Hola / Hello

Welcome/Bienvenidos!   Glad you are here.  Thought to share a bit about me, creator of this site.  Are you wondering what exactly this site may be?  You are not alone in that thinking.  as I have also thought the same.  As I pondered how to bring all that I love and have learned together to one place, this site became the perfect forum.  When the internet began, I reserved this domain name for Hola! NY, NJ, CT.  At that time, I had published seven Hispanic Resource Guides for the NY Metropolitan area.  Then September 11th happened and advertising dollars that helped sponsor our publishing disappeared.  www.holaUSA.com was put on the back burner for awhile.  Then I became a Flight Attendant, amongst other things.  www.holaUSA.com, always present in my future.  Throughout the years, we have been sued for this domain name by a European Magazine that claimed they owned the right to the word 'Hola".  We won.  We have also had outside interest in purchasing this domain name.   It was declined.  The domain name is near and dear to my heart.  Variety is the spice of life and my careers reflect that belief, but they all share a common thread of -  service.  Whether serving 19 years as a Flight Attendant and prior to that as a Publisher of seven Hispanic Resource Guides and a children's book, serving  the general public as a Community and Business Liaison and representing three Governors in New York and Puerto Rico,  I live dealing with the public.  I have also appeared as a  background actress on a few movies and tv shows  and  taught as a NYC Subtitute Teacher and am a NY Realtor.   Whether serving drinks; demonstrating safety information on a plane; helping educate a third grade class or distributing or posting helpful and positive information on behalf of Governors, holaUSA. an airline or myself, it is what I was born to do.  Jill of all trades and master of none - variety is the spice of life.  When my family lived in the Bronx, I would read the Spanish and English newspapers, I was maybe seven years old.  I decided to create a newsletter for the kids. on the block. It included news about who fell off the bike or whose birthday was coming up or who got in trouble. at home.  It didn't last long but I loved it.  I also remember watching the evening news with my folks and wanting to be a news anchor when I grew up or admiring Katharine Graham, publisher of the Washington Post and also  hoping to be like her.  No such luck in my case, or maybe I was not focused enough.  But here I am decades later, doing what I love.  Joan Didion says that we tell ourselves stories in order to live.  So live as many lives as you can. over and over and over again

I was born to a Mexican mother and Puerto Rican father in New York City and am delighted to showcase and share the many accomplishments of my culture and everybody.  As a Flight Attendant, I have dealt with thousands upon thousands of people and have found that we all share one common core, no matter what background, material passions, diplomas or position, it will be shared in another article.  

 We look forward to more consistency and content.   If this site can open your mind to something new or bring a smile to your face, then maybe it is a good thing.  Thank you for taking the time to read this far.    Cheers to the best to come .  Ivonne 

PS.   Below are some fotos of friends, acquaintances and family. They have been inspirational in different ways and I am So grateful to them and to you. And if you are reading this - thank you once again!  More pics and articles to come soon.  Blessings.  Ivonne