1. CubaAsturiasMY ORIGINS Maria Cristina Fernandez-SoberaUnited StatesCanary Islands

2. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS PATERNAL Josefa AlvarezAndres Fernandez GarciaShe was native of Asturias, Spain. WhenHis lineage can be traced back to Northern Spain. Bornshe was of age she worked as a lady inin Asturias, Spain on February 5th, 1882 and grew upwaiting for an Argentinian woman. Shethere with many siblings. When he was of military age helived and traveled the world with her employer. One day while visiting family inSpain, she met Andres. He proposed that they marry immediately and move to Cuba. Her response was that if in a year, he still felt the same, they would meet in Spain andfled Spain to Havana, Cuba. He received training in bread making and saved money to start his own business. He went to visit his parents and family still in Asturias and met his wife Josefa. He agreed to meet her in Spain again within a year and tied the knot. The young couple returned to Cuba and settled down in a new town called Ciego de Avila. He had two Sons, Andres and Juan. Theymarry. The following year afterworked with their father and established a bakery thatcorrespondence with Andres they were inprovided bread to many municipalities. He later got intolove and married. She moved to Cuba withthe real-estate business and bought land and built houseshim and started a family. She settled inthat he would rent to his employees.Ciego de Avila. 3. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS PATERNAL Juana Maria AlfonsoZacarias MartinezBorn in Bolondron, Cuba on January 7th, 1900.Zacarias was from Spanish decent. Born in Havana, Cuba inShe had three siblings. She met her husband andthe late 1800's. During the War of Independence, his entiresettled in Ciego de Avila while caring for her twofamily died due to a plague except his brother Francisco. Theyounger siblings after her parents death. Shebrothers separated and went to go live in different parts ofdedicated her life to raising a family. She laterCuba with other relatives. Zacarias moved to a place calledmoved with her husband to Havana. There theAuagda de Pasajeros near Cienfuegos. Motivated and longingcouple had two children. She would help herto succeed, he later moved to Ciego de Avila and created thehusband in all she could also participating in thefirst line of passenger buses. His brother Francisco joined him.tobacco business. After the death of her husbandThey had invested in three buses. An accident occurred, andand the triumph of the Revolution, she fled Cubaone bus was burnt. They lost the business. He met Juana at awith her daughter to the United States. Sherelatives home. Soon after they married. After the loss of hisreceived medical treatment and passed away here.business, he and his wife settled in Havana and had two Children. They would make ends meet by making tobacco cigarettes at night. He would sell them during the day while his children attended school. He eventually became a realtor and was successful. He died of pancreatic cancer on September 29th, 1958. 4. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS MATERNAL Fabiana Maria AlfonsoConcepcion MartinezBorn in Bolondron, Cuba on January 20th,Of Spanish descent and eldest of six, the death of his1904. She was the youngest daughter. Shefather caused him to be in charge of the family farmbecame an orphan at a young age and went to live with her older sister and her husbandand affairs. The farm located near Ciego de Avila, Cuba; in a town known as Vicente. Concepcion or Concho as nicknamed, later borrowed money fromin Ciego de Avila. While living there, shebanks and started his own farm called Dosmet Concho and got married. They hadHermanas. The farm was 540 hectares of land. Hethree children, Lilia, Berta and Raul.grew a slew of crops; mangos for export. He met hisTragedy struck the family when duringwife visiting a relative of his Zacarias. Fabiana MariaCastros revolution, her son killed by rebels. The family pulled together and prospered.wasJuan's sister, who was Zacarias wife. They married and had three children. 5. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS MATERNAL Ignacio Perez DiareElodia Escobar Martin Born December 6th, 1890 and anative of Orotava, Canary Isles. She became a nurse beforeBorn August 8th, 1884 in the Port of Orotava, Canary Isles. He met Elodia and married. They journeyed to Cuba by boat and lived in Varadero for some months until he found a job at a farm. He had 9 children. Later in life, hemeeting Ignacio and marrying.suffered an accident that broke his back and caused him toShe started her life with herwalk hunched-over. He continued to work as a farmer untilhusband and birthed 9 children.his death. He was very family oriented and continuouslyShe became a midwife, because of her medical background and experience. She also died of old age near Ciego de Avila, Cuba.tried to unite his family on Sundays. Unfortunately, there are no pictures available. He died of old age near Ciego de Avila, Cuba. 6. MY GRANDPARENTS PATERNALJuana Bertina MartinezBorn in Havana Cuba on November 1st, 1923. She loved academia and went on to complete two years of pharmacy school. She was a hard worker. When she was young she helped her parents making tobaccos at night while sheAndres Fernandez AlvarezBorn on August 28th 1923, he was a native of Ciego de Avila, Cuba. He had a brother named Juan who was older. He went to school, and when he was in thirdattended school by day. She married Andres on Decembergrade, he was helping his father in the bakery and31st, 1942. Three years later she gave birth to a boy namedsuffered an accident that severed the three fingers of hisJorge Luis. They lived in Ciego de Avila, Cuba. Her husbandright hand. He could not go to school and fell behind. Hepassed away from complication with chicken pox, and shewas self taught. He later owned a bakery called Lawas a widow at the age of 36. She helped her son run theAvilena. He specialized in bread and crackers. Hebakery until the government seized their assets. Her mothers health had deteriorated, and she fled the country on the freedom flight. She started her life over in Miami. She initially worked in factories. Then she got hired as data entrymarried Bertina when he was 19 years old. They had Jorge Luis, and he was very family oriented and an amazing father, but a workaholic. Diagnosed with stressin Miami Dade County where she worked until she passed.disorder and forced to rest, he went on vacationsShe died of pancreatic cancer on July 31st, 1990.regularly. He then contracted the chicken pox and died of a stoke on May 28th, 1959. 7. MY GRANDPARENTS MATERNALLilia Martinez AlfonsoRodosvaldo Perez EscobarBorn on August 22nd, 1930 near Ciego de Avila, Cuba.Born on September 25th, 1932 in Vicente, Cuba. He had 9Her family was of Spanish decent, though she was a secondsibling and was from very humble origins. He was a farmergeneration Cuban. She was the youngest of three and grewand had a wonderful voice. He was always lending aup on the farm her father owned and worked. She methelping hand to all. He married Lilia after they met while heValdo and married him. They stayed on the farm workingworked on her fathers farm. He later ran the farmthe land for some years. She had two girls that were 13alongside and in-law. After the marriage had failed and theymonths apart. Later they moved to the city of Ciego dedivorced, he moved to the city of Ciego de AvilaAvila, where she worked in the post office for some years.permanently. Where he worked running a gas station. HisThen she returned to the farm and had a boy. After 28life long dream was to one day visit the United States. Heyears of marriage, she divorced Valdo and decided to travelcould not gain entry to the US. After the diagnoses of Louand visited Russia and the United States in 1988. SheGarrett's disease, he passed on August 10th, 1996.returned to Cuba and in 1999, moved back to the US to live with her daughter and son in law. Then she returned to Cuba and stayed there. She died on July 30, 2009. 8. MY PARENTS Maria del Carmen Perez MartinezJorge Luis Fernandez MartinezBorn on September 1st, 1953 on the farm Dos Hermanas,Born on February 12th, 1945 in Ciego de Avila, Cuba. He went tonear Ciego de Avila. She was the eldest of three. She wentprivate schools and was an excellent student and athlete. At theto school and at 10 years old, her mother was ill after theage of 8, he asked his father if he could deliver bread with hisbirth of her little brother, so she took care of him, and the household duties. She fell in love with Jorge Luis and married him on December 23rd, 1967. They were back and forth between Ciego de Avila and the farm in Vicente.grandfather in the mornings. Later, he learned how to keep the books and make bread and crackers. After his fathers untimely death, he took over the business. He met his first wife when he was 17 years old, got married and had a boy named Andres. They soon divorced. Jorge got sick and went to his great aunts farm toMaria went back to school and later got a job in a bank inrest where he met his wife, Maria. They got married, and he wentCuba. They had a daughter after 12 years of marriage. Theback and forth between Vicente and Ciego de Avila. He got afamily relocated to Miami, where she studied computerMasters in Economics. Twelve years after their nuptials, theyprogramming and later worked for an insurance company.finally had a daughter. In 1985, the family relocated to the UnitedWhen it went out of business, she dedicated herself to be aStates. He worked at several banks and got hired in the US Postalfull time mom. She is currently a licensed nail technician.Service from which he retired in 2011. 9. MARIA CRISTINA FERNANDEZ -SOBERA Born in Ciego de Avila, Cuba on October 1st, 1980 into a loving home. I have a half brother Andres that is 16 years my elder. When I was 4, my parents decided to leave the Cuba. We would journey to the United States and live with my Grandmother, Bertina. She had left Cuba on the first freedom flights and had established herself in Miami, Florida. We arrived in Miami on May 17, 1986. I attended public school and graduated in 1999 from Southwest Miami Senior High. I also was extremely lucky to meet a woman named Hilda Carreno, who was a piano teacher and took me under her wing. She taught me without charging my parents. She became my grandmother because my fathers mother passed due to cancer. Later, I completed my music theory education at the age of 12. She allowed me to teach her young students. I fell in love with the teaching profession. I completed my training as an Organist and Pianist by the age of 17. I went to college for almost 2 years and met the love of my life, Sander Sobera. We got married had a beautiful girl named Isabelle. I currently have my own piano academy and continue to live in Miami.