Xavier Sainz, Thais Saínz, and Nicole Di Rocco
Recorded
February 22, 2010
37:50 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
MBY006226
Description
Nicole Di Rocca asks her parents about their recent family trip to Cuba and her parents’ immigration from Cuba over 40 years ago.Subject Log / Time Code
Thais reads a poem she wrote called “49 years” about the recent family trip back to Cuba.
Thais and Javier talk about their parents’ exodus from Cuba following Castro’s revoution.
Thais expected to have her Quinceañera in Cuba but couldn’t go back.
Thais remembers her father having to hide in Havana following the Bay of Pigs invasion when everyone who was not with the revolution was suspected of being against it.
Xavier tells the story of smuggling his mother’s diamond earrings out of Cuba in a piece of chewing gum.
Thais came to the US to attend boarding school with two $20 bills her mother sewed into the hem of her skirt.
Xavier and Thais lived just 14 blocks away from each other growing up in Cuba but met years later at a UCLA party.
Thais’s mother passed away this week and Thais shares the moments with the trip she would like to tell her about.
Thais on the importance of honoring immigrant stories.
Participants
- Xavier Sainz
- Thais Saínz
- Nicole Di Rocco
Venue / Recording Kit
Tier
Initiatives
Keywords
- almendares
- bay of pigs invasion
- cohorts (groups of friends)
- Cuban
- Cuban Revolution
- Cuban-American
- economic beliefs and practices
- exile
- Exodus
- family members in history
- family naming and nicknames
- Family reunions
- Family Traditions
- family trips and excursions
- first impression of America
- Holguin, Cuba
- la habana
- Latina
- memories of former times
- memories of growing up
- personal experiences
- political beliefs and practices
- social beliefs and practices
- Spouse
- UCLA
Subjects
- Boarding School
- Children
- Coming Of Age
- Death
- Engagements
- Ethnic Foods
- Extended Family
- First Job
- First Meetings
- Grandparents
- Identity
- Immigration Stories
- Marriage
- Neighborhood Life
- Parents
- Quinceañera
- Recitations
- Schools
- Siblings
- Students
- Teachers
- Traumatic Memories
- Urban Life
- War Stories
- Weddings
- Workday Life