HAMA

Happy summer! It's BEACH TIME! This year was particularly stressful and hectic for me for various reasons but I am finally glad that it is summer and I can relax a bit on a nice, warm beach with a Corona in one hand.

Raised in a Puerto Rican household in Key Biscayne (just off the city of Miami), it isn't hard to imagine that I spent the majority of my childhood on a beach.  I don't think I will ever be able to live far from a beach.  Well... at least not for too long. :)

This is my sister and I when we were little (my sister, Catalina, is the blonde one): ------->

I am almost done with college, finally.  I have one more class to complete my minor in engineering which I am taking in the first summer term, so I will be done with my studies in late June.  In the meantime I am searching for job opportunities in various architecture offices around Miami, the US, and also abroad and hopefully I will find something so that I can start working in August or September!

But for now I want to enjoy the beach as much as possible since I have a lot more time on my hands.

This past weekend my family and I spent time in my uncle's condo which is situated right on South Pointe in Miami Beach.  His building is the Continuum - fun fact, Lil' Wayne owns the penthouse.

Sadly my uncle passed away from an accident while eating at Smith and Wollensky about a year and a half ago... Long story short, his untimely passing left us (mostly my mom) scrambling to try and sell his apartment so that we could pay off all of his debts with the hope that there will be enough money leftover for my grandmother in the end.  I can't wait until the apartment is finally sold so that my family can have some peace of mind and finally be able to fully move on from this.

Last week we finally got an offer.  It is not what we had hoped to sell it for but it is good enough and my mom is yearning to get this out of her hair.  The deal is set to close by the end of the month.  In the meantime, my family has been trying to enjoy the high-end beach, pool, and spa facilities of the Continuum.  

A good friend and I at the balcony of my uncle's
apartment

It is definitely bitter-sweet.  You are pampered and treated very well at the Continuum from the moment you step out of your car as if you were in a luxurious hotel.  My uncle's apartment (on the 36th floor) has arguably the best view in all of Miami.  The building is also arguably on the best spot of the best beach in Miami.  Still... it is very hard for my family. As soon as we stepped into my uncle's old flat, tears started streaming down my grandmother's eyes.  My mom, dad and I tried to console her but it is hard to see the apartment so empty now.  You almost half-expect my Tio Jorge to walk around the corner and hear his thunderous laugh bounce off those walls again.

I hope he is at peace in the sky with his father, grandfathers and everyone else in the family up there that he adored and admired so dearly.

HAMA 浜 is the word for "beach" or "shore"

Hiragana: はま

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