ONE more time, PLEASE!


It has been eight years since my brother visited the island and twelve years since we have been able to share time together. We finally had a family reunion, and this might have been the last we will be able to share with our grandmother. She has terminal cancer, and even though the doctors have warned us for years that her time is near, she surprises us by keeping a positive attitude year after year.     
She always says: “One more time, please! I want to celebrate my birthday one more time!”. So, for the past ten years we have fulfilled her desire to go all out on her birthday with themes such as: Spring Party, Tea Party, Garden Party, Pink & Gold Party, bringing in Mariachis, and of course Trios (traditional romantic old fashion music). We will continue to celebrate her birthday for as long as we have her, for it has given us the perfect excuse to stay together and celebrate together.   


            Hacienda Don Jando in the town of Quebradilla was the best place we could have chosen to celebrate our family’s reunion. It is a small restaurant with a warm atmosphere and an open balcony all decorated like a cultural melting pot. That decoration reminded me of my mother’s dysfunctional combinations, which at the end is harmoniously perfect. At the restaurant, iconic Puerto Rican hats were available to all visitors, giving the customer a sense of belonging and familiarity. 

             The food was excellent, but the most outstanding thing was their above and beyond customer service. Their employees are spontaneous, very attentive and if you take children, they create a very fun environment for them. This was a special attention that you could see was offered to every costumer. We spent a beautiful afternoon as a family. We laughed, we drank, we shared intense memories and we ate a wonderful meal that was as authentic as a homemade Puerto Rican meal.
            On the way back home, we visited the town of Aguadilla. For the first time we appreciated the modality of urban art expression. “Ciudad Museo”, joined with several Puerto Rican towns to paint urban sectors with vibrant colors and paintings expressing Puerto Rican symbols and traditions. 

          Over there we cooled off with a rich “Piragua”, a traditional cold drink of shaved ice with extracts of different flavors (Similar to Freezy).
With all these experiences as a family, we created a collage of memories that my brother will always have with him, and the rest of us will wait hopeful to be together again.







Comments

  1. UnknownJune 8, 2019 at 5:03 AM

    Disfrutè como narras la historia! Espectacularmente descrito. Me encanta 😍

    ReplyDelete

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