My name is Mrs. Marines Lares! I own all these pictures that are in my trilogy La Venezuela Musiua. “Musiua” is a word used in Venezuela for “foreigner.” It is derived from the French word “Monsieur.” In Venezuela, when someone pretends that they do not understand because they do not want to do something, we say: do not pretend that you are a “musiu.”
This title of my first book corresponds to my preoccupation or worry that my granddaughters would lose their native language of their ancestries, Spanish, and our culture.
One day, one of my granddaughters did not want to follow a rule and she told me: “Granma, I do not understand what you mean.” I said to her: – “But yesterday, when I asked the flavor of your favorite ice cream in Spanish you said “chocolate”. So, no te hagas la Musiua!” – do not act like you do not understand because you do not speak Spanish! Then, I had a reflexión about the millions of Venezuelans that have left the country since 2000 and now they are the “Musius.”
I have ten books, first and second edition, and I am ready to give away those books, but what I want is to have a space in any building of Fairfax County Government to represent our culture with literature and painting! The paints were created by another Venezuelan journalist, my friend for more than 30 years, Marite Irimia. I have all the rights!
Thank you for being my county since the first day I arrived in this country in July 2000. I am now based in Oakton.
