Little by little, this city, so different from Havana, felt like home.

A big part of that transition came when my poems became part of a poetry mural at what was then the Allen-Hospital subway station.

One of my vignettes read: Buffalo gives me wings/wings to go/wings to stay/here/at home in Buffalo.

Another read: Who would have guessed it/a home so far from home/here in Buffalo.

I would like my ashes scattered, not over Havana, as I had previously requested, but over the Buffalo Harbor.

Olga
Buffalo, NY

Making Buffalo Home is a two-year, in-depth Buffalo Toronto Public Media engagement initiative to inform and raise awareness of immigration for our entire community. The project aims to help the region develop a better understanding of the shared opportunities and challenges we face together as long-time residents and new immigrants and refugees.

Making Buffalo Home is funded by Rich Products Corporation and Rich Family Foundation.