A little more about Me

My name is Michelle Carmen Garcia-Ayala. I was born in the early 70's to Puerto Rican descendants Naomi Ayala (Mima) and Manuel Antonio Garcia (Johnny). We lived close by my grandparents Miguelina Jimenez and Confesor Ayala. My father passed away when I was 10, and I was one of four children to be raised by a single parent. Although my grandmother Miguelina (Mickey) also passed away when I was just a young girl, I have vivid recollections of her being one of my early caregivers. I remember her constant nurturing, and her amazing cooking abilities. Throughout the years I have held on to a special and strong connection to her memory. It also helped that random  people would come by our house long after her passing to talk about what a "saint" she was and how she often opened her home to newcomers from the island. I was always proud of my grandmother. Consequently, I was fortunate enough to have been raised close by my grandfather the late Don Confesor Ayala (Choro). He remained with us until just last year when he passed away at age 96. It is his spirit, his energy, and his zeal for life that motivates and inspires me to work on this project and pour my heart and soul into it. He was my personal Ghandi! I learned a lot about the struggles of the early Puerto Rican migrant also known as "pioneros" through my grandfather's stories of sacrifice and triumph.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about the early migrants of the Garcia side of my family, as I didn't have the privilege of meeting my grandfather Herminio Garcia, but I do know that some awesome photos have turned up and I have already started posting them. Hopefully, new information will emerge. My uncles have helped me piece together some stories about my paternal grandmother Carmen Alejandro (Minita) and her direct ties to the Tainos and the island of Vieques. Minita also passed away during my youth, but I remember her mostly for the adoration she expressed towards her sons, her sweet and passive demeanor and her phenomenal sewing abilities.

Although I was born in Brooklyn, I have been raised in both New York and Puerto Rico... At the age of 13 during the early eighties when hip hop was born, crack was discovered and AIDS was becoming epidemic, my mother decided it was time to venture off to her parent's homeland, Puerto Rico...she would move my siblings and me to the small town of Aguadilla, and so it began...CULTURE SHOCK! There began my search for self discovery and cultural identity...there began the confusion that has taken decades to unravel and decipher. Here begins my journey to explore and explain it.