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Operation Pedro Pan

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Niurka A's Story

On August 12, 1962 my brother Fernando (Fernan who was turning 8 years old a month later) and I, 14 years old at the time, boarded a plane leaving our parents behind, hoping that they would follow us a week later as planned.

After saying our goodbyes and hugging our parents, we entered La Pecera (the fish bowl which was a glass enclosure in the shape of a fish bowl.) My Dad was not allowed in, so he stayed outside while my Mom came inside with us. We were asked to remove our clothes and we were searched like criminals. We each had a suitcase with enough clothes for a week. The people at the airport slashed the lining to make sure we were not transporting anything, then they told us that one suitcase would be plenty for the two of us, so they kept one. In addition, my earrings and my gold chain were removed, a small scissors my mother had packed for us also was taken away.

We boarded the plane and all I remember is looking back at our beautiful island and then it was all gone forever. I have never been back. We arrived in MIA and my Aunt Tula and other relatives were there waiting for us. It was scary, as I did not know who to look for, there were so many people there. I remember hugging my brother's shoulders as we we crossed the runway.

The plan upon arrival in Miami was to stay with my aunt for a week or so while we waited for my parents, it was my understanding that this would only take a few days. The week became two weeks and they did not get to leave, and then 2 months passed. The Cuban Missle Crisis took care of the rest, it changed our lives forever. It was not until 2 years later that we saw our parents again. They arrived in July of 1964 through Mexico City, with very expensive false visas to make the trip possible.

The biggest dissappointment was when my parents thought they were able to leave Mexico City and meet us in Miami. We received notice they were coming. A van took my brother and I to the airport and we saw the plane land. We watched people come out, one by one until no one else came out. They were not there....They had to wait 45-60 days to establish residence in Mexico City in order to get a visa to come to USA. I cried all the way to the camp. When they actually came, they never gave us notice. I was in my room talking to the girls when my Mom stepped in and said " Hola Niurka". I just could not believe my eyes. Behind her was my father. That was the happiest day I had in 2 years.

Our stay with our dear aunt Tula was a short one. A few days later we were taken to Florida City. My parents did not want us to be a burden to my aunt, and I am sure the conversations that took place without us being present determined that the plan they had was not going to work, and every day the chances of my parents leaving Cuba became slimmer and slimmer.

Fortunatelly because of my brother's young age he was able to stay in Florida City across the chain link fence and not sent to Matecumbe, Kendall or Opalocka. This gave us the chance to see each other every day and talk about the hopes we had to see our parents again. I remember we used to sit on the benches outside and write our letters.

My brother and I were born in Camaguey and I attended El Colegio Teresiano until I was nine years old when we moved to Holguin where my mother was born. My father was from Santiago. We lived in Holguin from 1957 until 1962. I attended Lestonac Catholic School until they deported all the nuns and my parents took me out of school. My brother attended Los Maristas.

Once Castro decided to show his true colors and make it a law a few months after taking over, that parents had no rights to their children but his govenment did; in addition we were to be sent to the Soviet Union and cut cane on the fields and be indoctrinated with communism, my parents frantically started the process.

I remember we used to sit on our front porch at night and dream of the day we would leave Cuba and start a new life in a different place where there was freedom. My parents made it sound like this was going to be the most exciting part of our lives. Whether he belived that, or just talked about it that way to keep us from being scared, I will never know.

While at Florida City, if it were not for the daily letters my parents wrote to us and the daily letters I wrote to them, it would have been unbearable. Those were the longest two years of my life. During the two years in Florida City, we were called to the social worker's office often, and we were offered to go to other states and live with other families. They made it sound so good, but we stayed put, with the great hopes that our parents would arrive anytime soon. There was also the fear my brother and I would be split up, and we were not going to take the chance. My mom told me "You do not let them take you anywhere, stay and wait together."

I give so much credit to my parents to make such a grand sacrifice to let us go, so we were able to be free from communism. I also feel so very lucky that we were one of the fortunate children that were able to see their parents again. I know those days were not memorable days for the children. We all wondered if we would ever see our parents again. We had no love, no support, nothing. I am also so very grateful to live in the most wonderful country in the world, and to be free!

I cannot remember dates and when it happened. I was in a house with these horrible houseparents, they were so mean, and uncaring and ill minded. I was so naive, I could not understand where they were coming from. If we had a good friend, and we hugged and said goodnight, there were evil thoughts that came across that woman, thoughts I could not even understand. I was never exposed to the words she used. One day she said hugging is not allowed. She was absolutely the worst person that held a house parent job there, she was not qualified. I only remember her first name, cannot even remember his name. He was a lot better than she was. I certainly remember what they both looked like. In my mind they represent a nightmare.

Then as a gift from heaven,they took the house away from them and demoted them to the infirmary. I am sure there was a reason, I have no idea what they did to cause this change, then my brother got Chicken Pox. Now she was in charge of him. I cried, and spent the days there protecting him, because I was not sure what she would do to him. I knew she did not like me and I did not trust her, and I was afraid she was going to get back at me through my brother. I told my brother that he was to report anything to me inmediately so I could go to the social worker and tell them. Nothing happened according to him, but those two weeks were hard on him and me.

When the house was taken away from them,the girls in the house were sent to different homes and I think my new houseparents were Oscar and Carmen Castillo. What wonderful couple they were. I felt loved, cared for and I could talk to her about my feelings and my parents. Even after my parents took me home they still communicated with them. They had no children and they just were wonderful. I hope I am getting their names correct. I can remember so well what they look like, but names are hard to remember.

I met some nice friends at the camp, one ended up marrying my cousin in California. Her name is Maria Rizo, her house was next to mine, she came in 1961, now Maria Gutierrez who married my cousin Tony. All of us from Camaguey, but he and she never met until they made the move to California. About the same time I moved to California their engagement was announced to my surprise. The rest of the girls I shared the house with, I have never found, so I am hoping this is a way to connect. I did not have many friends there, but the ones I had were especial. I choose my friends carefully.

I have spent the last 45 years not wanting to have any part of this. I however, have been getting information from Pedro Pan for 9 years now, but never wanting to connect with anyone. I told my parents the day they came that 1962-1964 did not exist and I never wanted to talk about those two years. When my Mom would mention the camp, I would tell her I did not want to talk about it.

I had lots of pictures from the camp, pictures I took every week to send to my parents so they could see we were happy and well, and they did not have to worry. We never told them we hated the camp. I got rid off all those pictures within the first year after they came. I now see that was foolish as I would like to remember the friends I made there. I have a foggy memory of names, but I remember many faces. I have tried to block this part of my life for so long I have forgotten names.

My brother sent me the book Operation Pedro Pan by Yvonne M. Conde nine years ago, and it was difficult to read about the terrible experiences some of the children suffered. Some of those children I knew. I quote my brother's message on the inside cover of the book "It was difficult but the experience made us stronger".

As our family started all over again, as all of the parents did, we settled in Miami. We got with the help of the church a one bedroom aparment on Calle 8 above a furniture store. It was a two room apartment one bedroom, a bathroom, and one room that had the kitchen, dining area and living room (where my parents put our two beds). It was the smallest place I have ever lived, but I was so very happy to be with my family!!

My parents got a job, my mother had never worked in her life but she got up every day to take the bus at 6 am to work at a factory. Things got better after a while, and we moved to a duplex that had two bedrooms. Now I did not have to sleep in the living room anymore!! I was even happier eventhough I had to share the room with my brother.

I graduated from Miami High School. We moved to California after graduation and I attended UCLA. I watched my parent start to rebuild their lives again. My parents soon became successful as all Cubans do because they worked hard. I was so very proud of them. They started a business and bought a beautiful home. They rebuilt their lives for the 3rd time.

I met Tom, my husband of almost 38 years in California. We have two wonderful boys, Larry turning 36 next month and Christopher turning 32 in August. I decided to go into the Real Estate business in 1980 and became a real estate broker. I love what I do. You can visit me at niurkasells.com.

My Dad passed away 13 years ago this month. My Mom is still alive she is 84 yrs old, and lives 10 minutes away from me. My brother is a very sucessful business man retired in Coral Gables. He married a Cuban girl named Maria Menendez another Pedro Pan who came at age 7,and they have three children.

About 4 years ago my husband and I on our way back from the Caribbean visited my brother and he decided to take us to Florida City. I had mixed feelings, but when I got there and he drove us aroud the camp which is now residential, I was able to pin point the chapel,the dining hall, our dancing room, the rooms where we were taught school when we first came in, the first duplex I lived in, my brother's duplex, the office where we spent many times talking to the social worker and the two story building where I lived. I was able to pin point the first living quaters and the second living quaters, and the infirmary.

The most interesting thing of all, is that the vending machine where I bought a Nestle Crunch every Sunday was still there. I closed my eyes and I could see it just as it was in 1962. I am glad he took us there because I closed this chapter of my life that day.

I must say life has been good to me, I thank God that I never had to sacrifice as much as my parents did, and I appreciate all I have everyday. I live in the most wonderful country in the world and I am proud to be an American. I will never forget that I am a Cuban, and I have the accent to prove it:-)

Experiences in life mold your future. I was sheltered by my parents and lived a perfect life, then I was put in a place where there were all kinds of people with different personalities, and different upbringings and I was not sheltered anymore. I had to be responsible for my younger brother and that made me grow up in one day. It was a difficult time in our lives, but I do believe the suffering and the responsabilities that I had to have for the first time in my life made me what I am today. I became a stronger person with the experience of Operation Pedro Pan.