A little introduction

When I say, "Cubans think there are two kinds of people in this world" I'm not lying. There are Cubans and the rest of the world. Growing up, I have experienced and lived through many high points and low points in my life. But one of the things that always keeps me going is the fact that I know for a fact that I'm different and can handle my situations based on how I have been raised. My friend groups are pretty diverse. In fact, in high school, my best friends all came from different races and cultures. It was fun to hear about all of their family stories and customs. But they always wanted to hear about my family, about my weekends and the crazy shenanigans that always went down at the Ramos house. It's usually the same kind of thing, yet so different at the same time. Let me start by introducing my family. Well, my immediate family because I could go on forever if I wrote about my whole family. I'll start off with Grandpa Pipo: the cutest and most entertaining old man you'll ever meet. Yes, he has heart problems and yes, he has high cholesterol. His motto for life, " I'm still alive right? Smoking a Cuban cigar everyday and eating the way I like makes me happy. The hell with the rest. The day I die, is the day God wants me to smoke one up there with him." This man is well known by my entire hometown. Not only is he adorable, but he knows how to handle any kind of situation. His family is his main priority. That's a fact.
My mom is a whole different story. She lives two different lives. One outside of the home where she is very calm and collective, well put together and well spoken. Her friends consist of many women who are around her age, but only see this one side. Sandra Ramos is one hell of a lady. She comes home from her 8 hour work day and gets to work. She takes off her makeup, heels, and nice clothing and changes into her workout gear. She whips out a mean dinner (Cuban of course) and calls all relatives from Miami to talk shit and gossip about the women she is friends with but cannot actually stand! My mom is a very unique character. I'll get into that more later. Blonde hair (dyed because obviously no Cuban has naturally blonde hair) and blue eyed with olive skin, my mom also stands out in a crowd. Her opinion and voice are always heard, even in her heavy Latina accent. " You have to show them who is boss. See, we live two lives, Lissette. One in the home and one outside. No one needs to know our private life because if they did, they'd call us crazy!" I cannot tell you how much I love this woman.
Then, theres my dad. Good old dad. He's a little more down to earth and keeps my mom sane. THANK GOD. Dad tries to act cool, like he actually knows whats up with the common culture. My older brother and I taught him how to text...So now, he thinks he is even cooler. Dad makes a mean Mojito...or two..or three if you're like me. Dad likes to show the world more of our real side, but mom thinks it should be more private. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for having someone like this in my life. It's like God planned it.
Oh, yeah. Then there's my brother, or my best friend, I should say. My older brother is currently studying to be a neuropsychologist (I have no idea how to even spell that). He's kind of like the star child. I'm proud of him for that, especially because WE balance each other out. Although he is more of an introvert and I am an extrovert, it works. Our talks and hangout times are amazing. Especially because half of them consist of the events that happened at dinner or the fact that some of our moms friends have NO idea how our family actually is. Well, the truth is we are loud, happy, we LOVE to cook good food, we talk over one another, we argue, we cry, we laugh, we dance, and listen to loud music. Our customs and daily routines are one of a kind. I mean seriously..who roasts a pig in a cement box shipped from Cuba for Christmas Eve? Or has "the normal thanksgiving food on thanksgiving." We celebrate it the Cuban way- with Cuban food and yes, we have a turkey. But this turkey weighs like 45390453 pounds and contains stuffing of all types of meats that have marinated and prepared by my mom. I could go on forever, but that's all for now! Stay tuned!