Caridad’s Grandmother Nieves #ThrowbackThursday

My grandmother Nieves was a strong woman. She had the courage to leave Spain for a better life in Cuba. She had even more courage to be the one to stay behind with us in Cuba when my parents had to escape to avoid Castro’s retribution. With my sister and me in tow, she traveled with us throughout Central America until we legally entered the U.S. Since my mom was a working mom, she was the one who took care of us when we weren’t in school and whatever my grandmother said, we did. She sounds tough, but she was also had great stories to tell and was an amazing cook. She was also a voracious reader which I guess is where I got to be such a big reader. I’m actually named after my grandmother since my real first name is Caridad de las Nieves. I had to change it when I became a citizen. I have to mention that my grandmother could not have done all those things without my grandfather who was truly a saint and a very loving and caring man.