I just remembered this little anecdote from when Mom, Kate, and I were going back to the airport to pick up their luggage. First of all, this was an illegal taxi, meaning the they didn't have an official license from the state. Not a big deal, because whatev it's a car and they were going to take us there for 12 CUC (normally its about a 20 CUC ride). He then tries to charge us 15, but I yelled for a while and we settled on 13 CUC.
But we're talking to the cab driver and his friend who is along for the ride about various topics, and ended up talking about Obama. I think it was Mom who said that she hopes the situation with Cuba will change under Obama. Our new friend then says (in English) "Obama will do great things, but he can't fix our problems," meaning that the change has to come from within. I thought that this was such an interesting insight. Most people here try to blame their situation on the U.S. And while I do think that the Cuban lifestyle will improve dramatically when (because I do think it will happen) the embargo is lifted, the restrictions on their lifestyle are imposed by their own government.
So after this talk, the driver tells me in Spanish that he's going to have to let us out before the airport because he's illegal. And I'm like sure dude no problem, as long as we're super close and in a well lit area and such. He's like oh yeah, sure fine, and then proceeds to stop in the middle of a highway to let us out. I was like "No way, José" although I don't think his name was José. He gets all mad but then proceeds to drive into the airport and everything was fine! So we gave him a tip and he was happy and I was happy that we made some friends and Mom and Kate were happy because they got their luggage with a side of excitement.
I think that's all I have to say about that for now.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Une Anneé Sans Lumiere- The Arcade Fire
"¿Donde lo conseguiste?"
A new phrase that I have recently discovered. Loosely translated, it means "where'd you get that?" And this could refer to anything; that watch, shirt, car, bracelet, whatev. And the usual response is "A la izquierda," which means "to the left" (no, not like Beyoncé). To the left, referring to anything other than the straight and narrow, i.e. illegally. This has a lot of importance in Cuba, because this is a way of survival for Cubans.
Me and Jesús eating dinner. Foto de Kate
Me and Joannie wandering around this cool building. Foto de Kate
Honorio and I peering over the edge. Foto de Megan
A new phrase that I have recently discovered. Loosely translated, it means "where'd you get that?" And this could refer to anything; that watch, shirt, car, bracelet, whatev. And the usual response is "A la izquierda," which means "to the left" (no, not like Beyoncé). To the left, referring to anything other than the straight and narrow, i.e. illegally. This has a lot of importance in Cuba, because this is a way of survival for Cubans.
This brings me to paladares. A paladar is a private, usually family-owned restaurant, as in not state-owned. When my familia came to visit, we went to this paladar called a Guarida. It's
famous because it is the featured restaurant in the Cuban film "Fresa y Chocolate," which was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Foreign Film) in 1994. The Cuban government allows families to control these small businesses in exchange for very high taxes. Paladares are supposed to have only 12 seats (although they usually have more than that). Also, the money goes to them (after they pay these taxes) so the service is wonderful as is the food. And it makes me happy that the money we paid for dinner goes to the waiter we had!
Me and Jesús eating dinner. Foto de KateBut this restaurant is just so cool. You walk into this old crumbling abandoned building with a peeling painting of a cuban flag and an old speech by Fidel. In this building, there are a bunch of apartments and laundry hanging in the hallways. You walk up to the third floor, ring the bell, and you're in a completely different world. The walls are covered in photos and paintings, with random sculptures all over the place. There are a bunch of little rooms and tables on a tiny cute balcony.
Me and Joannie wandering around this cool building. Foto de KateHonorio and I peering over the edge. Foto de MeganRace for the Prize- The Flaming Lips
So I don't know who was watching the Oscars (I obviously was not) but I just wanted to say one thing: I was so excited that Man On Wire won best documentary! I went to go see it at Cooldge with my fabulous friend Anne (who also has a blog!) and it's about this guy who is a wire walker (tightrope walker, if you will) who walks between, among other silly places, the Twin Towers in New York. He's French, and a lot of the footage is from the 70's, when this stunt occurred. Philippe Petit is also a cool guy, as evidenced by the photo below.
Leather at the Oscars? How scandalous.
Okay, two things: for anyone that hasn't seem Slumdog Millionaire, please do. My mom brought it to Cuba when she came to visit and I lovelovelove it! Not what I expected at all and such a beautiful film. This photo is by far the cutest I have seen from the Oscars.
Dev Patel (Jamal Malik) and Rubina Ali (Latika at age 5).
Leather at the Oscars? How scandalous.Okay, two things: for anyone that hasn't seem Slumdog Millionaire, please do. My mom brought it to Cuba when she came to visit and I lovelovelove it! Not what I expected at all and such a beautiful film. This photo is by far the cutest I have seen from the Oscars.
Dev Patel (Jamal Malik) and Rubina Ali (Latika at age 5).
Okay I lied. three things: I was really glad Sean Penn won best actor. Milk was amazing. And although I'm usually not a fan of political acceptance speeches, I thought his was spot on. Totally appropriate. And he was looking guapo in his all black tux.
Ah I love the Oscars.
Ah I love the Oscars.
Wrapped Up In Books- Belle & Sebastian
So on Friday I went to the 18th Annual Feria de Libros in Havana. This book fair is so cool; it's at an old Spanish fort across the bay. Our school had a free bus going a couple times a day, which was awesome. The entrada (fee to get in) was only 2 MN (roughly 8 cents USD), so that was cool. There was a bunch of food stands with street food and such (Coppelia ice cream on conos! I was so excited). There were two options, you could wander around to all the little different stands to look at the books or go to the central library, which had ALL of the books being sold. We went to the central library of course (didn't want to miss any!).
It was very cool, I ended up buying ten books for less than four dollars! It's a big family event every year for Cubans because it's so cheap. This year there were a lot of books out for the 50th anniversary of the Revolution (I bought a book of interviews conducted by this one journalist with Fidel from 2006-2008). But it's not just Cuban lit, they have a lot of international stuf, all in Spanish. Among others, I bought The Little Prince, Age of Gold by José Martí, Cecilia Valdés, a book written by Fidel titled History will Absolve Me, and more. I'm excited to do some reading in Spanish; my speaking has gotten so much better but since I don't get homework here I don't read that much, except for the newspaper. So fun!
It was very cool, I ended up buying ten books for less than four dollars! It's a big family event every year for Cubans because it's so cheap. This year there were a lot of books out for the 50th anniversary of the Revolution (I bought a book of interviews conducted by this one journalist with Fidel from 2006-2008). But it's not just Cuban lit, they have a lot of international stuf, all in Spanish. Among others, I bought The Little Prince, Age of Gold by José Martí, Cecilia Valdés, a book written by Fidel titled History will Absolve Me, and more. I'm excited to do some reading in Spanish; my speaking has gotten so much better but since I don't get homework here I don't read that much, except for the newspaper. So fun!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Kon Karne- MF Doom
Okay, this is Supermarkets Part Dos. Kate, in her infinite wisdom, gently reminded me that I left out many things. So of course, this entry will be in list form, as are most things in my life.
1. Lack of Produce
-There is no produce in supermarkets in Cuba. Outside the city, there are produce stands that are usually empty, and they have vegetable markets that (at least right now, in the Winter) have a lot of root vegetables, sometimes fresh jalapeños (!), and SOMETIMES lettuce. But lettuce isn't in our ration, so I don't get to eat much of it. (Side note: we just started getting acelga a.k.a. bok choy and i am so excited about it. Milady didn't know who to make it, so I showed her. Lots of garlic, olive oil, salt, a llittle white wine, and some diced red pepper for color. I loved cooking with her. But it really made me miss cooking with Brit at 196 Hillside.) So anyway, I can't just buy a head of lettuce for fun. It makes me sad. I have seen apples for sale exactly once. They were at the bread counter. And they were gross.
2. There is Nothing in the Store
-Even if the store is huge, there aren't that many products. To make up for this, they wil have shelves and shelves on one item. Today I was in a supermarket and there was a whole aisle for soda. They had one-half of one side (a.k.a. 1/4 of the aisle) filled with cans of "Tu Kola," Cuba's poor excuse for Coke. In the cookie aisle, one whole side was filled with chocolate wafers. Very odd. But I guess if you have nothing to fill the aisles with, that's the only option you have.
3. Weird Things are Sold Separately
-I kind of mentioned this before, but there are different counters in the supermarkets. If you buy something from one of these counters, you pay for it there instead of at the register. Today I paid close attention, and realized that its actually very odd. I bought some oregano from one of these counters, and also at this counter was some sort of oil, sazón, Cuba's version of Ramen, spices, and one kind of ice cream. Kind of an odd assortment. I don't know why they're sold separately, maybe to keep people from stealing? Who knows.
4. Things I Want to Buy are Very Expensive
-Cereal. Pickles. Something called Mexican Salsa, but is most likely not.
5. The Ever-Illusive Peanut Butter
-We heard reports that you could buy peanut butter at a supermarket in Miramar, which is a fancy suberb of Havana. It used to be where foreigners would have summer houses, so the houses are huge and beautiful and have lots of yard space, etc. At least for Cuban standards. Now, these houses have been turned into embassies for other countries. So they are obviously well-maintained. After my nap this morning/afternoon, I went with Emma, Meg, and Steph to this fancy supermarket. Rough life, I know. We had visions of a hybrid Whole Foods/Trader Joe's, full of lettuce and peanut butter. I don't know what I was thinking. It was pretty much the same thing as the Galleria (my local supermarket), just bigger. But that doesn't necessarily mean more stuf, as I have explained. And no peanut butter. But, they had little food stands/cafeterías/I don't even know in the parking lot! So we tried to get draft beer, but unfortunately could not. So instead we got french fries, met some Swiss/German/European guys who were asking us what we do for fun in Havana (they had just gotten here after driving across the whole island. I think we disappointed them). We also met a guy from Chicago on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team. Kevin had no neck to speak of. He's here for a wrestling match. With him was a GIANT Cuban guy who was also a wrestler, for the Cuban national team. We later discover he (the Cuban, I forget his name) has taken a liking to our fair Meg, and she gets his phone number and address. One more number that won't be called. Sigh.
Okay well I think that's all. Kate, I hope this has really painted the picture of Cuban supermarkets for you. I would like to leave you all with a quote from a friend of mine who is spending his semester studying in Hawaii. We were discussing the difficulties of island life, mostly how much we miss food. Me, because they just don't have it here, and him because Hawaii is so expensive.
"I get like menstrual and want to eat 400 pizzas covered in ice cream and chicken cutlets."
Five weeks until I'm back in the States. So crazy.
1. Lack of Produce
-There is no produce in supermarkets in Cuba. Outside the city, there are produce stands that are usually empty, and they have vegetable markets that (at least right now, in the Winter) have a lot of root vegetables, sometimes fresh jalapeños (!), and SOMETIMES lettuce. But lettuce isn't in our ration, so I don't get to eat much of it. (Side note: we just started getting acelga a.k.a. bok choy and i am so excited about it. Milady didn't know who to make it, so I showed her. Lots of garlic, olive oil, salt, a llittle white wine, and some diced red pepper for color. I loved cooking with her. But it really made me miss cooking with Brit at 196 Hillside.) So anyway, I can't just buy a head of lettuce for fun. It makes me sad. I have seen apples for sale exactly once. They were at the bread counter. And they were gross.
2. There is Nothing in the Store
-Even if the store is huge, there aren't that many products. To make up for this, they wil have shelves and shelves on one item. Today I was in a supermarket and there was a whole aisle for soda. They had one-half of one side (a.k.a. 1/4 of the aisle) filled with cans of "Tu Kola," Cuba's poor excuse for Coke. In the cookie aisle, one whole side was filled with chocolate wafers. Very odd. But I guess if you have nothing to fill the aisles with, that's the only option you have.
3. Weird Things are Sold Separately
-I kind of mentioned this before, but there are different counters in the supermarkets. If you buy something from one of these counters, you pay for it there instead of at the register. Today I paid close attention, and realized that its actually very odd. I bought some oregano from one of these counters, and also at this counter was some sort of oil, sazón, Cuba's version of Ramen, spices, and one kind of ice cream. Kind of an odd assortment. I don't know why they're sold separately, maybe to keep people from stealing? Who knows.
4. Things I Want to Buy are Very Expensive
-Cereal. Pickles. Something called Mexican Salsa, but is most likely not.
5. The Ever-Illusive Peanut Butter
-We heard reports that you could buy peanut butter at a supermarket in Miramar, which is a fancy suberb of Havana. It used to be where foreigners would have summer houses, so the houses are huge and beautiful and have lots of yard space, etc. At least for Cuban standards. Now, these houses have been turned into embassies for other countries. So they are obviously well-maintained. After my nap this morning/afternoon, I went with Emma, Meg, and Steph to this fancy supermarket. Rough life, I know. We had visions of a hybrid Whole Foods/Trader Joe's, full of lettuce and peanut butter. I don't know what I was thinking. It was pretty much the same thing as the Galleria (my local supermarket), just bigger. But that doesn't necessarily mean more stuf, as I have explained. And no peanut butter. But, they had little food stands/cafeterías/I don't even know in the parking lot! So we tried to get draft beer, but unfortunately could not. So instead we got french fries, met some Swiss/German/European guys who were asking us what we do for fun in Havana (they had just gotten here after driving across the whole island. I think we disappointed them). We also met a guy from Chicago on the U.S. Olympic wrestling team. Kevin had no neck to speak of. He's here for a wrestling match. With him was a GIANT Cuban guy who was also a wrestler, for the Cuban national team. We later discover he (the Cuban, I forget his name) has taken a liking to our fair Meg, and she gets his phone number and address. One more number that won't be called. Sigh.
Okay well I think that's all. Kate, I hope this has really painted the picture of Cuban supermarkets for you. I would like to leave you all with a quote from a friend of mine who is spending his semester studying in Hawaii. We were discussing the difficulties of island life, mostly how much we miss food. Me, because they just don't have it here, and him because Hawaii is so expensive.
"I get like menstrual and want to eat 400 pizzas covered in ice cream and chicken cutlets."
Five weeks until I'm back in the States. So crazy.
Sexy Ladies- Justin Timberlake
So this past Saturday night, me and the gals (and Honorio, Danny, and Danny's new boy Jose) went to a transformismo (drag show). Before I talk about the silliness that went on, let me fill you in on the trip there.
So this drag show has been going on in Havana for about 15 years. The location changes frequently to avoid the police/government (while there is no "official" repression of homosexuals in Cuba, they still face a lot of discrimination. Known gay clubs and hangouts are raided frequently, sometimes beating and detaining patrons). To get there, you have to go to Calle 23 and go up to a cab driver and ask "¿Donde esta la fiesta?" (Where is the party?) Apparently, all these cab drivers are in the know, and will take you there.
So we go on this cab ride for about 20-30 minutes, past Parque Lenin, outside of Havana. We get there, pay our entrada, and the show is just about to start. The women who performed were beautiful and sassy, singing (lip synching?) to some Cuban songs, some Spanish, and then some American (Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" in French, anyone?) It was so silly and fun, but nothing compares to the show I saw in Thailand.
It was also nice to be in a place where we (the girls) weren't being constantly harassed. no hissing, no "ay, que linda," no nothing. I loved it.
In preparation for writing this blog post, I did a little research on gay culture in Cuba. It turns out that after the revolution, Fidel tried to rid the nation of homosexuality. Apparently, it was seen as a "product of a capitalist society." So through the 60s and 70s, lesbians and gays (particularly effeminate males) were put in prison without charge or trial, and confinement to forced labor camps.
Between 1986-89, HIV-positive Cubans were put into treatment centres called sanatorias. What I think is really interesting is that most of the people quarantines in the beginning were heterosexual aid workers, returning from Africa. Now, the sanatorias aren't mandatory, and there is an outpatient program, but they are still open for patients who prefer to live there.
Also, Cuba has a huge HIV/AIDS/STD education program in schools which has been credited for lowering the rate of HIV on the island. In 2003 Cuba had the lowest HIV prevalence in the Americas and one of the lowest ratios in the world. Since the development (and widespread availability) of anti-retroviral treatment drugs, HIV positve patients rarely have secondary infections.
Okay! Just a little info on homosexuals in Cuba.
In other news, I went to the beach today and got stung by a jellyfish. No bueno.
So this drag show has been going on in Havana for about 15 years. The location changes frequently to avoid the police/government (while there is no "official" repression of homosexuals in Cuba, they still face a lot of discrimination. Known gay clubs and hangouts are raided frequently, sometimes beating and detaining patrons). To get there, you have to go to Calle 23 and go up to a cab driver and ask "¿Donde esta la fiesta?" (Where is the party?) Apparently, all these cab drivers are in the know, and will take you there.
So we go on this cab ride for about 20-30 minutes, past Parque Lenin, outside of Havana. We get there, pay our entrada, and the show is just about to start. The women who performed were beautiful and sassy, singing (lip synching?) to some Cuban songs, some Spanish, and then some American (Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" in French, anyone?) It was so silly and fun, but nothing compares to the show I saw in Thailand.
It was also nice to be in a place where we (the girls) weren't being constantly harassed. no hissing, no "ay, que linda," no nothing. I loved it.
In preparation for writing this blog post, I did a little research on gay culture in Cuba. It turns out that after the revolution, Fidel tried to rid the nation of homosexuality. Apparently, it was seen as a "product of a capitalist society." So through the 60s and 70s, lesbians and gays (particularly effeminate males) were put in prison without charge or trial, and confinement to forced labor camps.
Between 1986-89, HIV-positive Cubans were put into treatment centres called sanatorias. What I think is really interesting is that most of the people quarantines in the beginning were heterosexual aid workers, returning from Africa. Now, the sanatorias aren't mandatory, and there is an outpatient program, but they are still open for patients who prefer to live there.
Also, Cuba has a huge HIV/AIDS/STD education program in schools which has been credited for lowering the rate of HIV on the island. In 2003 Cuba had the lowest HIV prevalence in the Americas and one of the lowest ratios in the world. Since the development (and widespread availability) of anti-retroviral treatment drugs, HIV positve patients rarely have secondary infections.
Okay! Just a little info on homosexuals in Cuba.
In other news, I went to the beach today and got stung by a jellyfish. No bueno.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Picture, Picture- Harvey Danger
Just some photos of what's been going on lately. I'll post more when Kate uploads the pictures from my week with the familia.
Omara Portuondo, the sassiest woman in Cuba. She sang a couple songs with Chucho. I think she had a couple mojitos before she came on stage. Foto de Megan.
Tara and I getting our heads cleared for our necklace ceremony at my Padrinos house. Foto de Tara.
My uber-depressing classroom. Foto de Emma.
Omara Portuondo, the sassiest woman in Cuba. She sang a couple songs with Chucho. I think she had a couple mojitos before she came on stage. Foto de Megan.Tara and I getting our heads cleared for our necklace ceremony at my Padrinos house. Foto de Tara.My uber-depressing classroom. Foto de Emma.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Kon Queso- MF Doom
So I know I just updated yesterday, but there are a couple of things I want to talk about that don't really have to do with events, more just like how stuf is in Cuba. So this is one of those.
I want to talk about grocery stores. For anyone who knows me even a little bit, you know that I have a deep love of grocery stores. This is most definitely from my mom. Every country we went to (and now every country I go to on my own) I MUST visit a grocery store. I think they are so telling of people's day to day lives, because food shopping is a necessity. And considering I love to cook, grocery stores are essential to my life.
But since food is rationed in Cuba, people get their food at bodegas. I think I have kind of talked about bodegas before, but I'm going to talk about them again. Most people in the U.S. think of bodegas as shady corner stores where you can buy pretty much everything (or if you're from Boston you think of it as an elitist place to buy expensive sneakers).
Here, bodegas are where people "buy" their rationed food. The food is so cheap (pennies for a kilo of rice), but everyone only gets a certain amount, which is usually not enough. The prices are kept artificially low (the price of rice hasn't gone up since 1959) so people can afford it. Everyone has a ration booklet where they mark off how much they buy each month and how much they have left.
So for those lucky enough to have extra money to supplement there food, they go to the grocery store. There is a small supermarket right next to my residencia, which is great. You go in and you have to check your bag at the "guardabolsa." I assume the reason for this is to eliminate theft, but I don't know if theft was a big problem here. But you have to check your bags at a lot of places, so maybe it was common.
Anyway, you go in and shop around, theres a cheese counter, meat counter, bread counter, and then aisles of food. Usually, we head straight to the snack aisle, considering most of our meals are provided. They have a couple of different brands (my favorite brand is from Spain, and there is a Brazilian company that makes delicious hazlenut wafers), and surprisingly, there is a bunch of different options for cookies and crackers that are gluten-free. I think this is odd because up until very recently in the U.S., these products were hard to find. They also have a ton of snacks that are full of fiber.
Something of late that we have discovered: Magic Dioxide. They are these cookies with chocolate filling that are absolutely delicious and to our surprise, are filled with vitaminas y minerales! So now we all have to eat them becasue their healthy. I don't know why they are called Magic Dioxide, but it always makes me smile. We also buy these GIANT tins of pseudo-saltines that last us for weeks. And now, since Dad brought me peanut butter, we make peanut butter sandwiches on our crackers to take to class. it makes me feel as if I'm in third grade and I love it.
Okay, back to the super market. If you want to buy rum, certain liquors, and then other random products (buillon cubes, some chocolates, ice cream bars) you have to wait in a separate line which always takes forever.
I think the biggest difference between shopping here and in the U.S. is this: when I go food shopping at home, I bring my list and get what I need and leave. When I go shopping here, something I bought last week could not be here this week. You never know what's going to be there. Sometimes they have Coca-Cola (like the real stuf) and sometimes they only have the Cuban brand. So I think the uncertainty of what's available is what fascinates me.
Okay, that's all I have to say about grocery stores.
I want to talk about grocery stores. For anyone who knows me even a little bit, you know that I have a deep love of grocery stores. This is most definitely from my mom. Every country we went to (and now every country I go to on my own) I MUST visit a grocery store. I think they are so telling of people's day to day lives, because food shopping is a necessity. And considering I love to cook, grocery stores are essential to my life.
But since food is rationed in Cuba, people get their food at bodegas. I think I have kind of talked about bodegas before, but I'm going to talk about them again. Most people in the U.S. think of bodegas as shady corner stores where you can buy pretty much everything (or if you're from Boston you think of it as an elitist place to buy expensive sneakers).
Here, bodegas are where people "buy" their rationed food. The food is so cheap (pennies for a kilo of rice), but everyone only gets a certain amount, which is usually not enough. The prices are kept artificially low (the price of rice hasn't gone up since 1959) so people can afford it. Everyone has a ration booklet where they mark off how much they buy each month and how much they have left.
So for those lucky enough to have extra money to supplement there food, they go to the grocery store. There is a small supermarket right next to my residencia, which is great. You go in and you have to check your bag at the "guardabolsa." I assume the reason for this is to eliminate theft, but I don't know if theft was a big problem here. But you have to check your bags at a lot of places, so maybe it was common.
Anyway, you go in and shop around, theres a cheese counter, meat counter, bread counter, and then aisles of food. Usually, we head straight to the snack aisle, considering most of our meals are provided. They have a couple of different brands (my favorite brand is from Spain, and there is a Brazilian company that makes delicious hazlenut wafers), and surprisingly, there is a bunch of different options for cookies and crackers that are gluten-free. I think this is odd because up until very recently in the U.S., these products were hard to find. They also have a ton of snacks that are full of fiber.
Something of late that we have discovered: Magic Dioxide. They are these cookies with chocolate filling that are absolutely delicious and to our surprise, are filled with vitaminas y minerales! So now we all have to eat them becasue their healthy. I don't know why they are called Magic Dioxide, but it always makes me smile. We also buy these GIANT tins of pseudo-saltines that last us for weeks. And now, since Dad brought me peanut butter, we make peanut butter sandwiches on our crackers to take to class. it makes me feel as if I'm in third grade and I love it.
Okay, back to the super market. If you want to buy rum, certain liquors, and then other random products (buillon cubes, some chocolates, ice cream bars) you have to wait in a separate line which always takes forever.
I think the biggest difference between shopping here and in the U.S. is this: when I go food shopping at home, I bring my list and get what I need and leave. When I go shopping here, something I bought last week could not be here this week. You never know what's going to be there. Sometimes they have Coca-Cola (like the real stuf) and sometimes they only have the Cuban brand. So I think the uncertainty of what's available is what fascinates me.
Okay, that's all I have to say about grocery stores.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Represent, Cuba- Orishas
So I have been getting worried messages from friends and family about my lack of updates, and I apologize (again). My life has been crazy recently. This will be long and hopefully answer some questions I have received!
I am going to skip over my trip to Matanzas with the group last week because, due to a combination of an incompetent professor, incompetent tour guide, and bad food, I consider that weekend a complete waste of time and money. I learned nothing except that I cannot dance casino (a type of Cuban dance) if my life depended on it.
Next order of business: my family came to visit. It was wonderful and bizarre and lovely and weird. My Cuba isn't their Cuba isn't Cubans Cuba, and that took me a while to realize. And while I kept saying, no, this isn't a vacation for me, it was a bit of an escape due to the amount of money spent/tourist-y things done.
Mom and Kate got here Wednesday night. I went to the airport and waited for four hours, after which I decided that they must have had a complication in Mexico or something. I go home, sad a dejected, and run out to go to an event at school. I come back to my residencia with a message saying that they got here safe and sound! I call them up, discover their bags had been lost, and go over to their hotel with clothes and essentials for them to use.
Dad came late late Friday after a long trip, and it was wonderful to have everyone together! We had many issues with hotels, and moving around (one night we stayed at a casa particular, which is basically staying in someone's house. It was very cool), but it all worked out. It was jazz fest this week too, which was a lot of fun. On Wednesday we went to see Chucho Valdéz, who is a very famous Cuban pianist. He played with a lot of people and it was so fun, you could tell they were playing around and having a blast. Mom, who wasn't even really excited to go, had so much fun. On Friday, we went to see Buena Vista Social Club, who was also so much fun. I was sad, because I bought the Chucho tickets knowing Dad would love to go and then he didn't get to! But it worked out anyway. On Saturday night, we went to the ballet to see Giselle. It was so incredibly beautiful. I don't know much about the ballet, but I absoultely loved it. The theater was another story. It had the potential to be so beautiful (the architecture was amazing) but it was dirty, and there were broken seats, etc. I kind of feel like that is a metaphor for Cuba as a whole (beautiful underneath all the grime, and not just the literal dirt).
Anecdote about buying ballet tickets: I know I have explained the two different currencies here in cuba. For the ballet, we couldve paid 20 CUC (about $24 USD) for each ticket and sat in the orchaestra and everything. Or we couldve paid 5 peso nacional (about 20 cents) and sat up in the balconey. So obviously, I wanted to pay in moneda nacional. I go up to the desk, show them my id, and they tell me oh yeah, just wait in line and you can pay in MN. So I get in line at one and wait until two for tickets to go on sale. I get up there and a different woman looks at me and is like "you can't use this ID, you're only here for three months." I just looked at her and was like "This is ridiculous, she told me I could pay in MN, I waited in line for over an hour, I'm buying these for all students, blah blah" pretty much just yelling in Spanish and being generally disagreeable. Finally, the woman just had enough of me and gave up. So I got the MN tickets, feeling all proud of my Spanish skills.
So then we go up to the MN door the night of the ballet. Clearly, all four of us are not students. The woman taking tickets was like "You have to go buy CUC tickets, you can't use these." So once again, my inner college student (aka can't pay full price for anything) came out and I started in saying "You can't do this, I already paid, what if there are no more tickets, I waited in line, the woman told me this was okay, etc." And she just didn't know what to do! I kind of felt bad for her, but I was stubborn. Eventually she let us through. Victory!
Other highlights: I drank more mojitos when my family was here than I have the entire six weeks prior. We went to the Havana Club (rum!) factory/museum, which was pretty cool. I learned all about the process of turning sugar into rum (and when we go to Trinidad, we're going to see sugar mills, so now ill be able to see the whole process). There was a tasting at the end of the 7-year aged rum, which I hadn't had before (pretty delicious). Then mom bought me a set of Havana Club mojito glasses and an official muddler to bruise the mint leaves! Such a good house present. So Brit (and everyone else in Boston) get ready for some delicious mojitos upon my return!
The fam also brought me a bunch of chocolate, twizzlers, peanut butter, and other treats, so I am happy (at least this week).
So overall, it was wonderful having my family here. I was really glad to be able to show them my life here, but I feel like they were kind of cheated because they didn't experience the Cuba that I see everyday, but you can't do everything in a week, so whatev. Also, being away from my house was a very unsettling feeling, and I am glad to be back to my day to day ritual. Although I wish that they were still here.
Okay, as of right now that's all I have to say. But I am trying to write in here more regularly, and I have a list of things I want to talk about, so get ready!
I am going to skip over my trip to Matanzas with the group last week because, due to a combination of an incompetent professor, incompetent tour guide, and bad food, I consider that weekend a complete waste of time and money. I learned nothing except that I cannot dance casino (a type of Cuban dance) if my life depended on it.
Next order of business: my family came to visit. It was wonderful and bizarre and lovely and weird. My Cuba isn't their Cuba isn't Cubans Cuba, and that took me a while to realize. And while I kept saying, no, this isn't a vacation for me, it was a bit of an escape due to the amount of money spent/tourist-y things done.
Mom and Kate got here Wednesday night. I went to the airport and waited for four hours, after which I decided that they must have had a complication in Mexico or something. I go home, sad a dejected, and run out to go to an event at school. I come back to my residencia with a message saying that they got here safe and sound! I call them up, discover their bags had been lost, and go over to their hotel with clothes and essentials for them to use.
Dad came late late Friday after a long trip, and it was wonderful to have everyone together! We had many issues with hotels, and moving around (one night we stayed at a casa particular, which is basically staying in someone's house. It was very cool), but it all worked out. It was jazz fest this week too, which was a lot of fun. On Wednesday we went to see Chucho Valdéz, who is a very famous Cuban pianist. He played with a lot of people and it was so fun, you could tell they were playing around and having a blast. Mom, who wasn't even really excited to go, had so much fun. On Friday, we went to see Buena Vista Social Club, who was also so much fun. I was sad, because I bought the Chucho tickets knowing Dad would love to go and then he didn't get to! But it worked out anyway. On Saturday night, we went to the ballet to see Giselle. It was so incredibly beautiful. I don't know much about the ballet, but I absoultely loved it. The theater was another story. It had the potential to be so beautiful (the architecture was amazing) but it was dirty, and there were broken seats, etc. I kind of feel like that is a metaphor for Cuba as a whole (beautiful underneath all the grime, and not just the literal dirt).
Anecdote about buying ballet tickets: I know I have explained the two different currencies here in cuba. For the ballet, we couldve paid 20 CUC (about $24 USD) for each ticket and sat in the orchaestra and everything. Or we couldve paid 5 peso nacional (about 20 cents) and sat up in the balconey. So obviously, I wanted to pay in moneda nacional. I go up to the desk, show them my id, and they tell me oh yeah, just wait in line and you can pay in MN. So I get in line at one and wait until two for tickets to go on sale. I get up there and a different woman looks at me and is like "you can't use this ID, you're only here for three months." I just looked at her and was like "This is ridiculous, she told me I could pay in MN, I waited in line for over an hour, I'm buying these for all students, blah blah" pretty much just yelling in Spanish and being generally disagreeable. Finally, the woman just had enough of me and gave up. So I got the MN tickets, feeling all proud of my Spanish skills.
So then we go up to the MN door the night of the ballet. Clearly, all four of us are not students. The woman taking tickets was like "You have to go buy CUC tickets, you can't use these." So once again, my inner college student (aka can't pay full price for anything) came out and I started in saying "You can't do this, I already paid, what if there are no more tickets, I waited in line, the woman told me this was okay, etc." And she just didn't know what to do! I kind of felt bad for her, but I was stubborn. Eventually she let us through. Victory!
Other highlights: I drank more mojitos when my family was here than I have the entire six weeks prior. We went to the Havana Club (rum!) factory/museum, which was pretty cool. I learned all about the process of turning sugar into rum (and when we go to Trinidad, we're going to see sugar mills, so now ill be able to see the whole process). There was a tasting at the end of the 7-year aged rum, which I hadn't had before (pretty delicious). Then mom bought me a set of Havana Club mojito glasses and an official muddler to bruise the mint leaves! Such a good house present. So Brit (and everyone else in Boston) get ready for some delicious mojitos upon my return!
The fam also brought me a bunch of chocolate, twizzlers, peanut butter, and other treats, so I am happy (at least this week).
So overall, it was wonderful having my family here. I was really glad to be able to show them my life here, but I feel like they were kind of cheated because they didn't experience the Cuba that I see everyday, but you can't do everything in a week, so whatev. Also, being away from my house was a very unsettling feeling, and I am glad to be back to my day to day ritual. Although I wish that they were still here.
Okay, as of right now that's all I have to say. But I am trying to write in here more regularly, and I have a list of things I want to talk about, so get ready!
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