Childhood Summers, Then and Now
How vacation fun changed from first to second generation
The week after school ended for the summer, my nine year old daughter, Grace, started a camp that mostly focuses on academics. Next up, she’s got a swim camp for a couple of weeks. Then it’s on to musical theater to round out the summer.
These are all thanks to her mom, who signs her up and takes her to all these classes. As a kid, my ex-wife spent her time after school locked in her apartment, not allowed to play outside by her parents because the neighborhood was too dangerous. I think she may be living vicariously through our daughter.
In a recent article, Alec Zarenkiewicz mentions summertime as ideal for exploring cultural heritage. For me, summers as a kid meant a couple of months on my Grandmother’s (Abuela’s) property in Puerto RIco. La Fermina was the name of the piece of land my family lived on. It’s in Las Piedras, a small town on the east side of the island.
Abuela’s house was at the top of a huge dirt hill, with my aunts’ and uncles’ homes beginning at the bottom and continuing along the way. The family matriarch purchased the land from the US government for $1 in the 1940’s, and had several homes built for her children. All the kids would walk up and down the rocky road barefoot, accustomed to living a…
