Friday, March 21, 2014

The Heights



    I didn’t grow up in the Dominican Republic, but my whole family did, as a child my parents took me there every summer. I’m the only child in my family that was born in New York City. Because of that, my sisters and brothers like to call me the “Americana” ( the American). Even though I was born here in the U.S, Spanish was my first language, coming from a big Spanish speaking family I had no choice but to learn it before English. I lived in the Bronx my whole life, but when I go and visit my family in Washington Heights it’s like I’m in the Caribbean again.  Washington Heights is also known as little Dominican Republic in Manhattan. I don’t always go and visit D.R as much as I would love to but when I go downtown I feel like I’m there. when I want to feel close to my country I love visiting uptown Manhattan especially during the summer, when the terms often used by Dominicans such as “Dimelo” and “Que lo que” for (“What’s up”) are heard from every block, when you see the old folks playing dominoes in the middle of the streets of Broadway, the sound of Bachata music blasting from vehicles and apartment buildings,  and of course the smell of “Mangu” in the morning, is just priceless. If there is one thing I love about the heights is the food! Every restaurant serve delicious food for example “El Malecon restaurant, la casa del mofongo, and the Margot restaurant” these are ones of the best restaurants on Broadway. While researching on Washington Heights I learned that there are more Dominicans in the heights then Dominicans in the Dominican Republic. And will be even more in the future.  

                                                                   Work Cited  

Chris Caruso "Washington Heights Today" Macaulay Honors College at City College. February 2011
The Peopling of New York 2011. web March 21, 2014

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