Cuban Stories on The Green Plantain

A dual-language episode. First narrated in English and then in Spanish. The Spanish portion starts midway in the recording. This episode celebrates all mothers. I hope you enjoy it. I would like to tell you the story of a mother who has never given up supporting the cause for Cuba. Her name is Marina Vollmer, a Cuban of German and Spanish descent. This story begins in January of 1960, after the tr...

Cuban through Gastronomy is the story of Jami Erriquez, a chef who went to Poland and volunteered to work with the World Central Kitchen to help feed Ukranian refugees. She was stationed in Przemyśl near the Medyka border crossing between Poland and Ukraine. A dual-language episode. First narrated in English and then in Spanish. The Spanish portion starts midway in the recording. #TheGreenPlantain...

We want to honor the men who gave their best to try to liberate Cuba from Castro and honor their families, too. I'm speaking of Assault Brigade 2506, who left on their mission from Guatemala and Nicaragua – some on ships and others by plane on April 17, 1961. This story begins in 1959 when Fidel Castro was interviewed on the Ed Sullivan Show in January, a few days after President Fulgencio Batista...

A dual-language episode. First narrated in English and then in Spanish. The Spanish portion starts midway in the recording. This story comes from Fernando Leyva’s book titled Consejos para mis nietos, and it is set around 1961 and 1962. It tells his story of escaping a lifelong commitment to Cuban military service – which would have been from ages 15 to 60. Join us to listen to the story of how a...

A dual-language episode. First narrated in English and then in Spanish. The Spanish portion starts midway in the recording. Are you ready to start the month of love with a beautiful and inspiring story? Today's Green Plantain episode is dedicated to eternal love. In sixty years of marriage, this couple endured living their first years in a communist Cuba, emigrated to the United States, acclimated...

A dual-language episode. First narrated in English and then in Spanish. The Spanish portion starts midway in the recording. In this story, the Green Plantain brings you a four-generation family Christmas story which begins with a backstory set in Cuba and the arrival of Cruz and Eusebio Herrera and their four children to the U.S. through the Mariel Boatlift. What was Christmas like on the island?...

A dual-language episode. First narrated in English and then in Spanish. The Spanish portion starts midway in the recording. Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s time to look forward to the end of the year festivities. This month always brings a slue of memories, but it wasn’t until yesterday when I was preparing the next episode that I connected some of the dots in a new way. Specifically the last...

My sister Gloria, loved her adventures. In this episode you will hear how she got me to agree to go work at an orange packing house in Homestead, Florida. The adventure was not what we expected. I hope you enjoy this story.

Sometimes we think we know our family history and then we are surprised through technology. Intrigued? Listen to our incredible journey and friendship. Dos Cubanitas in the USA tied by a long-time family bond.

We welcome Betty Viamontes, a friend and author of the award Winning novel, Waiting on Zapote Street. Once again she has brought a gripping story to the pages of her latest book, Brothers: A Pedro Pan Story. In this episode, you will hear her reading from Chapter 15 - La Pecera, in English and Spanish. Thank you Betty!

This episode is a shout out to Aileen Vega, a Cubanita who is a fellow podcaster. Like me, she loves geneology and researching our Cuban roots. She is the producer and host of CubanFamilyRoots and is the Director of Corporate Training and Continuing Education at Middlesex College in Edison New Jersey. Because of our love for geneology, we connected through social media, topic specific groups, and...

Today’s episode is doubly special because we celebrate the first anniversary of the launch of this podcast series and share the story of Tomas and Luis Puig, father and son. This is a story of tangents, parallels, and possibilities. For me, it’s a Cuban-American story, an immigrant story that echoes so many others. So why is this story different? It’s different because it illustrates a historical...

There are people in the world who make instant connections with others. You know what I'm talking about, you start conversing, and the sound of their voice is so familiar that you connect at an almost microscopic level, even over a cell phone. So stay tuned to hear about the renowned Chef Pepín, the most loved Hispanic chef.

In the last episode, you heard about my unexpected anxiety attack and how I discovered I had fear of water and heights. Today’s episode illustrates a happy ending and that I’m no longer an “afraid of water” statistic. The entire story is available on Amazon in a book titled “Now I Swim - Ahora yo Nado.” Now I Swim - Ahora yo Nado is a celebration of my 17th swim anniversary!

With this episode I’m sharing a very personal story, the first of two episodes. This episode gives you a glimpse of what it’s like to have an unexpected anxiety attack and discover you have a debilitating fear of water. Gallup polls have been conducted to take the pulse of how many people carry this fear. They all agree that about 60% of Americans have a fear of deep water, and 45% have a fear of...

In line with the theme of love, this Green Plantain episode features two men, their friendship, and their passion for their land - Cuba. One is an entrepreneur who owns a taxi service company in Santa Clara, and the other is a biologist who farms in the Escambray mountains. Meet Rolando Gonzalez a biologist who leases a finca - a farm in the Escambray mountains in Cuba. Learn about his local biosp...

In line with the theme of love for community, you will hear the story of a Cubanito who gave his all to the community he lived in - San Felipe, Venezuela. This episode highlights how one man can change the course of many lives.

The city of Caracas, Venezuela, and the Village of Plandome, New York State have a man in common - un Cubanito. This week's episode of the Green Plantain features Alfredo (Al) Díaz and his love for community.

In line with the theme of love, today you will hear the story of a sister and a brother - Martina y Maximo - their bond, commitment and admiration which stood the test of time - the epitome of brotherly love. Martina y Maximo were born in Manajanabo, Cuba, and like many, their lives took roots in other countries - his in Venezuela and hers in the United States.

At the request of family members, and in line with this month's theme of love, I am sharing Jon and Sue's love story - our story. Jon was born and raised in Wisconsin, and after returning from the Vietnam War, he settled in the Miami area. I was born in Cuba, and spent my early exile years between Venezuela and the United States. Two different cultures and two different worlds merged. I present yo...

Today I would like to introduce you to Meylin Ruiz, a fifth-generation Cuban who lives in Santa Clara, Cuba, and works in Information Technology at the medical center. She gifts the world her smile and sweet disposition. In fact, her laugh is contagious. Meylin is not just an IT professional. She is not just a young Cuban woman. She is a poet and a dreamer. She is the Cuba of today. I present you...

This podcast is a copyrighted excerpt from the book, Cuban Exile Memories, Journeys of Courage and Resilience in the Pursuit of Freedom, written by Talek Nantes. Talek has always harbored a passion for her heritage and all things Cuban and her book is a compilation of stories from family and friends. We hope you find the following three memories interesting, and who knows, if you are an immigrant,...

Sapi-Sapi [Sæpee-Sæpee], a story written by Margarita and her sister Elsa, the Calleja sisters, is a childhood memory from their hometown Victoria de las Tunas, now known as Las Tunas, located in north-eastern Cuba. Sapi-Sapi is the story of an impoverished foreigner and how he became part of the fabric of their hometown. An endearing story.

Today’s feature is a historic story titled Green Arms like Snakes, as told to me by Cousin Teresa Fuentes-Sardiñas of how they survived the Battle of Santa Clara, Cuba at the end of 1958. This battle was crucial to Fidel Castro and on the morning of December 29th, Ché Guevara (El Ché) delivered his assault on the city. Sta. Clara became a battleground as B-26 bombers of the Cuban Air Force fought...

Episode 11 is titled The Pedro Pan Kids, and discusses Operación Pedro Pan (also known as Operation Peter Pan) where 14,000 unaccompanied children were sent to exile in the United States to avoid communist indoctrination in Cuba. The episode also includes an excerpt from Chapter 4 of The Pedro Pan Girls, written by Betty Viamontes, author of the award winning book, The waiting glass-enclosed area...