Located on the lower east coast of Florida the city of Miami is bordered by the Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Going east from the city the islands of Key Biscayne and Miami Beach help shelter the bay from the Atlantic Ocean, giving Miami a naturally protected harbor. The elevation of the city never rises above 40 feet and within most neighborhoods the elevation stays under 10 feet. The highest undulations are the Miami rock ridge which is found along the coast. A majority of the city lies on the shores of Biscayne Bay which contains hundreds of natural and artificially created islands, the largest being Miami Beach and South Beach.
Unique to only Miami, the dialect known as “Miami dialect” is widely spoken throughout the city. It originates from second or third generation Hispanics, including Cuban-Americans whose first language was not English. The dialect is close to a standard American accent, but with some changes from the dialects in the Mid-Atlantic. It incorporates pronunciation and rhythm influenced by Spanish. The administrative languages of Miami are English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. While Spanish is the most spoken language in Miami, there are others that speak different languages, just as you would find in any other big metropolitan city.
The culture of Miami has various influences, but for the majority it is Latin. People from Latin America including places like Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and many others have inhabited Miami for many of years now. While over half of the population were born in a foreign country it is common that people speak English just as much as Spanish. A key part to the Cuban community is called Little Havana, which gets its name from the Cuba’s capital city. This is a place fu...
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...are a subtopic marshland that are home to thousands of wildlife and plants. Miami is home to tropical weather which includes hot and humid summers, and warm winters. With the blessing of warm tropical weather does play in the fact that Hurricanes can occur. Usually Hurricane season runs from the beginning of June through November, but they can also occur beyond that time frame.
While Miami is experiencing some hard times during the past years, it is still a city full of life and opportunity. Cultures come together in Miami like a city unlike no other. It has the fame and glamor, but still suffers from poverty and corruption. It provides many of opportunities for people, especially those coming from Latin America. While Miami is still one of the biggest cities in the United States, I believe it will continue to survive and reclaim its title as the “Magic City”.
African, French, Portuguese, Haitian, Jamaican and Chinese immigrants helped to shape a musical and culinary heritage that 's distinctly Cuban. Cuban music exhibits an insistent beat, complexity and intensity that make it immediately recognizable around the world. The ingredients in Cuban cuisine may lack drama, but ultimately, they work together in perfectly spiced dishes that bring out new flavor notes in common ingredients" (HowStuffWorks). In Cuba, the most popular cooking style is called criollo in which the main ingredients are chicken, beef, pork, eggs, beans, rice and vegetables. Cubans use many common spices in their dishes. Some other Cuban dishes are empanadas, pan con bistec, arroz con pollo, and moros y cristianos. In Cuba western clothing has been worn for many years, but casual clothing is popular also. Latin styles of clothing like bright colored shirts and blouses and ruffled skirts have been in Cuban fashion as well as Afro-Cuban styles. Some popular Cuban holidays and celebrations are Liberation Day, International Women 's Day, Labor Day, and Christmas. There are a couple of popular sports in Cuba like boxing and football, but baseball is the most popular. Baseball is considered the national sport of Cuba. "The national baseball team of Cuba is easily the best in Latin America and often dominates regional competitions in this sport. The
Jamaica does not have regular seasons like we do. They have seasons based on how much rain they get. Hurricane season is from the months of June to November. When a hurricane comes the wind is anywhere from 100 to 200 miles per hour. Then can also cover about 50 to 500 miles and can last for several days. There are five categories of hurricanes; number one is 74 to 95 miles per hour, number two is 96 to 110 miles per hour, number three is 111 miles per hour, number four is 131 to 155 miles per hour, and the worst of all, number five, is more than 155 miles per hour.
Santería is a newly recognized religion within the United States. Many Americans who practice more traditional religions, such as Catholicism, and Judaism, find the practice of Santeria very odd and quite obscure. The preponderance of our society feels that the practice of animal sacrifice, prevalent in Santeria, is immoral and possibly offensive. One reason for this reaction could be that there is a major lack of understanding of this religion in our society.
Hispanic's influence in Florida dates back for more than 500 years when the Spanish arrived and began to establish their permanent settlements. I am proud to say I?m an American of Hispanic descent. As a second generation Cuban-American and a Native of Florida, it is important for me to learn and pass down the unique qualities and richness of my Hispanic roots, culture and traditions.
There have been several regions of United States that have gone through cultural changes throughout time. The indigenous people on the East coast went through a cultural change when the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. The people that lived in the North went through a cultural change when the French entered by the St. Lawrence River bringing their Roman Catholicism religion. The people that were living in what is now Alaska went through cultural change when the Russians entered the area with their new language and orthodox religion. More recently, the people of Miami have gone through cultural changes since the Cubans have entered Southern Florida. To understand the migration of Cubans to Southern Florida, one must be familiar with the history of Cuban migration, immigration policies, and their implications.
In understanding how my worldview was subconsciously constructed by my life experiences from the past nineteen years, I had to first think about my roots. I was born in Tampa, Florida to a Puerto Rican mother and white father. They divorced when I was too young to remember, and while I did have a relationship with my dad, I lived with my mother and was raised in a tight-knit Puerto Rican family, often times being cared for by my grandmother. I was an only child for ten years which I’m sure has impacted my personality, and at ten I got a baby sister whom I am very close to. Growing up in Florida was interesting because I was half white and half Hispanic, which mirror the main demographics of Florida well, but I never quite fit in with either group because while I look very white and this is what people perceive me as, I was not raised by the white side of my family but rather the Puerto Rican side. Still, I don’t quite fit into this group either because I don’t speak perfect Spanish at home and most Hispanic people treat me as an “outgroup” and not one of them.
Music and Art are two important factors in a society. They are apart of a neighborhood's History. They show how a community has lived, and what was important to the people and how they lived. The Art and Music during certain time periods can show how that community has grown and how it developed. There were many important artist and musician that played a big role in how Detroit, Michigan grew. They also had a big impact on the society of Detroit. Till this day those Artist and Musicians still have an impact on Detroit.
Cuba. The well-known island all over the world and located ninety miles south of Florida is the largest island of the West Indies. The island is popular for its natural beauty and cultural heritages. After the Cuban revolution that took place in 1950s, Batista regime was overthrown and new government was formed which was led by Fidel Castro. Since then Cuba was ruled by Fidel Castro until recently. In 2008, because of Fidel Castro’s illness, his brother Raul Castro replaced him. Many Cubans supported the Cuban revolution in the hope of seeing changes in Cuba; however after Castro seized the power in 1959, many left Cuba to find the better life and live free from the communist government in Cuba.
Just like other immigrating Latino groups, Cubans share the same stereotypes when they are categorized as criminals, violent and others as well as having to face barriers for employment, housing and economics. However, most of the discrimination that Cuban Americans face is due to their ties to their home country. For example, most Cubans are stereotyped as extremists who despise Fidel Castro. The main push factor for Cuban immigrants was the regime of Castro in their home country. In contrast, other Latino immigrants are mainly pushed out of their country because of economic reasons. Therefore, while Cuban immigrants are seen as extremists or anti-Castro activists, most other Latino immigrants are merely seen as immigrants who come to “take jobs”. As mentioned, Cubans are not categorized as immigrants who come to the United States in hopes for a better economic life, they are seen as political refugees who are in search of better political conditions. This is one of the main differences between Cubans and other Latinos, because of this, Cubans are thought to be more prosperous than other Latino groups. However, this is a faulty stereotype because, although some Cuban Americans are better off economically than most other Latino groups, the majority of them still face countless amounts of
As decades pass, Florida’s population continues to grow and change rapidly. Being from both Dominican and Puerto Rican decent, the difficulties Latin Americans encounter become obvious. Trying to make a comfortable living in any Hispanic country is not an easy task. Many Spanish families, for that reason, decide to move to the United States for a better standard of living. And many of these individuals have been able to achieve their goals in life considering their minority roles in our country. Since Florida is the first peninsula most travelers come across when arriving into the U.S., the individuals find themselves to stay. South and Central Florida have especially been common areas for Latin families. Therefore, having so many successful Hispanics around, can be very inspiring to a person.
Southern culture is based upon three main things. The south is known for its hospitality, language, and food. Here is a bit of an overview on the history and background of the Cajun culture and language. Cajun culture began with the arrival of French Acadians who migrated to and settled in what is now Louisiana mainly between 1765 and 1785 (Cajuns, 1996). Cajun French is a variety of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern parishes (Cajun French, 2016). The Cajuns spoke French almost exclusively until the 20th century. Many would learn English get along in an increasingly Anglo society as the 19th century progressed, but their main language was Cajun French. The basics of the language is their Acadian
Catholicism is the major religion of Cubans, which accounts for the 47% of the population, Protestants, 4%, Santeria, 2% and other African cults which are also being practiced by Catholics. The island’s political structure is Socialist republic and its official language is Spanish. The climate ranges from sub-tr...
It may not be the same as it was one hundred years ago, or even twenty years ago for that matter. But one thing makes that okay, culture is not written, nor are you born with it. We humans are taught to culture. And what I’ve learned and discovered on my own is that being Cuban means many things to me; it means music and loudness, a lot of family memories, and most definitely pride. To begin with, the Cuban culture is one of loud and joyous music.
The Spanish language is already a multicultural reality in the United States and Puerto Rico. Language nationalists cannot impede this natural process. The US must learn to embrace the Spanish language if not out of respect for multiculturalism, but the necessity of dealing with such a large hispanohablante population. Puerto Ricans should also learn to speak English just as other Americans should learn Spanish because that is true multiculturalism and it enriches us all.
Hurricane Irma is now taking a direct hit for Florida, millions of people have evacuated and more are planning to as it moves up the U.S. coast. Irma is still a category 4 hurricane and hit the Florida Keys on Sunday morning with powerful winds and huge storm-surge. “At 11 a.m. Sunday, the eye of Irma was heading toward southwest Florida, centered 80 miles south-southeast of Naples. The storm, packing peak winds of 130 mph, was crawling to the north at 8 mph. It was predicted to move up the west coast of Florida through the day Sunday and into Sunday night.” (Samenow and Porter). Millions of people are nervously awaiting to see what Hurricane Irma will do to their homes. This catastrophic hurricane is out of people’s control making it harder to wait for the