A Twist of Events

The most unbelievable, sad, yet fortunate thing happened while I was in Miami. I had been staying in the hospital with Kris for almost a week when I received a phone call from my sister Rita in Michigan. She informed me that my 93-year-old grandmother, Bita, had died. Bita is originally from Cuba and had lived in Miami up until November of 2006, when she moved up to Michigan to live with my family. I wasn’t completely shocked because my mom had been preparing me for her death by giving me frequent updates on her health. I felt very relieved and grateful that I would get to attend her funeral in Miami. I missed my grandfather, Papi’s, funeral last year because I was living and working in Chicago. I knew it would have been terribly hard for me to lose Bita while living in Honduras and not being able to attend her funeral either. Plus Bita and I were very close and had a special bond, so I was especially lucky with the timing of such a sad passing. Not only did I get to attend Bita’s funeral, but I also had the chance to see all of my family, plus all my extended Cuban family. It was quite a blessing to get out of the hospital. Kris was very understanding and we knew that she was stable and not in any life threatening danger, so when my family arrived I went with them to a rented house in South Miami.

It was at this point that my emotions got the best of me. I walked into the house and was welcomed by my cousins and aunts. They had already mourned Bita’s death and were happy to all be together and were ready to enjoy the pool and party a bit. Being in the hospital with Kris, taking care of her, and dealing with culture shock at the same time, I had not yet had a chance to realize and attend to my own feelings of grief, loss, and culture shock. I lost it. It was quite overwhelming to say the least. My mom picked up on how I was feeling and got me out of the house...thank you! It was only a brief glimpse as to how hard it is going to be to return home and pick up where things left off.

I spoke at my grandmother’s funeral, which was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. I just felt like I had to do something to honor her and the special relationship that I was so fortunate to share with her. As hard as it was for me to get the words out, I am full of pride that I was able to do that for her and our family. It’s something I will always remember.

After the funeral, we all went to my mom’s cousins’ house, Ana Maria and Mariana. We ordered a bunch of Cuban food and I was finally able to relax a bit. It was nice to be with all of the family, although I felt Bita’s absence the whole time. The next day Kris was released from the hospital and we all were finally able to enjoy what Miami has to offer, beyond hospital walls and the funeral parlor. We went to South Beach, soaked up the sun, ate lunch on Ocean Drive and did a little shopping. The next day Manuel and Elsa (my mom’s cousins) invited us out on their boat. It was a wonderful day spent at Elliot Key. It was a nice day to culminate the unexpected, unplanned two weeks spent in Miami.

The following day my family left and I returned to the NPH house for one more night. I was able to do some shopping for my despedida/going away party at Target (thanks Mercy and Rosario for the donations!!!) and took Kris out to run some errands. The next day, Kris flew to Belgium and I returned to Honduras. No time to relax though because my friend Courtney was expected to arrive the following day...stay tuned!