Sister Talk

I was babysitting my two nieces yesterday.  One is 5 and the other is barely 1 year old.  It was fun, but I ended exhausted, since they did not give me a break at all!  On my way home, I remembered this picture my dad took of my sister and I when we were younger.  The giggles and the playing somehow reminded me of my own childhood, and the little moments one cherishes for the rest of our lives.

That day, my dad was playing with the Rolleiflex camera I so much crave.  We went to the old city and spent the day playing.  That's all we did.  My sister and I played and he just took the pictures.  In our family photo albums, these are like a signature my dad left on his life achievements.  A true reminder of a happy childhood that lingers like the smell of a good perfume.

On Thanksgiving day one week from today, my love and I will leave New York and will visit my sister's home in Maryland for a home cooked family meal.  After all these years, we remain the best of friends.  See you soon sis'!

P.S. In the picture, I am the one in the bottom.  The cheeks are my trademark! :)

The streets of my island

Streets of Old San Juan 

I was born and raised in an island.  A tiny island in the Caribbean, filled with songs, heat, and humor.  The breeze carries a salty flavor that sticks to your skin on humid days.  A flavor that lingers on your tongue after swiftly brushing your lips in particularly humid days.  The breeze, a soft and timid carrier of all kinds of aromas:  freshly ground coffee, coconut oil, pineapple juice, cinnamon, and sea.

My island loves music, loves rhythm, loves percussion.  It dances to the sound of drums as if it's possessed by African gods.  Marching its way through the pebbled streets of the old city, it shouts for joy and celebration.  For all the good and the bad.

I yearn for my island.  I miss the people, their smiles and faces.  The familiarity of everything, the streets I grew in, the songs on the radio, singing out loud while driving my old car, my dog, my short pants, my flip flops, the island state of mind, watching the coast fade away on my rear view mirror, the long days at the beach, eating street food and a beer.

Those are the things I miss.