Tia Marta is abuelas sister, who lives in Hialeah, an area near Miami with a large Cuban population. Recently, while visiting with Tia Martas son and his children for the first time in many years, I was shocked to find that they hardly spoke any Spanish. While I try hard to preserve my roots, by reading in Spanish, listening to Spanish radio, and music and immersing myself in Latino culture, my father explained how when he was younger, being Latino was not cool. He, like many immigrants, wanted to be American, and this meant assimilating as much as possible.