by Gabriela Gallo
Summer air, rocking chair, and mango sweetness in the air. As a child born and raised in Cuba, mango slices on a summer day while sitting on my rocking chair watching tv are some of the most vivid memories I have of my early life. Mango slices, compote, or juice, no matter its form, I love it.
Upon arrival in the United States, it was not the same to find the mango that I loved, with all of the different varieties in the supermarkets. Then, at eight years old we moved to a house in Westchester, Florida, my current home, and where the mango of my eye resides. In the back of the home are two of my most beloved trees, mango and avocado. Not because they are my own, but because both the mangoes and avocados that are grown in my home are like no other. Since moving to this house, my summers take me back to my younger days, sucking on a mango pit as the juice runs down my hand.
My mango tree is outstretched over my home and my neighbors, offering them sweetness in their own backyards. Surrounded by aloe plants, she gives life not only to her fruits, but to the succulents at her feet as well. My perfect mango is delicately sweet, has no inner fibers, and is the size of my outstretched hand. The mangoes grown in my backyard are like no other, they bring sweetness and my childhood to life, one mango at a time.
Gabriela is 21 years old and lives in Miami, Florida. She is a full time student majoring in Biology.