What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way?
Listening to the Cuban trumpet and bongos, as the voice of Cuban singer Celia Cruz echoed the lyrics to her world famous song "Carnaval", reminded me of a gruesome story my grandpa once told me at a young age. As I listened to the essential meaning of the song in spanish, asserting that life was unfair at times but we must live through it, produced a flashback to my adolescence. My memory was shady at times, but I remembered the time my grandpa told me he fled Cuba during the Communist regime, leaving everything behind including his family. He endured a troublesome journey, relocating to Miami with nothing. As the bongos and trumpets continued to play, and as the tears held up in my eyes, I continued to relive the account of my grandpa. He arrived in Miami with the world in front of him but with no money, family or shelter. But as a true Hispanic knows, an opportunity can lead to many open doors. He worked tirelessly from his arrival and wound up at a prestigious job. At the sound of Celia Cruz's voice, I tremble at the onset with memories and flashbacks of my grandpa's gruesome struggle to stay alive on his journey to reach the American dream. I am constantly reminded that life is at times unfair, but we must move past these trying times and learn valuable lessons which can bring good fortune upon each of us.
Listening to the Cuban trumpet and bongos, as the voice of Cuban singer Celia Cruz echoed the lyrics to her world famous song "Carnaval", reminded me of a gruesome story my grandpa once told me at a young age. As I listened to the essential meaning of the song in spanish, asserting that life was unfair at times but we must live through it, produced a flashback to my adolescence. My memory was shady at times, but I remembered the time my grandpa told me he fled Cuba during the Communist regime, leaving everything behind including his family. He endured a troublesome journey, relocating to Miami with nothing. As the bongos and trumpets continued to play, and as the tears held up in my eyes, I continued to relive the account of my grandpa. He arrived in Miami with the world in front of him but with no money, family or shelter. But as a true Hispanic knows, an opportunity can lead to many open doors. He worked tirelessly from his arrival and wound up at a prestigious job. At the sound of Celia Cruz's voice, I tremble at the onset with memories and flashbacks of my grandpa's gruesome struggle to stay alive on his journey to reach the American dream. I am constantly reminded that life is at times unfair, but we must move past these trying times and learn valuable lessons which can bring good fortune upon each of us.
