Last weekend I took my first trip out of the Havana province with my friends Joe, Jon, and Kelly. We ended up having a driver take us in his van to Trinidad, a town about 5-6 hours away on the southern coast of Cuba. The ride may not have been the method most suggested to tourists, but I wouldn’t say it is uncommon in Cuba and worked very nicely for us. And driving through the countryside we were all very excited. There is really one main road that goes all the way across Cuba, so we also got to drive through some other major areas. At one point three of us were all trying to take photos from the car of tractors driving by, or people on bikes or horse drawn carts or bus stops full of people. I now have over a hundred photos of blurry scenery or objects outside the car, but just the challenge of getting the photo is exciting. At one point I was just so excited that the sky was the blue a sky should be, and the dirt was the red/brown/orange dirt should be and the greens tied the landscape together perfectly.
My one major comment on the trip was about the amount of cows vs. pigs we saw. Now there are a lot of cows in this country, that I have now seen journeying. I did not see a single pig, however, now with my deductive reasoning skills, I do not understand why it seems that there is only ever pork or ham to eat…
A tree we passed in a field also stood out to me. At first glace there was no way this tree was alive, as it was practically parallel to the ground. It almost looked like it should be some kind of important crooked staff with really cool grayish bark. A good deal of the root system was also showing, but some of it must have still been working, because the end of the tree was starting to grow toward the sky again and had young bright green leaves starting to open on it. I also have taken this tree that looked like it shouldn’t have been alive, yet beautifully was, for a metaphor.
In Trinidad, we ended changing the Casa Particular we were staying in, but it went relatively smoothly and oddly enough the owners of the house we were leaving seemed more friendly as we were departing for a different house, than when we had arrived there. Trinidad is a beautiful city, with houses full of color and cobblestone street, this may be due to the fact it is extremely touristy.
After settling in we walked back into the historic district and climbed a tour to see the late afternoon light over the city. From the tour you can also see the water that is about 15-20 km outside the city. Again I was in photo heaven and we spent the rest of dust walking around the town and listening to wonderful music performed on the street. In a lot of ways it was the romanticized Cuba that was always in the back on my mind when preparing for the trip. We had a lovely dinner in the back courtyard of a home, at a Paldare (Paldares are restraunts run out of peoples homes, some are run illegally). It was a lovely spot and great meal.
The evening was filled with music. As it turns out one of my best friends here, Jon, happens to know a ton about Cuban music and Santeria and Santeria music. All of this knowledge came in handy to the group as we starting the evening with an Afro-Cuban music show and we discussed the traditional influences and Santeria influences in the music. (Santeria is an Afro-Cuban religion, that was begun by slaves desiring to practice their native religion under a Catholic Spanish colony rule, and they incorporated their Gods with Catholic saints to make it acceptable. That is really way too brief of a summary, but hopefully it will do for now.)
After the first show we walked halfway down the block to the main steps of the plaza and heard another show outside the Casa de Musica of Trinidad. The last song they played was actually about six of the Santeria Gods and they had dancers for each part of the song. The actually ceremony process goes through more of the Gods in greater detail both musically and in dance, but as it was a show- it was in no way the religious ceremony. I have mixed feelings on using a sacred ritual to entertain tourists, but this happens to many traditions throughout the world.
Then we ended the evening at a Trovas bar about a block away that played traditional Cuban and traditional folk Cuban music. The music was absolutely wonderful, but I think the highlight was watching the dancing, most notably the 8-month pregnant woman dancing at one in the morning with the skill of everyone else on the dance floor and beautiful grace. She was absolutely stunning and probably the best dressed of the evening, again at 8 months pregnant in the middle of the night.
The next day we went to the craft market, where I still did not buy anything, but tried to help talk through with the guys good gift ideas for their girl friends. (We are also returning to Trinidad with the whole group and our culture professors for Easter weekend, so I knew I would be back if I really wanted something and it was something I could actually try to get home.) And we went to a Santeria house/temple to Yemaya (Goddess of water).
After the sunset in the city the night before we decided to go to the beach in the late afternoon and stay till sunset. If Trinidad had not already felt like a vacation, the beach definitely sealed the deal. And we ended the day at a club inside a cave. Not only was this an experience, because we were inside a cave, but also because the music would shift from English to Spanish songs and from salsa to techno and some stuff in between on about a 6 song rotation. Meaning the group of good dancers would change depending on the song. I however looked at many people’s feet and realized there was no way my feet could do all of that, without being brought up in Cuba.
Trinidad truly was a vacation from Havana, with tremendously less people and the historic part is walking only. Unfortunately one of my friends got sick early the next morning and we had to figure out a plan of how to find him some Dramamine and find our driver in the morning to make the ride back. We were a very good team and he was trooper along the bumpy Cuban roads all the way back. (He is now doing better and has been to the doctor) Unfortunately in terms of sickness one of my other friends from UNC who stayed in Havana broke her foot this weekend, or really if she puts any weight on her foot is in danger of breaking it. For the time being she can’t leave her bed until the next check up in two weeks and only people that live in her residence have the access to the rooms. For now she is being very strong, but in about two weeks she has to decide whether she has to go home or can stay her to heal. Hopefully we will find a way for the AU students to be able to go upstairs in their residence and see her. If not I need to start writing her so very funny jokes.
All in all Trinidad were great and this weekend we have a day trip to Las Terrasas. Also we are supposed to meet with the head of the US Interest Section on Friday. And tomorrow we start a music unit in our Culture class, not that three weeks on architecture wasn’t great. Actually there are some good stories from architecture classes, so maybe I will sit down to write about classes soon.
Hope you are all well! And don’t worry Cuba celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8th.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Communist Butterflies
Well last week was a nice combination of things. I actually woke up one morning feeling the same kind of stressed I do some days at home, trying to figure out how I was going to finish my Spanish homework, finish decorations for a party, find a friend coming to town, and buy a cake. However, that is the kind of pressure I do very well under so I enjoyed it.
On the day I am describing, our group was throwing a “Bat Mitzvah” for our program coordinator and the Ludwig foundation. Yes, my roommate and I had decided to have this party when we heard about Marguerite’s first Bat Mitzvah (which I think is one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard) which was a ‘disaster.’ It became a running joke that my roommate’s mom would throw Marguerite a good New Jersey Bat Mitzvah when we got back so she could really become a women. Anyway, it became quite a task for us to plan the party, complete with stand in parents and rabbi. It was also communist butterfly themed, with butterflies with Che hats drawn on Granma (the national newspaper) as paper is hard to find. Her torah portion may have also been from the communist manifesto. I was the ‘photographer’ as we all had parts to play and could not stop laughing/crying (in the style of April Le) during the surprise ceremony. And it was really not disrespectful as it may sound here to Jewish tradition. Anyway, as the first party carried out by the students it was a great success. However, Tuesday afternoon was the only time everyone was free and it had to be sandwiched after Spanish class for most people and a meeting with a representative, Milagros, from the University.
Milagros is a bit hard to describe here, but definitely a distinct personality and style. After our brief meeting with her, Rafael Hernandez came to talk to us. Both groups met him last semester on a book tour in the US, but he is a highly respected Cuban intellectual. The discussion moved over a variety of topics, but most importantly we moved into a discussion about the provision for a leader in the Cuban constitution. Truthfully since about the first week, this is the first time the future of leadership in the country has really come into discussion. Before everyone in the group left, I think the general consensus is most people only asked us about what will happen in terms of Fidel. Living here, this is not what we think about at every moment. Also, what journalists and most people fail to talk about is how the constitution is set up to deal with a change in power and even policies. The Vice President assumes the role of the President in terms of a change, and Raul has been the Vice President since Fidel has been President. So while they are brothers, Raul becoming President is legally legitimate. At this point the leader of the National Assembly becomes the Vice President.
While, we discusses this with Rafael it also coincided with the day I had to discuss Cuban elections in my Spanish class. Rafael also explained while the Constitution is in place the way in which the law are interpreted, as you can imagine, is highly determined by who is in power. I find all of this extremely important and interesting, so I don’t mind sharing it a little here.
Later in the week I met up with Chilo, who some of you have met and others know about. I call her my Mexican mother, because the summer I spent in Mexico when I was 16 I set up through her. She has also been on my mom’s organizations board of directors for 13 years. I took her to the famous Coopelia ice cream parks with one of my friends from UNC after we met her at the Capitolio. (Yes the Capitol building here, not in use in the same way after the Revolution, is based off of the US Capitol) We also had her over for dinner at our residence and I asked her to pretend she didn’t speak and Spanish so we could throw everyone off in the middle of dinner. As it turned out everyone was very happy to talk to her, because her Spanish is much easier to understand than Cubans and she is much more used to speaking to non-Spanish speakers. I had a great time with her in town, because at this point she really is like a family member with all we have been through. It also makes me think about how interconnected the world really is.
On the day I am describing, our group was throwing a “Bat Mitzvah” for our program coordinator and the Ludwig foundation. Yes, my roommate and I had decided to have this party when we heard about Marguerite’s first Bat Mitzvah (which I think is one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard) which was a ‘disaster.’ It became a running joke that my roommate’s mom would throw Marguerite a good New Jersey Bat Mitzvah when we got back so she could really become a women. Anyway, it became quite a task for us to plan the party, complete with stand in parents and rabbi. It was also communist butterfly themed, with butterflies with Che hats drawn on Granma (the national newspaper) as paper is hard to find. Her torah portion may have also been from the communist manifesto. I was the ‘photographer’ as we all had parts to play and could not stop laughing/crying (in the style of April Le) during the surprise ceremony. And it was really not disrespectful as it may sound here to Jewish tradition. Anyway, as the first party carried out by the students it was a great success. However, Tuesday afternoon was the only time everyone was free and it had to be sandwiched after Spanish class for most people and a meeting with a representative, Milagros, from the University.
Milagros is a bit hard to describe here, but definitely a distinct personality and style. After our brief meeting with her, Rafael Hernandez came to talk to us. Both groups met him last semester on a book tour in the US, but he is a highly respected Cuban intellectual. The discussion moved over a variety of topics, but most importantly we moved into a discussion about the provision for a leader in the Cuban constitution. Truthfully since about the first week, this is the first time the future of leadership in the country has really come into discussion. Before everyone in the group left, I think the general consensus is most people only asked us about what will happen in terms of Fidel. Living here, this is not what we think about at every moment. Also, what journalists and most people fail to talk about is how the constitution is set up to deal with a change in power and even policies. The Vice President assumes the role of the President in terms of a change, and Raul has been the Vice President since Fidel has been President. So while they are brothers, Raul becoming President is legally legitimate. At this point the leader of the National Assembly becomes the Vice President.
While, we discusses this with Rafael it also coincided with the day I had to discuss Cuban elections in my Spanish class. Rafael also explained while the Constitution is in place the way in which the law are interpreted, as you can imagine, is highly determined by who is in power. I find all of this extremely important and interesting, so I don’t mind sharing it a little here.
Later in the week I met up with Chilo, who some of you have met and others know about. I call her my Mexican mother, because the summer I spent in Mexico when I was 16 I set up through her. She has also been on my mom’s organizations board of directors for 13 years. I took her to the famous Coopelia ice cream parks with one of my friends from UNC after we met her at the Capitolio. (Yes the Capitol building here, not in use in the same way after the Revolution, is based off of the US Capitol) We also had her over for dinner at our residence and I asked her to pretend she didn’t speak and Spanish so we could throw everyone off in the middle of dinner. As it turned out everyone was very happy to talk to her, because her Spanish is much easier to understand than Cubans and she is much more used to speaking to non-Spanish speakers. I had a great time with her in town, because at this point she really is like a family member with all we have been through. It also makes me think about how interconnected the world really is.
Valentines and Ludwig...
So I thought this was posted a week and a half ago... that can be a longer story for later:
So I have been bad about writing everything down that I had planned on sharing. So let’s tie the Ludwig Foundation into Valentines Day.
“El dia de Enamorado” o “el dia de amor y la amistad” is relatively popular here. Most of the day people would tell us congratulations and all the women we know were pleased with the efforts of their significant others, none of that Valentines complaining. I decided I would try to make Valentines for the group, but supplies in Cuba are pretty hard to come by. The black Sharpie writing was enough to make the group happy, when they found valentines under their door.
After breakfast my roommate, Elena, Chad, and I went to the Ludwig foundation about a half hour before class started. First a little on Ludwig: During orientation week we kept hearing about the Ludwig Foundation and that they would be in charge of our culture class. A German man (Ludwig) started the foundation because he is very interested in the Cuban Arts. They are one of the most connected groups in all of Cuba to all cultural and arts activities. Our first experience with them was at a reception they threw us on our first Tuesday in Cuba, to meet our other professors, some of their staff, and some more University officials. It amazes me how hard people have to work within Cuba to make it possible for us to come and then now that we are here how willing people are to help us make as much possible as we want.
Well our group is told to look nice and meet at the building that is two blocks away from where we live and to go to the 5th floor. The place is obviously artistic when we get there, but you continue from a main room onto the terrace overlooking our part of the city. Not only are we getting culture classes with experts and very kind people, but also as their students we are able to stop by and use the terrace. It is absolutely beautiful and we mingled up their for a while. Then during a brief presentation, a Cuban Photographer is introduced because he had been invited to the party due to the abroad directors talking to Fernando (the coordinator of our culture class) about this photographer they had seen a documentary on and thought was phenomenal. Fernando responded by inviting Rene to the party. So I spent the next bit of my time being introduced and talking to this photographer. I was essentially walking on air. And then I look over and see my friend Joe hamming up all the ladies that have connections at the University to help set up some projects he was thinking about working on. We finally had to leave to get back in time for dinner (few of us are ever late for dinner, no matter how much we are doing in the afternoon) and I was just excited the entire time!
So back to a half hour before class on Valentines Day: We were waiting on the Terrace to talk to Fernando about using the Terrace for a surprise party for one of our Coordinators (which is going to be possible and we are all working on the planning for next tues) and the kids from NYU show up for their class. As it turns out at our last class I saw Kate, an NYU student who is doing a writing project through the center, and went up to her because she looked extremely familiar and I had seen her at the University campus the day before. Well I was right and Kate graduated from Yorktown High School a year before me. So there are at least two Yorktown Alums in Cuba, who have access to an amazing view and some very artistic people.
We finally got up to go our class on Architecture with a woman who works for the project to restore Old Havana. And then we went on a tour to view the architecture she was talking about. During this time, our coordinators were meeting with four dance instructors the Ludwig foundation had set us up with to plan out some dance classes for those interested in the group. Two of the dance instructors are in the world acclaimed Cuban Baile Company…
To continue on about the day: Some of us went to the National Book Fair. This is a very big deal in Havana and a ten-day event. Basically two of the forts protecting the Harbor are turned into fair grounds with food vendors of all sorts and different stalls selling books. And this book fair is pretty much the thing to do in Havana right now. It really does look like a huge fair; just the main attraction is books. When people critique Cuba, now I think: really? They have a pretty fabulous national book fair and this is the exciting thing to promote in the country…. Seems pretty on track to me. There is also a used book section, that was pretty picked over and a craft fair. By the time we left I think just the amount of people and excitement had really worn us out. And to get back to the other side of the Harbor we took a city bus instead of a taxi, it was an experience I had been waiting for. These buses are so packed that when you think no one else can be falling out of the main doors a guy will jump up and put one foot on the first step to get onto the us and then cling to the people falling out of the open door. I thought we had a pretty positive experience.
In terms of the Valentines Day part of the day, my roommate convinced Chad to be her Valentine (the only single guy in our group from AU) so I now have the benefit of flowers in my room. Chad also brought us all Mangos and this peanut treat for Valentines Day and Marguerite got us a cake. It was a very friendly day.
I really hope to some up more of what has been going on soon, but its now getting hard to write about things that happened a few weeks ago. It is hard to think we have been here almost a month. I hope everyone is doing well and Happy Valentines day.
Hopefully next time I will get to telling you about the Cigar factory and Cojimar…
So I have been bad about writing everything down that I had planned on sharing. So let’s tie the Ludwig Foundation into Valentines Day.
“El dia de Enamorado” o “el dia de amor y la amistad” is relatively popular here. Most of the day people would tell us congratulations and all the women we know were pleased with the efforts of their significant others, none of that Valentines complaining. I decided I would try to make Valentines for the group, but supplies in Cuba are pretty hard to come by. The black Sharpie writing was enough to make the group happy, when they found valentines under their door.
After breakfast my roommate, Elena, Chad, and I went to the Ludwig foundation about a half hour before class started. First a little on Ludwig: During orientation week we kept hearing about the Ludwig Foundation and that they would be in charge of our culture class. A German man (Ludwig) started the foundation because he is very interested in the Cuban Arts. They are one of the most connected groups in all of Cuba to all cultural and arts activities. Our first experience with them was at a reception they threw us on our first Tuesday in Cuba, to meet our other professors, some of their staff, and some more University officials. It amazes me how hard people have to work within Cuba to make it possible for us to come and then now that we are here how willing people are to help us make as much possible as we want.
Well our group is told to look nice and meet at the building that is two blocks away from where we live and to go to the 5th floor. The place is obviously artistic when we get there, but you continue from a main room onto the terrace overlooking our part of the city. Not only are we getting culture classes with experts and very kind people, but also as their students we are able to stop by and use the terrace. It is absolutely beautiful and we mingled up their for a while. Then during a brief presentation, a Cuban Photographer is introduced because he had been invited to the party due to the abroad directors talking to Fernando (the coordinator of our culture class) about this photographer they had seen a documentary on and thought was phenomenal. Fernando responded by inviting Rene to the party. So I spent the next bit of my time being introduced and talking to this photographer. I was essentially walking on air. And then I look over and see my friend Joe hamming up all the ladies that have connections at the University to help set up some projects he was thinking about working on. We finally had to leave to get back in time for dinner (few of us are ever late for dinner, no matter how much we are doing in the afternoon) and I was just excited the entire time!
So back to a half hour before class on Valentines Day: We were waiting on the Terrace to talk to Fernando about using the Terrace for a surprise party for one of our Coordinators (which is going to be possible and we are all working on the planning for next tues) and the kids from NYU show up for their class. As it turns out at our last class I saw Kate, an NYU student who is doing a writing project through the center, and went up to her because she looked extremely familiar and I had seen her at the University campus the day before. Well I was right and Kate graduated from Yorktown High School a year before me. So there are at least two Yorktown Alums in Cuba, who have access to an amazing view and some very artistic people.
We finally got up to go our class on Architecture with a woman who works for the project to restore Old Havana. And then we went on a tour to view the architecture she was talking about. During this time, our coordinators were meeting with four dance instructors the Ludwig foundation had set us up with to plan out some dance classes for those interested in the group. Two of the dance instructors are in the world acclaimed Cuban Baile Company…
To continue on about the day: Some of us went to the National Book Fair. This is a very big deal in Havana and a ten-day event. Basically two of the forts protecting the Harbor are turned into fair grounds with food vendors of all sorts and different stalls selling books. And this book fair is pretty much the thing to do in Havana right now. It really does look like a huge fair; just the main attraction is books. When people critique Cuba, now I think: really? They have a pretty fabulous national book fair and this is the exciting thing to promote in the country…. Seems pretty on track to me. There is also a used book section, that was pretty picked over and a craft fair. By the time we left I think just the amount of people and excitement had really worn us out. And to get back to the other side of the Harbor we took a city bus instead of a taxi, it was an experience I had been waiting for. These buses are so packed that when you think no one else can be falling out of the main doors a guy will jump up and put one foot on the first step to get onto the us and then cling to the people falling out of the open door. I thought we had a pretty positive experience.
In terms of the Valentines Day part of the day, my roommate convinced Chad to be her Valentine (the only single guy in our group from AU) so I now have the benefit of flowers in my room. Chad also brought us all Mangos and this peanut treat for Valentines Day and Marguerite got us a cake. It was a very friendly day.
I really hope to some up more of what has been going on soon, but its now getting hard to write about things that happened a few weeks ago. It is hard to think we have been here almost a month. I hope everyone is doing well and Happy Valentines day.
Hopefully next time I will get to telling you about the Cigar factory and Cojimar…
Saturday, February 10, 2007
When it rains...
When it rains…
Monday morning starts like all mornings; at seven for breakfast and getting ready. Then a walk to our history class housed in the International Institute of Journalism (I am not sure why, but it is a classroom they found for us and directly across from the UNC residence and closer for us) Today was the first history class Raul taught. While it is very interesting, a three-hour class is still pretty hard for me to sit through. And the first hour was very hot and stuffy. Luckily the room a joins a large balcony, so breaks from class are very nice and helped me refocus. Raul is an incredibly nice guy and intelligent teacher. However, when it started to rain, my attention was out the window…
When it rains…
Today was also the day of an important group meeting on the mistakes tourists can make and the tricks people use. It was important for the group to hear all as one, as people have already started to make friends and deal with things. Our coordinators were smart to let us experience some of it on our own so we could relate better to their advice today. However, it is discouraging for us to know how hard it is to make good Cuban friends here. You see we do live in the city and tourists are easy targets. So the people that are easy to meet can sometimes try to scam us or can become our friends, but are often the type of friend that liked to be paid for and do what the tourists can do. It is much harder to make genuine friends only interested in friendship, because a. it takes longer for them to warm up and b. people work all day long and then have to feed their families, so they aren't just hanging out waiting to become our friends. The whole ordeal makes sense to me and I respect it. I still hope to make those friends that are not in the 'tourist' industry, its just will take a much longer time.
When it rains….
…eat fried chicken. Yes, Kelly McKinnon, Chad, and I went to buy more notebooks after class then found lunch which was huge pieces of fried chicken and banana chips for about 50 US cents. We discovered a new park with a huge beautiful raised platform/ gazebo and enjoyed out lunch.
When it rains…
…read a book on the porch. The prospect of more rain does not make it the best option for exploring the city or getting some of the other afternoon activities done. So, I had some quality reading time on the porch when we got back. I love feeling the wind go crazy and watching the rain from the rocking chairs we have. However, the staff always thinks we are a bit strange when it is windy and cooler and we still sit outside in a t-shirt and shorts.
When it rains…
…get your sweatshirt. So I finally realized it was a little chilly and came to get more bundled to enjoy more wind and reading.
When it rains…
…sit around with the windows open and have great conversations. I think that is what rainy days are for-the great conversations. There is good enough cover above our room that having the windows open during light rain is fine, as long as the wind is not blowing it directly toward us. We had a lot of good bonding time in our room with some of our friends today and the hours just went by. During our conversation at the mention of Che's name, the double doors to our room blew open! Some may think it was the way the wind was acting up…
When it rains…
…eat dinner and talk so more. A great dinner with more group bonding was followed by another hour of Joe, Kelly, and I talking at the dinner table. We may have continued had we not been asked to leave so the staff could finish cleaning.
When it rains…
…go see the sea. I had been itching to go for a walk, and Kelly agreed. The staff of our residence at this point thinks I am even crazier for going out into the rain at night. In truth it wasn't raining much at all, but the wind was great. We ended up down by the Malecon (the sea wall) and watched the storm at sea. The waves were breaking far off the coast, but we would get huge waves near us and all of the sudden one would crash up into and over the wall. The waves and the crashing became a symphony. (I may have gotten mildly wet…) The waves would 'shout' and hit us and we would shout back. It was moderately violent, but magical. And it being me of course there was dancing around and singing (but carefully, as it is VERY slippery-when wet) and then rating of the waves that smacked over the sea wall. Most important was the craziness of the wind and the way I could lean into it and it would keep me standing.
When it rains…
…ice cream cravings? So we finally decided to leave the Malecon after about 45 minutes and come back to the residence for more socializing and serious changing out of the sea salted clothing. However within a half hour of being back our coordinator Marguerite begins to mention her desire for some chocolate. We knows its getting late, but we finally decide we have to go and try to see if we can run and get ice cream or an éclair from the French bakery a few blocks away, before it closes.
The wind has picked up as three of us set off on our journey. Which really became quite a journey as the craving and frustration grew. Truthfully it was quite comical, with power outages affecting what was open, and then the selection of what was open not having chocolate things, and the rushed speed, and the wind pushing me along. Finally after about a half an hour the movie quality adventure, ended with ice cream bars and some guys thinking we were Canadian. Also with about a pound of dirt on my feet and legs.
When it rains…
…it's a full day in Havana. Never know what to expect, even from myself.
When it rains, it pours… not exactly in the literal sense today.
Monday morning starts like all mornings; at seven for breakfast and getting ready. Then a walk to our history class housed in the International Institute of Journalism (I am not sure why, but it is a classroom they found for us and directly across from the UNC residence and closer for us) Today was the first history class Raul taught. While it is very interesting, a three-hour class is still pretty hard for me to sit through. And the first hour was very hot and stuffy. Luckily the room a joins a large balcony, so breaks from class are very nice and helped me refocus. Raul is an incredibly nice guy and intelligent teacher. However, when it started to rain, my attention was out the window…
When it rains…
Today was also the day of an important group meeting on the mistakes tourists can make and the tricks people use. It was important for the group to hear all as one, as people have already started to make friends and deal with things. Our coordinators were smart to let us experience some of it on our own so we could relate better to their advice today. However, it is discouraging for us to know how hard it is to make good Cuban friends here. You see we do live in the city and tourists are easy targets. So the people that are easy to meet can sometimes try to scam us or can become our friends, but are often the type of friend that liked to be paid for and do what the tourists can do. It is much harder to make genuine friends only interested in friendship, because a. it takes longer for them to warm up and b. people work all day long and then have to feed their families, so they aren't just hanging out waiting to become our friends. The whole ordeal makes sense to me and I respect it. I still hope to make those friends that are not in the 'tourist' industry, its just will take a much longer time.
When it rains….
…eat fried chicken. Yes, Kelly McKinnon, Chad, and I went to buy more notebooks after class then found lunch which was huge pieces of fried chicken and banana chips for about 50 US cents. We discovered a new park with a huge beautiful raised platform/ gazebo and enjoyed out lunch.
When it rains…
…read a book on the porch. The prospect of more rain does not make it the best option for exploring the city or getting some of the other afternoon activities done. So, I had some quality reading time on the porch when we got back. I love feeling the wind go crazy and watching the rain from the rocking chairs we have. However, the staff always thinks we are a bit strange when it is windy and cooler and we still sit outside in a t-shirt and shorts.
When it rains…
…get your sweatshirt. So I finally realized it was a little chilly and came to get more bundled to enjoy more wind and reading.
When it rains…
…sit around with the windows open and have great conversations. I think that is what rainy days are for-the great conversations. There is good enough cover above our room that having the windows open during light rain is fine, as long as the wind is not blowing it directly toward us. We had a lot of good bonding time in our room with some of our friends today and the hours just went by. During our conversation at the mention of Che's name, the double doors to our room blew open! Some may think it was the way the wind was acting up…
When it rains…
…eat dinner and talk so more. A great dinner with more group bonding was followed by another hour of Joe, Kelly, and I talking at the dinner table. We may have continued had we not been asked to leave so the staff could finish cleaning.
When it rains…
…go see the sea. I had been itching to go for a walk, and Kelly agreed. The staff of our residence at this point thinks I am even crazier for going out into the rain at night. In truth it wasn't raining much at all, but the wind was great. We ended up down by the Malecon (the sea wall) and watched the storm at sea. The waves were breaking far off the coast, but we would get huge waves near us and all of the sudden one would crash up into and over the wall. The waves and the crashing became a symphony. (I may have gotten mildly wet…) The waves would 'shout' and hit us and we would shout back. It was moderately violent, but magical. And it being me of course there was dancing around and singing (but carefully, as it is VERY slippery-when wet) and then rating of the waves that smacked over the sea wall. Most important was the craziness of the wind and the way I could lean into it and it would keep me standing.
When it rains…
…ice cream cravings? So we finally decided to leave the Malecon after about 45 minutes and come back to the residence for more socializing and serious changing out of the sea salted clothing. However within a half hour of being back our coordinator Marguerite begins to mention her desire for some chocolate. We knows its getting late, but we finally decide we have to go and try to see if we can run and get ice cream or an éclair from the French bakery a few blocks away, before it closes.
The wind has picked up as three of us set off on our journey. Which really became quite a journey as the craving and frustration grew. Truthfully it was quite comical, with power outages affecting what was open, and then the selection of what was open not having chocolate things, and the rushed speed, and the wind pushing me along. Finally after about a half an hour the movie quality adventure, ended with ice cream bars and some guys thinking we were Canadian. Also with about a pound of dirt on my feet and legs.
When it rains…
…it's a full day in Havana. Never know what to expect, even from myself.
When it rains, it pours… not exactly in the literal sense today.
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