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…