Healing Cuban-American Relations

摘要

Llego la fe. "Faith has arrived," exclaimed one of my nieces when I reached Matanzas, on the north coast of Cuba. That day I learned that Cubans describe their families in distant lands as La fe-familia en el extranjero ("family abroad")-or "faith/' in short form. The arrival of La fe traditionally brought temporary relief after long stretches of separation, when essential things, like aspirin or toothpaste, were scarce. The visit of a family member-sometimes after years of exile, and with talismanic proportions-was always accompanied by one or two petite luxuries that the relative managed to bring onto the island.