https://everythingspeakstome.com/files/original/721bb9ee9bd776f6c6d24f2a54c7045f.JPG ed4ae8ff3a7c278c83f812aae2823b61 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Miami Stories Description An account of the resource Real stories of life in Miami. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Please post your written submission in this field. The images you would like to include should be posted as attachments below. I had never been so relieved to hear the final singing of "Happy Birthday", or to hear the last time the car would start for the night. I remember listening to my favorite tunes in hopes of cheering up on the way home... reading every sign on the road to keep myself from being alone with my thoughts. I was looking forward to getting home and crawling into my bed so much. It was such a horrible day...such a horrible day and night. My body was in so much pain; mentally and physically I felt extremely beat up. Remembering the ringing in my ears, the sick feeling in my stomach, the burn on my face from very acidic tears flowing down my face all day, and the numb and puffy feeling all over... it gave me chills. I couldn't stop myself from reliving the entire day over and over again in my head as the ride home seemed to become endless. I just wanted to lay in bed and cry until I could not anymore. I wanted him to be there, so he could see what he had caused... so he could see how much pain I was in. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to hug him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to just cry in his arms and stay with him forever. Through the hurricane of thoughts in my head, I hadn't realized we were finally home. How did I get to bed? I don't remember any of it; all I could feel was my numb and aching body trying to finally shut down. I was in so much pain in every way possible. All I would hear in my mind was "Why... why? Why, why, why?". I couldn't cease the waterfalls of tears from flowing down my face- I wasn't sure why I was crying. As I fell into an endless loop of replays of my day, the world seemed fuzzy and blurry. My body reached its final exhaustion, I gave into sleep and my body fell into a deep slumber. I did not dream that night. I did not escape. I honestly wished to never wake up again... well no. I just wished to never have to relive a day like that for as long as I live. W͟a͟k͟e͟ U͟p͟ C͟a͟l͟l͟ “Agape”- Nicholas Britell https://youtu.be/mmK71ZfaZO4?si=3rbiJOOW9lNDKkBk&t=10 It was 5 am. I heard my alarm ringing and had never woken up so ecstatically. This was it. Today was the day! It was my birthday! My birthday and the day I'd make one of my biggest dreams come true (or so I thought). I was going to be able to spend all day and night with the man I love. We were going to go to my safe place (the beach) together, play games, eat, talk, and just have fun. Play in the Miami sun, surrounded by couples and people who love everything this beautiful city has to offer. I am personally a huge fan of the Miami beaches, and it was only right that I spend my day at a lovely beach. The night before, I had spent hours talking to him about everything we'd do. We were both so excited... I jumped out of bed and grabbed my phone to call him (he had told me to wake him up by calling him). I dialed- ring...ring...ring...- no answer. 'No worries' I thought to myself, 'he's probably still asleep'. I started getting ready, a few minutes had gone by- I tried calling again. Still no answer. I start panicking a little. It was 5:30 now, and Alberto (my sister's boyfriend) was supposed to pick him up. Alberto called me and told me he was waiting for him outside of his house. I started overthinking, did I tell Charlie (my boyfriend) the right time? He knew we were leaving at six, right? Did I say the wrong thing to him? I was seriously freaking out now, and Alberto noticed. I told Alberto to do everything he could to try to wake someone up in that house. He threw pebbles and banged on the door, heck he even managed to wake up the dog, but no one else woke up. I kept calling Charlie but nothing... my heart broke as I began to think the worst- he wasn't going to make it. I tried calling his parents, his sister, everyone- still nothing. I told Alberto to come back and he did- seeing him and my sister so happy and in love made my heart so full, it made me so happy seeing them happy, but I did wish I was doing the same with my lover... They had the beautiful love I longed to have too... My parents were now aware of what was happening, and they decided to let us leave by 7 to give Charlie more time in case he did wake up. I locked myself in my room to cry, and everyone else was packing up the car. All I'd think of is "why, why today, why?". I was sobbing. We left without him... S͟a͟l͟t͟y͟ “Ebb Tide”- Frank Chacksfield https://youtu.be/BrXsvNuGrxU?si=wVH1wqIJ0-foSaz6&t=26 I spent the morning crying, admiring the beautiful Miami city with a broken heart. We ate breakfast at a Colombian café- an elderly couple was giggling while enjoying a shared cup of coffee sitting outside. It reminded me of him. There was also a couple in line with us that was arguing jokingly, they were laughing and hugging. I longed to feel love too... Everywhere I looked there was love. I spent the car ride constantly crying, everything reminded me of him. I knew deep down no matter how much I wanted to scream at him for making me feel so much pain, I just couldn't. He was my family. The whole morning everyone was trying to cheer me up, my family, random strangers, and the workers at the bakery... it was very sweet, and it really showed me the sense of "family" in my community- everyone seemed to be united by love. Even that reminded me of him- as I said, he was my "family". I fell in and out of sleep during the entire car ride and before I knew it, we were at the beach! It was around 10 am now and still no sign of him. No sign of him, his parents, or anyone. 'No big deal, they're all asleep probably.' While I walked on the beach, I saw all the different people around me- families, children, couples... I'd hear various Hispanic songs around me. It felt like home. There was so much love and joy all around me. The whole time, however, I couldn't help but think of my "home", my "family". The people and things that surrounded me, they were all connected by love- my parents loved me, my sister and Alberto loved each other... I missed him so much. Everywhere I looked, there was love. I was tired from swimming in the ocean, so I went to have a seat and grab a snack. Naturally, I grabbed my phone to see if I had gotten anything from him or his family. Nothing. I was losing hope, I thought he was just another one for the books. I was seeing myself dumping him because of this, but deep down I knew I'd never do so...I loved him too much. Even though we had only been together for a few months, I saw my entire future with him- I was madly in love. My mom approached me and asked if I had gotten anything. When I told her no, she got upset and was saying bad things about him, I tuned her out completely. I understood why she was upset- she loves me and doesn’t want to see me hurting over a silly boy. I couldn’t help it, I just wanted him to love me the way everyone else loves each other. I felt a buzz in my lap- it was his older sister calling me. I was so hurt- he doesn't call me, but his sister does. Wow. I talked with her, and she told me he didn't want to talk to me because he was so embarrassed and ashamed, I just shook it off and told her it was fine (no it wasn't fine, not at all). It felt pointless talking to her, but we did, and I forgot the rest. I went back to swimming and being distracted. I made some friends and played with younger kids, it was fun and very heartwarming. There was something about the bond I felt- it was a mutual bond; I didn't know these kids, but I felt connected to them- like they were my family. This was something only my community had, everyone around me was connected by some unknow force, a force like love (no matter in what form). Time was going by so slowly yet so fast. Everywhere I looked, there was love. S͟e͟r͟e͟n͟i͟t͟y͟ “Encuentro”- Tito Puente https://youtu.be/3rf5XrxicJg?si=Q0mVyGLOb1lf9DqC My phone was off for most of the day. I did not want to hear from anyone. He was the only thing on my mind all day. I could not focus, my stomach felt sick. I do not know how to describe such a sick but lovely pink feeling... It was evening now; people were gathering from all around to watch the sunset (we were on Naples beach, the sunsets there are very beautiful). It was so wholesome seeing everyone gather to enjoy the view. There was such a sense of unity and bonding in the air. Everyone was being joined together by love- in this case by love for gorgeous sunsets. Love was all around. Yet I still felt empty. I decided to turn my phone back on... Lord and behold he got back to me; they all did, but I was only concerned with him. He apologized for everything, and boy was I glad to know his phone was still working. I was so disappointed I honestly did not want to even answer. I didn't have the heart to just not reply. I called him, it was so emotional, the world was pink (literally), and I had tears in my eyes. We talked and it just felt like all the bad was gone, I felt at home again. It broke my heart in all honesty, but hey that's love. I was watching the sunset and hearing his sweet voice telling me the beauties of love just made me so happy. I felt my heart leaping with joy, but the scars were still there. Writing this all now is making me extremely emotional. I remember the warm feeling I had in me... I wish I could have felt that way forever. “Nadie merece tus lagrimas, y el que las merezca, que nunca te haga llorar.” (“No one deserves your tears, and whoever deserves them, may he never make you cry.”) That’s something a good friend of mine told me that day. It stuck with me, and it lingered in the back of my head for eternity... As the sun hid from view and the world grew dark, so did my love, we said goodbye- the sorrow filled my heart once again. The world was no longer pink. That moment of pure magic vanished as quickly as it appeared. Oh, how I long for that moment to come back to me one day. Everywhere I looked there was love... where was my love? C͟y͟c͟l͟e͟s͟ “Fools Rush In”- Buddy Rich https://youtu.be/hfWEFPq8tOc?si=260TquC2Fti4tBzG&t=42 We went back home, and of course, I was crying the entire way back. I didn't know any better. I longed to feel love too... We pulled into the driveway and my parents suggested we go out for dinner; it was late already (9:34 pm to be exact). My stepdad had told me to call Charlie to see if he could make it. My mom got upset and said, "Why should she do that? He didn't have the courage or care to show up anywhere today, he didn't even answer the phone!". It hurt immensely seeing the situation was so complicated, but at least it felt nice that they, or at least one of them was trying to cheer me up. I rushed to shower and get dressed and I called him. My parents were arguing about the situation- I told him this, "They're going to call you to go out to dinner with us, please don't answer the phone my love..." I didn't want his presence to stir up more commotion than what there already was. I knew him being there would only make it worse. Telling him not to go shattered my heart, he listened to me and understood why I did not want him to go. I was calming down but then broke into tears. I was sobbing. No one heard me except my sister, and she rushed to comfort me. I told her what was going through my mind, and she just listened and hugged me. My baby sister also came to hug me. They were there for me, they loved me. This bond we had, united by our family love and our love for each other. Everywhere I'd look, I'd see love... but where was my love? I felt just as brokenhearted as I did when I woke up. H̲o̲m̲e̲ “Dos Gardenias”- Buena Vista Social Club https://youtu.be/I0pTDYHRBeg?si=UXBeEewCDE-spizJ I don't know where we went, I believe it was somewhere near Miami Beach. Wherever it was, you could feel the MIAMI in this place. There was a sense of vibrant Hispanic culture, live music, and the smells of amazing food, the whole place was buzzing with life. We were walking by clubs and restaurants, every single one had live music- conga players, bass players, amazing singers; you could feel the life and culture of Miami. It was so beautiful. It felt like love. Oh, how I loved Miami- the culture and vibe was immaculate and could never truly be described in words. We walked around for some time, I took the pleasure of listening to some fantastic live music, we danced under the stars, and for a second, I forgot about the terrible day I had. We finally arrived at the restaurant, it was a cute Mexican spot that my sister and had boyfriend had been to before (I forgot the name). We ate some overpriced tacos and shared plates together, and for the first time that day, it felt like we were all really bonding together. We were bonding through love. I disassociated though. I could not bear to feel happy when I knew such a great part of me was still missing. My "other half" wasn't there. I was so full yet so empty. I got up to go to the bathroom with my sister and wash up. We came back to some great commotion, clapping, and singing... they had gotten us a giant birthday milkshake and everyone in the restaurant was singing Happy Birthday for us. It felt surreal, everyone in that restaurant was singing loud and proud, as if they had known us forever... like family... they seemed to love us even though we were complete strangers. I almost broke down crying, but I stayed strong and gave it my best smile. We drank the milkshake together and ate the cake, it was all very delicious. Everywhere I looked, I'd see love... but where was my love? E͟p͟i͟l͟o͟g͟u͟e͟ “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme”- Justin Hurwitz https://youtu.be/D3ovuBdbUqk?si=IwmZ94muhGiBZe1C Despite having my heart shattered the entire day, and crying endlessly- I was still somewhat happy with how the day went. Even though I was missing my "home" and my "family", I still felt very melancholic seeing that everyone around me was so united and bonded. It seemed like one great big family, all united by love. Be it love for coffee, love for the beach, love for nature, love for music, love for being surrounded by things we love, you name it. I feel extremely euphoric when I see others around me happy, even if I am extremely heartbroken, seeing others smile and share their joy and love with the world, that makes it all the worthwhile for me. I get no greater joy than that from being a part of my loving community, we all have love here, even if we all are going through our own pains and troubles, love is what unites us all. Though my day ended with me in bed crying, these were bittersweet tears. Bittersweet because I was happy yet so sad; I had such an immense love and passion in me, I felt all mushy and jumpy inside, but my heart was still aching. I laid down to rest and found myself overwhelmed with love. I was so in love, I was so happy, but I had a heavy heart. The world was blurring again, and I couldn't think straight. I was crying again but this time it was with a great feeling of lovesickness. I reminisced on the day I had, the little moments where love was the only thing keeping me together. Everywhere I looked, I'd see love, everything I felt was love, I found love in me, but longed to have love next to me... Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Weepy Day Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dayanara Sanchez Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 09/25/23