Proud to be a “Tigrense”, which is the nickname for the locals. To be a Latina is to carry flavor, love humility, sincerity, and dignity in your veins. We are people with unique strength and a yearning to learn and take the world by storm. My family always takes opportunities to celebrate as many celebrations as we can. One important tradition is to celebrate Holy Week by preparing delicious foods such as Cuajado de Raya (cheese curd), frijoles blancos dulces (sweetened white beans), and our favorite dessert, Majarete de Coco (coconut and condensed milk). Our traditional meal is called the Pabellon Criollo. It comes with white rice, black beans, fried plantain, and shredded beef. And we can’t miss La Hallaca, which is similar to a tamale which contains beef and is wrapped with a plantain leaf and boiled in water.