Note: I was inspired to write my autobiography by another slicer. (Sorry, but I can’t remember who that was, but thank you for the inspiration!)
I was born in a small town in Cuba just 30 minutes from Varadero beach – the most beautiful beach in the world, IMHO. I’ve lived in the US, Canada and Ecuador. I love chocolate ice cream and carrot cake, though I don’t have either one very often. I’ve lived in London, but never travelled outside of the UK while I was there. I took up tennis as an adult and love to play, though not competitively. Teaching is a huge part of who I am. I love to read, but the last two years have taxed my attention and that makes me a bit frustrated. My family is Jewish – Ashkenazy on my father’s side and Sephardic on my mother’s side – though I was raised in a mostly secular home. I have never let my religion define or limit me. My husband was raised Catholic. We exposed our children to many different religious traditions growing up. I am grandmother to two beautiful little girls that I don’t see nearly enough due to distance, but when we do get together, I shore up all the feelings and experiences for the next time we see each other. I was diagnosed with cancer almost three years ago, underwent treatment and have regular checkups every six months. My life changed after my cancer diagnosis. My priorities are not the same. My relationships are not the same. I slip into the old me sometimes, but not for long. I am going to write a book. When? I don’t know. I’ve already started; I just need to keep going. I am nearing retirement, so they say, but I don’t know what I’ll do when I don’t have a school to go to every day and students to learn from. I love to travel, and still do, even though COVID has put a damper on that. My favourite place to be is the beach. I prefer hot weather over cold, so I don’t know what I’m doing in The Great White North. LOL! I don’t like change or surprises, though I’ve had my share of both. I like to plan and be organized and I like to have everything in its place. I don’t do well when the schedule changes on me without warning. I prefer small cities to towns or large metropolitan areas, which is interesting since I grew up in NYC. But once I left for college, I’ve only lived in cities with populations under 1.5 million people. I am grateful for the life I’ve lived and the life that’s yet to come.
Cross posted to the Two Writing Teachers March Slice of Life Story Challenge.
Elisa Waingort 
Leave a reply to Elisa Waingort Cancel reply