JojoPerez

Female

Atlanta

Georgia

I love to travel, eat good food, and drink a nice semi-sweet red wine or authentic Cuban Mojito. When I'm not working or visitng My Love in Havana, Cuba... I volunteer with various organizations, study history, research random facts, maintain physical/spiritual fitness, and enjoy my son as he blossoms into a young man.

K-1 Visa

Atlanta GA

Cuba

For my 34th birthday I planned a solo trip to Havana, Cuba. It was my goal to be in another country for my birthday, I got tired of waiting for friends or family to have their #### together in order to travel with me... so after one year of failed plans, I actually proceeded with my adventure. Traveling to Cuba was the best decision of my life, thus far. My 2nd day on the island, I met "My Love" by chance. I was standing on the corner in front of Hotel Habana Libre, trying to get WiFi and check in with my family. I also had no plans and no one to hanh out with. The liquor store had closed, so I was just going to pick a bar w/ a patio and do some people-watching. While deep in thought on my phone, I hardly noticed when two men casually walked past me and one said something to me in Spanish. My way of avoiding conversation was to say, "No hablo español." My retort hardly stopped anyone from attempting dialogue, but in this particular instance, the guy replied "Cual es tu idioma?" And I said English. He smiled and said he speaks English as well. I was excited to be able to converse in my mother-tongue, and that's when I learned the bold English-speaking gentleman who I had assumed was Cuban, was actually from Germany. His bi-racial features (appearing to be black & white mix) and his Spanish greeting blended in with the rest of the colorful island inhabitants here... and likewise, he assumed I was Cuban. In fact, every Cuban that I encounter says I appear as though I am from Santiago... or Orientál, as I am told. Supposedly because of accent, my body shape, and my skin color. I am constantly called "Morena", but having spent my childhood summers in the Dominican Rep, I am accustomed to the title. Now the 2nd gentleman was quiet but instantly caught my attention. He spoke basically no English and probably felt out-of-place in the conversation me and the 1st guy were having. However, the entire time the 1st guy was speaking to me, I would (in my mind) sneak a glance at the 2nd one. I couldn't help but notice how incredibly attractive he was. With my new German friend rambling about how he's a boxing trainer, I tried to be an active listener, but he may as well have been speaking German because I somehow zoned out. Not sure if my body was sending psychic signals or secreting pheromones towards my silent Cuban crush, but when the 1st guy offers to go grab us all a beer, the world stopped. Suddenly it was just me and the 2nd guy, smiling at each other like she grade-schoolers and beginning our introductions. By the time the 1st guy comes back, it was probably clear a connection had formed. Still, we all go to a club down the street to hang out, drink, and dance the night away... literally. By 4am my new German friend gladly found another woman to try and seduce and me and my new Cuban love interest were on a path that neither of us expected. Later I learned that "My Love" hates Vedado, and that the 1st guy was actually his [future] brother-in-law. The entire night was SO amazing and only got better. Brother-in-Law wandered off, I'm sure, while chasing desperately after every woman that caught his eye. The alone time I had with "My Love" allowed us a chance to talk and he ended up walking me back to my Casa Particular... which did not allow Cuban Nationals in the room, so this fortunately removed any presumption of the night turning into a sexual encounter. Neither of us wanted the night to end, but as I would later learn, My Love lives quite a distance from Vedado. With Brother-In-Law officially missing in action, we agreed to meet at the same club the next day (technically later that afternoon), then we sealed it with a kiss. Brother-in-Law was eventually found safely wandering the street. The next day was even more phenomenal than the first. I met his sister, and to this day wish she would choose a better man... but I am now deeply in love with her brother. He made my birthday an absolute fantasy and every day since then, we've grown even closer. I travel to Cuba about every other month, we talk daily using IMO or Cuballama. I've met all the immediate family and I adore them all. The distance is difficult and just like any relationship, we have challenges. I was initially skeptical because of what I read online about Los Cubanos & Las Yumas or Extranjeras aka foreigners, so we would have an emotional tug-of-war as I resisted expressing my affections. He fought, and still fights to show his love for me every single day, and I allowed myself to "let go." We are so awesome together, it radiates and fills every place that we are together. And now we are ready to begin the next chapter of our lives... building a family. He says we are re-writing the story of Romeo & Juliet. Our stars have aligned and thru all the challenges of cultural differences, being long-distance, past baggage, and Cuban-American relations... we have formed a love that we weren't looking for, but that we both needed.