humanity
Humanity begins at home.
QUARENTEEN REALCRIES
So I went into this quarantine like what the fuck is this shit. this is fucked but alright no work. now its 7 weeks into this and I'm like fuck this shit. Don't get me wrong I love spending time with my significant other and my children and i never thought that i would be longing to go back to work. two weeks before This whole shit started I got laid off of construction waiting on a new job site to start in April and before applying as a Firefighter in our relocated area. Not to mention six months before that my family and I resided in a house in Keswick where the septic tank ended up leaking into the well water that we used because the owner turned the garage into an illegal apartment where there were four family off of one well and one family septic tank. resulting in my three children my wife and myself getting ecol Yup...THATS RIGHT...GAD DAMN ECOLI in 2019 in Canada a family of five got e coli. I never thought that would happen.Then the beginning of the Quarantine my partner and kids are at my sisters in Toronto for a weekend visit. Quarantine hits and we get stuck in Toronto for a month. My sisters and my brother in-law are all essential services for community living stray children and construction so we were always driving around in a bare ass city with only zombie crack heads on the streets. The entire time I'm having panic attacks because the cops are treating the city like its the end of the world. my partner was having panic attacks every time I left the house cause Toronto was like the epicenter of Canada and she didnt want to bring the virus back to her parents. It took us three and a half weeks to convince ourslves we were fine. So now we are 7 weeks into the quarantine and my wife and kids and I are at her parents house. Throughout my life I realized that there are certain things that happen that make you never forget things that happen in your life. like 911,H1N1 , The Big Black out and Y2K. there are things that stick out in your mind that you remember so vividly. i realize that the past couple years with my family have thought me that anything can happen and that you have to make the best of every situation you are in. From e coli to a three hour relocation to quarantine. I know that my kids will look back and remember that Mom&Dad did every thing in their human power to keep us safe. thee boys in a world that looks like every thing is out to get them. I sit in front of my eight year old son fighting with him to do his school work while he daydreams about the birds flying by the window hoping that he will never live a struggling life like his father. then I realize that even through the short time he has been here already he has seen so much that he cold possibly survive better than myself in today society.
By Real Robert Hall6 years ago in Families
Dominicana Soy. Top Story - September 2020.
It is difficult to celebrate a heritage that is constantly rejecting you. You never felt Dominican enough. You always felt a need to overcompensate for some of your “undominican” behavior. You took classes to learn how to dance bachata and salsa. Still, your latinadad was constantly in question. You don’t look Dominican. You don’t sound Dominican. Those words were often spoken to you.
By Jay Cordero6 years ago in Families
Celebrating My Spanish Heritage. Top Story - September 2020.
For my entire life people have always been surprised to learn that I speak Spanish. This is typically followed with something along the lines of "No way, you don't look Spanish at all." I know, right? The blonde hair, blue eyes, it always throws people off. This never bothered me, in fact, quite the opposite. From a young age speaking Spanish was like my secret superpower. I'd love to surprise people with a simple "gracias!" or casually dropping in to conversations in Spanish. On a few occasions I've actually pulled out my cell phone to have a pretend conversation with "Papá" when unsuspecting victims were saying things they probably would have preferred I didn't understand.
By Nathalia Ramos6 years ago in Families
Hispanic Heritage Month on Vocal. Top Story - September 2020.
It was never an unusual sight to see my great grandmother handing out homemade papa rellena to everyone in her Queens neighborhood. The community would pitch in money to buy bulk foods like potato, rice, meat just so they can give it to her to cook it. You may have even seen my grandmother running her own concession stand in the busy bustling streets of Puerto Rico where she would put her own touch on pastelillos that would make anyone stop dead in their tracks just to taste. When I started my own food journey through The Bronx Vegan, it may have been a surprise to my family that I was taking on a new approach to food but when you look at the dedication and passion for food that runs through my family history, this work really isn’t so surprising at all.
By The Bronx Vegan6 years ago in Families
Celebrating My Heritage: Sometimes in English, Others in Spanish. Top Story - September 2020.
When I was around four-years old, my family and I moved into our first rented home in El Paso, Texas, a city a mere mile or so north of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Having moved to El Paso from Juárez two years prior, I was introduced at an early age to the binational, bicultural, and bilingual phenomenon that people living in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez are accustomed to.
By Jose Antonio Soto6 years ago in Families
BELIEVE IT OR NOT
I have 1/3 Spanish, 1/3 Chinese and ½ Malay in my blood and I grew up in a household riddled with superstitions and ancient beliefs. As it is very well known, the Philippines had been occupied by the Spanish Conquistadores for almost 350 years and merchant trading brought Chinese into the islands of the Philippines. These migrations have enriched our customs and traditions and no matter what colour or ethnicity one may belong to, I have observed that there will always be some sort of interknitting of customs, beliefs and traditions of these cultures,….. superstitions, no exception. For example, if one broke a glass or anything breakable, one needed to break another piece of breakable item meaning that the breakage had been paired, (it was believed that bad luck come in twos) if this was not done, it is bad luck and the next breakage would be an accident of the one who broke it or someone close might encounter an accident or bad luck. Another one is the building of stairs in an Asian especially a Filipino home. I have to mention this because Feng Shui is the norm in Chinese home and is beginning to be adapted by Filipinos with Chinese ancestry. Oro, Plata, Mata which are Spanish words, translated to Gold, Silver, Death are one of the norms. The builder must ensure that the last step of the staircase wouldn’t be mata or death. If it ends in Oro or Plata, which is gold or silver, this will attract wealth. Still another popular belief is the spilling of salt which is an omen of evil misfortune and this action can be counteracted by taking a pinch and throwing over your left shoulder where evil is standing behind waiting for open entry to come in. The thrown salt will blind the devil and will be powerless. I have to emphasize that I have considered these beliefs funny and never really affected by it and such just ignored it.
By Nilda Juliana Johnston6 years ago in Families
My Second Mum
I wrote this a few years back. During a very tough time in my life. Things at home were bad, at university was getting to me. I've always wanted this woman to be my mum. Ever since I was little. But as I got older, I wanted it more. I wanted to have someone to talk to, like most mothers and daughters do. I wanted to be close to the influential woman in my life. I wanted to learn from her and grow up to be like her.
By Rebecca Smith6 years ago in Families
The good, the bad and the ugly.
Tattoos are considered different things around the world. In some cultures, they are treated as symbols of status or standing, symbols of wisdom or enlightenment. They are seen as an art form, a tool of self-expression or sometimes, a simple fashion statement. In others, they are perceived as taboo, unholy, barbaric, or plain tacky. They are thought of as symbols that identify criminals, deviants, sinners or “bad” people of all kinds. My home town is (was?) one of those places…
By monse cordero6 years ago in Families
