, my mother, and I arrived on a cold December night to Chicago just like the same day as I was born. Through these difficulty choices that my mother had to make in the Civil War until my stepfather that bring us to Chicago, we have been building a better life. All changes can be difficult and challenging, but they can be overcome with love and patiently like my family did. This December is going to be three years that we have been living in The Windy City. Like I felt once in love with Costa Rica, now I feel like I already love this Windy City.