Thursday, April 19, 2007
Disclaimer
Well I have been thinking about writing this disclaimer for a little while. First off I generally write these quickly and then send them, so they are completely unedited- which at points is a problem compounded by typing and spelling errors. Second, I have not giving you all the perspectives I have on politics or even my personal experiences. So please understand that these are only glimpses of feelings and events that change frequently here. I look forward to talking to you all one on one and giving you a more full understanding of my opinions.
I hope that was understandable…
Escambray and Trinidad Culture Trip
Well, in the excitement of needing to get ready to go on our group trip two weeks ago, I woke up at about 5 in the morning and couldn't sleep. Which, while I say excitement, is super frustrating, because people function better with a good amount of sleep (by people in this case I specifically mean myself). And so I did what any person would do and I took a shower and then cut my hair by myself. Now I don't think I would have considered this an okay idea had it not been 5-6 in the morning, especially because I can barely see my chin in our bathroom mirror. However, it was just a trim with minor layers and besides a crazy chunk in the back my roommate had to fix, it worked out fine.
And so all of the students in our group (UNC and AU), Fernando who is in charge of our culture classes and I have mentioned before, Milagros and Lourdes from the University, and Devyn and Tracy (the UNC coordinator and fiancé) set off in a chartered bus. The first stop we made (I was not able to nap on the bus despite my early rising) was outside Santa Clara at the Che memorial. As Fernando said, Che was a very attractive man and the monument does not do him justice. Nonetheless it seems like something that must be done while in Cuba. Then we stopped in Santa Clara to see the main square for a few minutes (of course we all stopped for frozzens--kind of like the Cuban soft serve ice cream, that is super cheap, you can find everywhere, and everyone in Cuba and in our group eats a lot) My favorite part was the symbol of the town is a little boy holding up a boot that I was told came from a photo of a boy in the US civil war. There is also a fountain depicting this.
Our main stop for the day was in Escambray, because there is a theatre there that was started as a traveling theatre. The Escambray theater has a very interesting history and as I understand it became important to the company, because they audience of the mountains and rural area was completely different from people in Havana in everyway. We were able to see a very complex show, that incorporated Beetles music and while hard to follow had a very good critique of what happened to the youth generation of the 60's that essentially lost their youth.
Also we stayed at this hotel set on a lake and had a great time exploring and getting to enjoy everyone living in one place for an evening. It was truly lovely and one of our friends and Fernando even caught some fish.
I have already been to Trinidad with a few friends, but going with the large group was quite entertaining and at time frustrating. We were all staying in various casa particulares (kind of a cross between a boarding house and a bed and breakfast, and we generally stay at these when traveling) and I was in a house with my 'roommates'. My technical roommate and the girls that live next door to us, function as one unit most of the time. Our casa had a lovely patio where we were able to dine at sunset and where I could enjoy my favorite part of Trinidad: the very friendly little boy who spends all day, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends, running up and down the street with his kite, made of a long string and the standard Cuban plastic bag that reads, 'Viva Cuba Libre.'
The reason we made our way to Trinidad as a class was actually for the Good Friday procession. Trinidad became a very religious town and the main church has a very treasured crucifix of Christ along with other important statues that are taken throughout the city every Good Friday for this annual tradition. The reason this crucifix is in Trinidad is a story I am very fond of: Sailors from Spain long ago had been carrying the crucifix on their ship. After facing very bad storms and hard times, they decided the crucifix was bad luck and left it in Trinidad when they stopped there. And now it is a very important symbol of Trinidad. I believe somehow linked to this is the fact that historic Trinidad is a UNESCO world heritage site. For the actual procession that huge numbers of tourists and town's people a like showed up for the candlelight procession that really goes on for most of the evening. The heavy tourism and cameras and hoopla of the evening made the religious aspect of the evening hard to focus on at times. But then as I began to see it, all of the people there for so many different reasons and at different times in their lives were actually a very beautiful thing. And why shouldn't faith be like that.
(As always I am getting very lengthy without talking about very much, so I will not get at detailed for the rest.) We also spent time going out to hear the very accessible music in Trinidad. On Sat. We went to the acclaimed 'sugar valley' which we thought would be more educational, but really was just a tourist spot with a tower to look into the valley. And while it was beautiful, it was not what others were acclaiming it to be and I think we thought we would have more of a tour of the sugar industry. Then we had a very enlightening lunch with Fernando, with beautiful Cuban expressions making everything we discussed feel like the deepest ideas for living. The afternoon was spent of the beach and the evening was followed with more exploring and enjoying the city.
About 10 of us went to the main Catholic Church for Easter, with my Jewish roommate professing her love for Easter more than the rest of us most of the day (She is indeed very supportive of other people's religious and cultural traditions and was in no way making fun of the traditions, but enjoyed learning about them.) It was a good experience to have people learn about a Catholic Easter service in Cuba together, when everyone comes from different backgrounds. I also organized a secret Easter Bunny (same idea as secret Santa, but with Easter baskets) so people used to certain Easter traditions at home, could choose to be part of it and feel closer to home here. My 'Easter basket' was a camera made out of cans that pops open and a face springs out at you. It is quite an entertaining toy.
And let us be glad for a bus full of iPods on a 5-hour trip with a tired group of students on the way back. I also had time to discuss my final history project/paper with Devyn on the way back. She is also a PhD candidate doing research on the work of the Revolution from 1959-1961 of racial equality in Cuba and I am going to look at the white Cuban reaction to the speeches and changes at the time for my paper. I decided I would get more out of working with her, than choosing a completely random aspect of Cuban history to write about. (Speaking of which I really need to start setting up more interviews)
If I finish some papers in time I will post another blog about last weekend, but I may not have time as we are leaving for Santiago de Cuba at 10 pm tonight for our last entire group trip. I am sure I will be writing about the city and the cross-country 14-hour trip soon.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Matanzas
Matanzas
The trip to Matanzas was not 100% successful, because we did not find much out about the roots of rumba and major other types of Cuban music that originated in Matanzas. However, it was a very good trip including super good ice cream, a walk through a valley and into a random cave, and entertaining personalities. I will focus on the transit though.
Part of the excitement of going to Matanzas was to get to take the Hershey Train. The Hershey Train (electric) was set up by none other than the Hershey chocolate company to transport sugar in Cuba. It is not one of the most reliable trains as the newest components or cars are about 50 years old. It has multiple stops, but the last stops are in Casablanca (the other side of the bay from Old Havana) and in Matanzas. To get to Casablanca in time for our train we had to be at the Ferry on the other side of the bay at dawn. And notably in Casablanca there is a giant statue of Jesus close to where the Train stop is.
We set off with 6 in our group and 3 other of our friends that were just going to Varadero beach outside Matanzas for the day. The train also cost about approx. 15 cents if converted in US dollars. The train at one point did come unhitched at the main point from the other car. So they stopped to fix it and an old man on the train pulled out a large knife that ended up saving the day. Once we got to another large stop we got off and they disappeared for about an hour to get another train to use for the rest of the way. The first part of the train ride was really cool as we talked to Pesciliano our friend on the Train who wanted to know the meaning of things like 'otherwise' in English. It was also fun to watch the train become packed.
The second train ride I got a seat, but couldn't see outside as well and started to read. Women with small children piled on the train and some of our group started talking to them and all of the sudden a guy walks by me with a white bag that startled me with a crow to alert me of the rooster inside the bag. One of my friends, who is a nanny in the States, offered to hold a woman's baby and she was in heaven as I started a nice chat with the woman. And finally on the ride I took a breath and decided this was perfect and I was excited about the end of the ride. Of course a moment after the breath the man behind us announced we had arrived in Matanzas…
We only stayed one night and one of my friends and I decided not to go with the other four to the beach the next day. A. on principle because it is the nicest beach in Cuba, but mainly reserved for tourists and B. because music was our main goal in Matanzas. The two of us ended up with more time walking around and doing things in the city and then were ready to get back to Havana in time for dinner. After walking around all day it turned out we missed the bus so we walked even farther to the train station (via a town baseball game, that no one batted an eye lash we were literally walking through their game) and then found out this train (not the Hershey Train, but the Trains used for all of the island) was even less reliable and didn't leave for another 5 hours. So we made our way back to the other bus station and decided to try to get on the Astro Bus only for Cubans. By the way I was exhausted at this point and getting home the earliest route became the main objective. After a few conversations with a man at the station we finally got help in figuring out the Cuban system and convinced them that as students with residency cards we were allowed to use this method of transport.
The way waiting for the bus works is, everyone forms a line and waits around until right when the bus comes and then tickets start being sold. Now you need to understand lines in general in Cuba. It is not a physical line, someone could be sitting on a park bench and still be in line, because people keep track of who the last person is. So in a bus terminal everyone just sits around and like all lines in Cuba when you want to enter you shout 'quien es el ultimo' or just 'ultimo' and once you find this person you become ultimo until the next person comes. It takes a little getting used to and you have to remember who is in front of and behind you in line, but Cubans are very good at this. Anyway we finally get in the line and get our tickets and got to enjoy the ride home in a nice bus for under a USD. Actually my entire transport to Matanzas was under two US dollars, until taking the cab for 3 dollars back from the Bus station.
On the ride back I was sitting next to a man who literally knew the words to everyone song that played and would quietly sing along. At about the second hour of the trip Antonio and I started talking, and it may have been the best random conversation I have had with a Cuban yet. He was explaining to me he was a priest, but even more so a Santero- which means of member of the Santeria religion I am interested in here. But we talked about everything from climate to race to school to music and mainly about music. And I knew when he started asking about the man who played the trumpet and was talking about Louis Armstrong he was good people. And then we were all of the sudden making our way back into Havana at dusk and it just felt like I was coming home as we drove through different barrios…
These always get longer than I anticipate and I haven't had a chance to talk about the museum for literacy and the school for children with special needs in the Ciudad Libertad that we toured this week. Real quick, hearing a second grader in a class for children with sight problems start reading to the class in a clear strong voice and than realizing he is the only child that is reading Braille almost brought tears to my eyes. And when the singing group sang for us, with a little Ray Charles singing the solo, the kids all took care of each other. I don't know if I have ever been in a choir or school event where a teacher didn't introduce me, but these kids did it all themselves and man are they just brilliant and focused on their school work. This was followed by learning how to dance in pairs in dance class and then going to a concert in the Anti-Imperialist plaza for one of the biggest bands in Cuba, because it is a huge student week here with the Caribbean games being played at our university between teams form different schools. (I realize that may have been hard to follow)
Happy Easter everyone, I will be thinking about all of you I have Easter traditions with. Our whole group is going to Trinidad and don't worry we did a secret Easter Bunny exchange so people wouldn't miss home too much and get some kind of Easter Basket. All the best!
Hannah
The trip to Matanzas was not 100% successful, because we did not find much out about the roots of rumba and major other types of Cuban music that originated in Matanzas. However, it was a very good trip including super good ice cream, a walk through a valley and into a random cave, and entertaining personalities. I will focus on the transit though.
Part of the excitement of going to Matanzas was to get to take the Hershey Train. The Hershey Train (electric) was set up by none other than the Hershey chocolate company to transport sugar in Cuba. It is not one of the most reliable trains as the newest components or cars are about 50 years old. It has multiple stops, but the last stops are in Casablanca (the other side of the bay from Old Havana) and in Matanzas. To get to Casablanca in time for our train we had to be at the Ferry on the other side of the bay at dawn. And notably in Casablanca there is a giant statue of Jesus close to where the Train stop is.
We set off with 6 in our group and 3 other of our friends that were just going to Varadero beach outside Matanzas for the day. The train also cost about approx. 15 cents if converted in US dollars. The train at one point did come unhitched at the main point from the other car. So they stopped to fix it and an old man on the train pulled out a large knife that ended up saving the day. Once we got to another large stop we got off and they disappeared for about an hour to get another train to use for the rest of the way. The first part of the train ride was really cool as we talked to Pesciliano our friend on the Train who wanted to know the meaning of things like 'otherwise' in English. It was also fun to watch the train become packed.
The second train ride I got a seat, but couldn't see outside as well and started to read. Women with small children piled on the train and some of our group started talking to them and all of the sudden a guy walks by me with a white bag that startled me with a crow to alert me of the rooster inside the bag. One of my friends, who is a nanny in the States, offered to hold a woman's baby and she was in heaven as I started a nice chat with the woman. And finally on the ride I took a breath and decided this was perfect and I was excited about the end of the ride. Of course a moment after the breath the man behind us announced we had arrived in Matanzas…
We only stayed one night and one of my friends and I decided not to go with the other four to the beach the next day. A. on principle because it is the nicest beach in Cuba, but mainly reserved for tourists and B. because music was our main goal in Matanzas. The two of us ended up with more time walking around and doing things in the city and then were ready to get back to Havana in time for dinner. After walking around all day it turned out we missed the bus so we walked even farther to the train station (via a town baseball game, that no one batted an eye lash we were literally walking through their game) and then found out this train (not the Hershey Train, but the Trains used for all of the island) was even less reliable and didn't leave for another 5 hours. So we made our way back to the other bus station and decided to try to get on the Astro Bus only for Cubans. By the way I was exhausted at this point and getting home the earliest route became the main objective. After a few conversations with a man at the station we finally got help in figuring out the Cuban system and convinced them that as students with residency cards we were allowed to use this method of transport.
The way waiting for the bus works is, everyone forms a line and waits around until right when the bus comes and then tickets start being sold. Now you need to understand lines in general in Cuba. It is not a physical line, someone could be sitting on a park bench and still be in line, because people keep track of who the last person is. So in a bus terminal everyone just sits around and like all lines in Cuba when you want to enter you shout 'quien es el ultimo' or just 'ultimo' and once you find this person you become ultimo until the next person comes. It takes a little getting used to and you have to remember who is in front of and behind you in line, but Cubans are very good at this. Anyway we finally get in the line and get our tickets and got to enjoy the ride home in a nice bus for under a USD. Actually my entire transport to Matanzas was under two US dollars, until taking the cab for 3 dollars back from the Bus station.
On the ride back I was sitting next to a man who literally knew the words to everyone song that played and would quietly sing along. At about the second hour of the trip Antonio and I started talking, and it may have been the best random conversation I have had with a Cuban yet. He was explaining to me he was a priest, but even more so a Santero- which means of member of the Santeria religion I am interested in here. But we talked about everything from climate to race to school to music and mainly about music. And I knew when he started asking about the man who played the trumpet and was talking about Louis Armstrong he was good people. And then we were all of the sudden making our way back into Havana at dusk and it just felt like I was coming home as we drove through different barrios…
These always get longer than I anticipate and I haven't had a chance to talk about the museum for literacy and the school for children with special needs in the Ciudad Libertad that we toured this week. Real quick, hearing a second grader in a class for children with sight problems start reading to the class in a clear strong voice and than realizing he is the only child that is reading Braille almost brought tears to my eyes. And when the singing group sang for us, with a little Ray Charles singing the solo, the kids all took care of each other. I don't know if I have ever been in a choir or school event where a teacher didn't introduce me, but these kids did it all themselves and man are they just brilliant and focused on their school work. This was followed by learning how to dance in pairs in dance class and then going to a concert in the Anti-Imperialist plaza for one of the biggest bands in Cuba, because it is a huge student week here with the Caribbean games being played at our university between teams form different schools. (I realize that may have been hard to follow)
Happy Easter everyone, I will be thinking about all of you I have Easter traditions with. Our whole group is going to Trinidad and don't worry we did a secret Easter Bunny exchange so people wouldn't miss home too much and get some kind of Easter Basket. All the best!
Hannah
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