Only in Cuba...

I forgot to share about a nice little adventure we had one school day last week...the weather was crazy due to a cold front, and we bravely headed down the stairs on our way to school...only to be confronted with a mini-flood in the streets. We set off towards school, only to realize a few blocks away from our house that the road leading to school was completely awash. To our knees. As we turned towards home again, another wave washed up on the sidewalk- our exit was quickly being submersed as well. I don't want to know what things were in the water we walked through that day. But we couldn't go to first period because the streets were flooded. This was pretty much nothing, though- I can't even imagine what a hurricane would do. Here are some pictures.

Cienfuegos y Trinidad

If you’ll remember, the last weekend trip we went on to Matanzas ended up being agonizing, to say the least. Thus, with great apprehension we boarded the bus on Thursday afternoon to head for Cienfuegos and Trinidad. It was a long bus ride (about 5 hours), so Thursday ended with dinner and some Arrested Development.

Friday morning we boarded the bus early to head for Palmira, a center of santeria activity here in the country. We were dragged to god knows how many different cabildos, or societies, for different orisha-saints (here's Saint Barbara to Catholics, or Chango to Santeria creyentes). As not much was said, and they were all fairly siminlar, this was not an auspicious start to the weekend. Once we finally hit lunchtime, things improved greatly. The afternoon we had free in the city of Cienfuegos, and instead of doing a lot of tourist-like activities, we basically just milled around in one of the markets and then sat down on a pier to gossip about the boys. It made it quite an enjoyable day. My camera wasn't working well, so I have no pictures to show from Cienfuegos.

Saturday, though, was my favorite. We started out for Trinidad, which I was really excited to visit- it’s a UNESCO world heritage site, and we all know I’m a history nerd. Trinidad was gorgeous, it’s on a hill and you can see all the way down to the sea. All the buildings are quaint and old and painted in such Caribbean colors, and if you look behind the city you can see the mountain ranges. The only thing I must say against it is that there’s still a lot of disrepair; it’s a little like a poor man’s Santo Domingo- it has the potential to have that same level, only it’s not kept up as much. The other thing I wish I could show you in pictures was some reconstruction that I saw happening- only the material they used to brace the external structure wasn’t even cut wood; they were using actual trees. Granted they had hewn off the leaves, but it was the still-barky trunk of a tree holding up the restoration of an old church. Oh, Cuba.

So as soon as we arrived in Trinidad we basically had free time to do what we wanted. After spending time in an artisan fair, we then went to try the famous drink of the region, a canchacharra. Made of honey, water, and aguardiente, it is potent and dangerous. And so delicious. After three of those, well, we can just say the rest of the day was lots of fun. Our lunching spot had a huge tower that we were able to climb to see the countryside, which was more or less part of the Valle de los Ingenios, or the Valley of the Sugar Mills- an area where a lot of the old sugar plantations were concentrated. Following the tower excursion we made one more stop at a lookout point over the valley. It was beautiful. I keep looking at the photos I took and thinking that it is so perfect in a way that it looks fake. Interesting contrast considering the history that occurred there was so ugly. I’m a little disappointed; I thought we were going to visit an old plantation and talk more in depth about what actually happened, but I guess that wasn’t to be. All in all, though, it was a really fun and interesting day.

Hilarious Update: I did forget to share one fun moment of the trip, which was me poppin' a squat by the side of the road on the way home from Cienfuegos. Apparently we were over 70 kilometers away from the next rest stop...good times. So I hiked up over the bank by the side of the road and tried to hunch down behind a little hill, much to the amusement of the rest of the group, who was watching me from the van. So much fun.

Reflection of the Day: One of the Northeastern questions that we are supposed to answer is regarding advice to future students. Mine? If you come here, you’re going to feel guilty. All the time. Because of the advantages in life that you have that people here don’t and won’t, at least for a while. And if you don’t feel guilty here (even though you are conscious on another level that you’ve done nothing wrong), you are the coldest person ever.

Cannons and Cemetaries

One of the to-do attractions here in Havana is the Cañonazo. This happens at the Fortaleza Cabana, where the bookfair was as well. Basically, it’s a holdover from the times that this was a Spanish colony and there was a nightly curfew at 9 PM. A cannon at the fort was fired to let people know that the city gates were closing. This seemed like a romantic idea, so Whitney and I, Yohandy, Jose, Honorio, and Richard all went this past week. We arrived, but before entering, a guard warned us that it would cost 12CUC a person to enter, BUT, if we just paid him and his friend 5 CUC per American, they would sneak us in the back entrance. Ok, we thought, better take this deal, although I had premointions of fishiness. We follow the friend all the way through this field outside the forts, and we’re walking for a good five or ten minutes. We finally arrive at the back gates and have to cross the moat, which was a little frightening. Then we entered the back just in time to see a bunch of fellows in colonial dress doing a little drum and marching routine. They march all the way up to the cannon and after about 5 more minutes of commands and drumming, the cannon was lit and finally goes off. And that’s it. 5 CUC? Really? Not gonna lie, most of the night I kept thinking that it was probably free or 1 or 2 CUC at most to enter. Good news is, though, I just checked Meg's guidebook, and it would have been 6 CUC a person, plus 2 more to bring a camera. So while the guides lied to us, at the same time, it was cheaper than it should have been. The whole experience was very Cuba, either way.

The other main attraction this past week was going to the Cementario de Colon, which is an old cementary here in Havana. It was gorgeous, and basically this beauty was the result of a bunch of rich people competing to have better tombs (hence the pyramid, one fellow thought, hey, Egyptian kings were buried in pyramids so I too will be like a king if I'm buried in a pyramid, and I'll be the best in the cemetary). Our guide was very intense and dramatic, so it made the day rather amusing. Definitely worth the visit.

Captain's Log: Day Trip to Soroa in Pinar del Rio

Last Saturday a few of us intrepid adventurers set off for the province of Pinar del Rio, the only province further west of Havana Province. We were aiming for a day of nature and whatnot, with waterfalls, orchid gardens, mineral baths, and caves on our to-do list. As the areas we were aiming to hit were supposedly only an hour or two away, we thought that if we picked up our rental car shortly after breakfast, we’d be able to see all of that and return for dinner. We forgot that we are in Cuba.

9:15- Leave apartment building loaded down with our supplies for the day, including a tin of crackers about the size of a cubic foot.

9:24- Arrive at car rental place, slightly dismayed to find a rather large queue. Stand in the sun, deciding that at least working on the tan is a better use of time than standing in shade.

9:48- Line finally moves up enough that we are able to sit inside.

10:15- The majority of the group is able to move into the rental agent’s office (there is only one rental agent present). However, as the office is small and 6 of us are there, two of us wait in the foyer.

10:24- Danny signs his life away and we are finally able to head into the garage towards our car.

10:29- We finally have managed to cram four of us in the backseat and are more or less situated for the hour-long car ride. “Contact!”, as Poppy would say, and we are headed westbound.

10:52- Somehow we haven’t found the Autopista (the highway we needed to take) yet. Ask and receive set #1 of directions. We are apparently going in the wrong direction, and pull a U-turn.

10:54- We’ve gone past a road that we think was mentioned in set #1 of directions. Another U-turn and set #2 of directions, completely contrary to the first. Third U-turn of the trip.

11:02- We follow what we think is set 2 of directions. Apparently, all roads lead to Havana, because we’re entering the city again.

11:15- We’ve stopped at a food chain to ask for directions. We might have understood them. I open a beer and bless the absence of open container laws in this country. Tucker Max would be happy here.

12:45-Driving through a tiny town. We have no idea where we are, and as the majority of vehicles in this area are powered by live horses, we are receiving a goodly amount of stares.

1:00- We are on a road. We don’t care where we go anymore as long as we end up somewhere.

1:30- We finally got lucky and happened onto the Autopista. As this has already been a much longer trip than planned (though most of it occurred in Havana) we take a quick stop by the side of the highway.

2:15ish- Arrival in Soroa. Our crackers didn’t hold us over, so we promptly stop for lunch. Good news is that all in one complex, we can eat, see a waterfall, take mineral baths, and smell the orchids.

3:20- After an atypically fast lunch, we decide to hike to the waterfall. We are charged 3 CUC to do this, despite Chaunce’s arguments about us living here.

3:30- Arrive at waterfall, which, while gorgeous, is so far not worth the time it took to get here or the money it cost us. Spend some time swimming/sunbathing/being stared at by 14 yr. old Cuban boys, and decide to climb back up.

4:15- Out of breath from the steep climb back up from the waterfall, we sit and have the Tu Kola to which our 3 CUC apparently entitles us. Realize that most things close at 5:00, so we won’t be able to see the caves, which are about 35 minutes away. Orchid gardens or mineral baths? Having already done the botanical gardens, we opt for the mineral baths. So foolish.

4:30- Why would we ever have thought it was a good idea to swim in something that smells like rotten eggs? Though we don’t know it at the time, the smell is destined to stick with us for about 24 hours, despite thorough cleansings in the shower. Time for another beer.

4:50- After changing our clothes, we head for home. Cuba has defeated us once again.

Dianne Feinstein is a Commie Bastard

Kidding. But she has popped up here in a most unexpected place. Yesterday we went to visit the Museum of Dance here in Havana- and by dance, in this case, I mean ballet. It was surprising to me at first, but ballet has been popular here for hundreds of years. Obviously, though, Cuban ballet truly became famous with Alicia Alonso's leap onto the stage. She's world-reknowned, in earlier days for her dancing, and now for her choreography as well. So in the museum, there was alot of space dedicated to her, including proclamations from the governments of other countries about her prowess as a ballerina, etc. Imagine my surprise, as I'm inspecting these, to find a commendation from Dianne Feinstein, Mayor of San Fran. Granted, it was a bit dated, but she had pinko leanings! And to think how close she was to Obama during the campaign...oh no, the commies have finally infiltrated the government!

Kidding around, obviously. I feel like my writings are getting stranger and stranger, but it's just so that I can cope with the experience of being in Cuba. It's like we live in a state of constant emotional drainage here. I'm going to need a vacation, psychiatric help, or a beer (or all three) when I come home in order to recover. Not joking about this.

What else have we been up to? Recently, we visited a hogar materno. This is basically a rest home for women who are having difficulties during their pregnancies. It's actually very interesting. The Revolution wanted to combat health problems, and they realized that the best way to do that is to start young, so maternal and child health is really prioritized here. By going, we found out that the US isn't the only country with teen pregnancy issues. We met a 17 year old, very pregnant and boyfriendless girl while at the hogar materno. A note regarding teen sexuality here: it's rampant. We recently learned about the "escuelas del campo", or countryside schools. I already wrote about the schools where kids attend classes but also do agricultural work like picking oranges. The dorms of the schools are basically comprised of three story buildings, and on each level of the dorm is one long barrack-style room that houses about 80 kids. There are two dorms, one for the boys and one for the girls. So, in total, 240 boys, 240 girls, and little supervision. Sexuality starts young, and it's coupled with little privacy. This is why to some people (Americans) it seems like Cuban society is oversexed. But I think it's just a different type of sexuality than in the US, where it is at the same time celebrated and reviled.

In other news, this is my new tattoo. It's a dove, which is the symbol for peace. Has a lot to do with my modus operandi, and I think it's fitting inside the "siempre pa' adelante" tattoo. The dove is also the symbol of my orisha, Obbatala, who is the orisha of peace and purity. Fitting in so many ways.