P.S. If you’re forwarding this e-mail/blog link to anyone else, please send me their name(s) and e-mail address(es) so I can put them on my e-mailing list and keep track of who’s receiving these e-mails. Hermana, this does not include you because I know you’ll just be sharing this information with your students in CT. Thanks!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Class registration is not an easy task in the States—especially at Sarah Lawrence since we have to interview for our classes for almost a week—but the process that we had to go through to register for four classes was absolute madness. We were told early this morning that we had to go to all three faculties to confirm our classes. For those who were only registering with one or two faculties just had to stick it out for the day. The registration process ended after a little over three hours. That was not what bothered me at all, though. I’ve taken the bus out of the New York Port Authority to Riverside in Newton, MA on many a Friday night and you don’t see me complaining.
It was just the fact that our group of eight students blatantly got preference over all other students that were outside our meetings with these department heads. I think if I had been in any other country studying abroad, I would’ve said to myself: “we’re just students who are simply trying to adjust into a new learning environment in a different language so we need a little more help than the locals with this registration process.” But, whether or not you want it to be, this is already a political situation. Standing before at least 20 Cuban students, it was obvious we were American not only because of the fact that not all of us look Cuban, nor do we dress in Cuban attire (I mention this because apparently spandex is the new black) but we were speaking in English.
This partiality I speak of is not new to us here, though. We live in Privilege Village. I could spit from where we live and hit one of several embassies. It just bothers me so much how much attention and perks we receive. Once again, this was expected, but I have an aversion to it.
It is now difficult answering the question, “where do you live?” but “where you from?” is, by far, the worst. I sometimes reply to the latter question, “I’m from the United States”.
“No, no, no! Where are you really from?”
“Oh…I was born in Lima.”
That’s when the good reactions come.
Sometimes you can get great reactions, such as from a musician I bumped into on an animal farm (random, I know): “Wow, you study in New York! That is the capital of the world!”
While one of my American friends was hanging out with her Cuban boyfriend on the Malecón, a drunk man came up to them asking about their ethnicities:
“Are you Cuban?” he asked her boyfriend.
“Yes.”
“Are you Cuban?” he asked my friend.
“No.”
“Watch out because cops are arresting Cubans for talking with foreigners. Just pretend you’re married.”
In case some of you don’t know, it is not actually legal for Cubans to talk with foreigners. I’ve heard that if a foreigner is caught talking with a native, you’re putting him/her in more danger than yourself.
To continue with the “Americans-in-Cuba stories”, though: When one of my American friends had to visit one of the local clinics she, of course, had to state her basic information before scheduling a consultation. When she said where she was from, the secretary cackled at her.
Once again, you get very different reactions from locals here. It is expected from us students and from all of you, I’m sure. That doesn’t mean it still isn’t awkward at times, though.
Sunday, August 31, 2008: Spinelli’s first hurricane
Yesterday morning, we took our last breaths of fresh air while running out to get survival supplies for the storm, which entailed the following: mango juice, avocados and, of course, chocolate at the local agro. An agro, or agropecuario, is a free-enterprise vegetable market, by the way.
To pass the day, we read, watched Gossip Girl and Top Chef and then, once it came time for our guest, Gustav, to arrive, the rest of the group decided they wanted to play Kings, which I’ve recently discovered is a drinking game. I had been playing solitaire with a set of doggy playing cards with a flashlight earlier so I thought, “Sure, why not”. So, I went into my bedroom to get a 1.5 liter bottle of water from my refrigerator. I told the girls that if they were to have to struggle, wanting to go to the bathroom when Gustav came, that I’d be right alongside them crossing my legs.
All in all, the storm was a good time, if anything. None of us were worried after the first hour of Kings. I should explain the rules of this game that essentially erased all of our discomfort: to play the game of Kings, one must place a set of cards, face-down, around the bottle of alcohol one will be drinking—in this case, it was Cuban rum (of course) and Coke. Every time each person takes a card, it pretty much means that that person will inevitably have to drink.
An ace means “waterfall” which translates to the person who picked up the ace card must drink as much as possible. Once that person begins to drink, the next person in the circle has to begin drinking. The last rule of this particular card is that once the person ahead of you stops drinking, you’re free to stop drinking. The rule for card number two is, “two for you”. Therefore, the person who chooses a number two card can choose the next person who must drink from the communal bottle. I consider the following rule, “three for me”, as self-explanatory. The best card, in my opinion, is card number six: “make a trick”, which means the person who chooses that card has to make up a random rule. By the end of the night, one of the girls had to refer to herself as a “prime minister” and another as “armpit”. And also each time I had to drink from my massive water bottle, I had to remove an invisible man.
So, in the end, Gustav wasn’t so bad after all. The time to head downstairs never came.
The storm didn’t hit us hard in Vedado, we mainly just got a lot of rain and a power outage that lasted four days. If anything, I can only hope to be so fortunate the next time a hurricane comes my way.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Since Laura and Raydl had to complete their videos as quickly as possible, they finished editing while I was away traveling through Santa Clara, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. Given that I missed out on the editing process, Rayde told me he’d teach me how to use their editing programs at one point or another in the near future. I’ve already seen them and they look pretty similar to FinalCut Pro, a film-editing program and Audacity, an audio-editing program. I think I’ll be able to handle it.
Although I was not able to help them out, I luckily was able to see four of their reggaeton music videos they made with Laura’s uncle, who was the director. They were so professional. They asked me for critiques and, I must admit, I didn’t really have anything to say but the aforementioned. They looked as though they were ready to be run on MTV or something. I asked them if they had them uploaded on youtube. Legally, they can’t do it but said they could give them to me and, that if I wanted to, I could upload them.
After this, they took the equipment they used for the making of these videos out from under Laura’s bed. Their lights and tripod were in a suitcase while their camera was in a normal case. They don’t use DV tapes here, which isn’t surprising, but it was interesting to find that the mini-compact discs they use to film can be burned inside their SONY cameras. Maybe other filmmakers on this e-mailing list have seen this before…I definitely hadn’t.
After being at Laura’s house for less than 15 minutes, I was invited to Laura’s father’s birthday party on the 18th personally. Not only that, but her dad also offered to discuss santería with me at some point. I will most definitely be bringing my notebook…
Mom, he gave me a set of ceramics and told me that one is for me and one is for you. One is of a Coco-Taxi (just google it) and another is a mini-ashtray with a Cuban cigar inside (unfortunately, not a real one).
Thursday, September 4, 2008
I remember visiting an exhibition at MoMA about three years ago with my high school and spotted a poster that said: “Canción Protesta” (Protest Song) Agosto 1967, Casa de las Américas/ Cuba”. Anyway, it was startling when I stumbled upon it again so unexpectedly today.
I also found the poster of “La muerte de un burocrata” (“The Death of a Bureaucrat”) in postcard form. This is, by far, one of my favorite films. It is actually available in the States, I advise you to search for it. The director is Tomas Gutierrez Alea.
Paco, they have a sheet music archive. If there’s something particular you’d like me to try to find for you, let me know.
Just to give you an idea as to how this museum functions, I’ll give you its mission statement: “The center promotes investigations, prepares anthologies panoramas and critique compendiums which are published in the collection Valoración Múltiple (Multiple Valuation). It organizes colloquiums and meetings between writers. It heads the Archivo de la Palabra (Spoken Archive), where the voices of outstanding personalities of arts, literature and politics have been recorded. It also publishes CD’s and cassettes under the label Palabra de esta América (Word of this America). It convenes the Literary Awards Premio Casa de las Américas and edits the magazine Criterios (Criteria) in conjunction with the Union of Writers and Artists from Cuba (UNEAC).”
Check out the history of UNEAC when you can, as it is quite interesting. Also, if you’d like to find more information online about Casa de las Américas, here are their websites: www.casa.cult.cu
http://laventana.casa.cult.cu
P.S. I just started reading Cuba’s Constitution for my CEDEM course. If any of you would like a copy of it, I can try to send it to you in PDF format.
Friday, September 5, 2008
CEDEM is a mandatory research class for all Sarah Lawrence students studying in Cuba; it’s the aspect of our program that makes us different from other American schools that come here to learn. This class that meets on a weekly basis is, more or less, a lecture series. It is not taught by one professor but by, rather, several Cuban researchers that specialize in their country’s demographics. Our first meeting was a general overview of Cuban statistics but our second class, with José Luis Martin, was, I felt, an attempt to create common ground. Mr. Martin began our class saying, “Just so we do not have any miscommunications, I am going to say this in English,” he paused for a moment. “We have a lot in common: hurricanes, beisbol…the way we say cake—Cubans say cake, too. But we also have the same sense of humor.”
This is not all we have in common, though. We all know what the elephant in the room is. Cuba’s exterior debt amounts to $16.79 million (in CUCS, aka the covertible money I mentioned in my blog entry about Patricia) and also $15-20 million in debt to Russia. The principle countries that they trade with are the following: los Países Bajos 21.8%, Canada 21.6%, China 18.7%, Spain 5.9%; this includes exports and imports. And just for imports: Venezuela 26.6%, China 15.6%, Spain 9.8%, Germany 6.4%, Canada 5.6%, Italy 4.4%, US 4.3%, Brasil 4.2%” (CIA World Factbook).
Since the embargo, there has been little legislation about the continuation of opening doors to Cuba with the exception of the Clinton Administration, which put an end to exporting restrictions of agricultural and medicinal products. After the USSR collapsed, Cuba is trying to survive especially with the help of Venezuela (Misión Milagros), which sells them cheap crude oil, and China, which gives them loans.
As for America’s presence in Cuba, it is something we are supposed to ignore. Yet we are represented here by one gray building that sits right along the Malecón: the US Interests Office. Apparently not too far back, there was a wall of graffiti right outside it that made comparisons of Bush to Hitler. I’ve looked all over for these anti-Bush statements but have yet to find them. Even if I were to find it, though, it’d be difficult to take a picture of, as cameras are not permitted in the area.
Since I had a lot of time on my hands during Hurricane Ike, I decided to help build up your Cuban vocabulary as well. I highly advise even non-Spanish students to take a look over this list, as it is pretty interesting. Enjoy!
Cuban Vocabulary
from Brendan Sainsbury’s “Cuba” (with a few extra tidbits from yours truly)
A
agropecuario: free-enterprise vegetable market; also sell rice, beans, fruit
aguardiente: fermented cane; literallly ‘fire water’
Altos: upstairs apartment, when following an address
ama de llaves: housekeeper
amarillo: a roadside traffic organizer in a yellow uniform
americano/a: in Cuba this means a citizen of any western hemisphere country (from Canada to Argentina)
Arawak: linguistically related Indian tribes that inhabited most of the Caribbean islands and northern South America
asere: man, brother
Autopista: the national highway that’s four, six or eight lanes depending on where you are
B
babalawo: a Santería priest
bajos: lower apartment, when following an address
balseros: rafter; used to describe the emigrants who escaped to the US in the 1990s on homemade rafts
bárbaro: cool, killer
barbuda: bearded one, name given to Castro’s rebel army
batá: a conical two-headed drum
batanga: subgenre of mambo, popularized by Benny Moré
bici-taxi: bicycle taxi
bloqueo: Cuban term for the US embargo
bodega: stores distributing ration-card products
bohío: thatched hut
bolero: a romantic love song
botella: ‘hitchhiking’
C
cabildo: a town council during the colonial era; also an association of tribes in Cuban religions of African origin
cachita: popular name for the Virgin of El Cobre
cacique: chief; originally used to describe an Indian chief and today used to designate a petty tyrant
cadeca: change booth
cajita: 1. take-out meal. 2. Extra fact: This usually entails rice, potatoes and beans and, sometimes, pork as well.
camarera: housekeeper or waitress (the Spanish term criada, which also means ‘brought up,’ is considered offensive in revolutionary Cuba)
camello: Metro buses in Habana named for their two humps
campañero/a: widely used in revolutionary Cuba as a respectful term of address (in place of señor/a); literally ‘a revolutionary’
campesinos: people who live in the campo
campismo: national network of 82 camping installations, not all of which rent to foreigners
canoñazo: shooting of the cannons, a nightly ceremony performed at the Fortaleza de la Cabaña across Habana Harbor
carnet: 1. the identification document that allows foreigners to pay for museums, transport (including colectivos) and theater performances in pesos. 2. That was the definition of the relation of the carnet to foreigners. I just wanted to add another thing: this is not necessarily just for foreigners. The carnet is a form of identification here for everyone. It not only provides cheaper access to museums, performances and transportation but also allows students to check out books at the national libraries and get cheaper prices at certain bookstores.
cartelera: culture calendar or schedule, entertainment brochure
casa de la cultura: literally ‘culture house’ where music, art, theater and dance events happen
Casa natal: birth house
casa particular: private houses that let out rooms to foreigners (and sometimes Cubans); all legal casas must display a green triangle on the door
casco histórico: historic center of a city (eg. Trinidad, Santiago de Cuba)
cayo: a coral key
CDR: Comités de Defensa de la Revolución; neighborhood-watch bodies originally formed in 1960 to consolidate grassroots support for the revolution; they now play a decisive role in health, education, social, recycling and voluntary labor campaigns
central: modern sugar mill
chachachá: cha-cha; dance music in 4/4 meter derived from the rumba and mambo
Changó: the Santería deity signifying war and fire, twinned with Santa Barbara in Catholicism
charanga: son-influenced music from 1940s and 50s played with violin and flute
chequeré: a gourd covered with beads to form a rattle
cimarrón: a runaway slave
circunvalación: 1. a road that circumvents city centers, allowing you to drive on without plunging into the heart of urban hell 2. Mom, that was not my definition, that was actually from a published work.
claves: rhythm sticks used by musicians
coches: carts, normally drawn by horses
coco-taxi: egg-shaped taxis that hold two to three people; also called huevitos (literally ‘little eggs’)
Cohiba: native Indian name for a smoking implement; one of Cuba’s top brands of cigar
colectivo: collective taxi that take on as many passengers as possible; usually a classic American car
compañero: companion or partner with revolutionary connotations
convertibles: Convertible pesos
criollo: Creole; Spaniard born in the Americas
Cubacán: soon after landing in Cuba, Christopher Columbus visited a Taíno village the Indians called Cubacán, meaning ‘in the center of the island’; a large Cuban tourism company uses the name
D
daiquirí: rum cocktail made with crushsed ice and other ingredients, named for the Río Daquirí, near Santiago de Cuba, where it was invented in 1899
danzón: a traditional Cuban ballroom dance colored with African influences, pioneered in Matanzas during the 19th century
décimas: the rhyming, eight-syllable verses that provide the lyrics for Cuban son
diente de perro: jagged rock shelf that lines most of Cuba’s southern shore
duende: spirit/charm; used in Flamenco to describe the ultimate climax to the music
E
el imperio: ‘the empire’; a term used in the official Cuban media to refer to the USA, which is led by imperialistas
el líder máximo: ‘maximum leader’; title often used to describe Fidel Castro
el último: literally ‘the last’; this term is key to mastering Cuban queues (you must ‘take’ el ultimo when joining a line and ‘give it up’ when someone new arrives)
Elegguá: the god of destiny in Cuban religions of African origin such as Santería
encomienda: a section of land and an indigenous workforce entrusted to an individual by the Spanish crown during the early colonial era
entronque: crossroads in rural areas
esquina caliente: where baseball fanatics debate stats, terms, history and who’s up and who’s down; literally ‘hot corner’; also called a peña
F
fiesta campesinas: country or rural fairs
finca: farmhouse
flota: a fleet of Spanish ships
G
Gitmo: This includes the definition he had in the glossary: “Cocooned in the extreme south, heavily fortified Gitmo (American slang for the Guantánamo naval base) boasts a golf course, five cinemas, a high security prison and Cuba’s only McDonald’s restaurant. You can espy all of these strange capitalist incongruities over an ice-cold beer in the Malones look-out. Democracy or hypocrisy…? You decide (p 429).”
Granma: the yacht that carried Fidel and his companions from Mexico to Cuba in 1956 to launch the revolution; in 1975 the name was adopted for the province where the Granma arrived; it is also the title of the daily newspaper
gringo/a: 1. any Caucasian 2. This also includes English-speakers. In the past, like while living in Cusco, Perú, I was even referred to as a gringa.
guagua: 1. a bus 2. In other parts of Latin America I’ve heard that ‘guagua’ can be the cry of a dog as well, like in a cartoon, for example.
guajiro/a: a country bumpkin or hick
Guantanamera: a girl from the Guantánamo Province
guarapo: fresh sugarcane juice
guayabera: a pleated, buttoned men’s shirt; tropical formal-wear
guerillero: fighter, warrior
H
Habaguanex: City Historian’s Office; responsible for restoring Habana Vieja
Habanero/a: someone from Habana
herbero: seller of herbs, natural medicines and concocter of remedies; typically a wealth of knowledge on natural cures
I
ICAIC: Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematogáficos; Cuban Film Institute
ingenio: an antiquated term for a sugar mill
J
jinetera: a woman who attaches herself to male foreigners for monetary or material gain; the exchange may or may not involve sex
jinetero: a male tout who hustles tourists; literally ‘jockey’
joder: 1. to mess up, to spoil. 2. I think this word means a bit more than just ‘to spoil’, but maybe that’s just me. I don’t know where exactly you’d put this word on the “swear scale” but, to use the color scale like in our terror alert system, I’d guess it’d probably be somewhere in the red zone.
K
Kometa: hydrofoil
L
libreta: the ration booklet
luchar: literally ‘to struggle or fight’; used in all sorts of daily situations
M
M-26-7: the ‘26th of July Movement,’ Fidel Castro’s revolutionary organization, was named for the abortive assault on the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953
Machetero: one who cuts sugarcane using a machete
mambí/ses: 19th-century rebel/s fighting Spain
Mamey: delicious fleshy tropical fruit that resembles a red avocado
merendero: outdoor bar; picnic spot
Misión Milagros: the unofficial name given to a pioneering medical program hatched between Cuba and Venezuela in 2004 that offers free eye treatment for impoverished Venezuelans in Cuban hospitals
Moncada: a former army barracks in Santiage de Cuba named for General Guillermo Moncada (1848-1895), a hero of the wars of independence
moneda nacional: abbreviated to MN; Cuban pesos
N
nueva trova: 1. philosophical folk/guitar music popularized in the late 60s and 70s by Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés 2. Please download Silvio Rodriguez’s “La Maza” and Pablo Milanés’ “Yolanda” immediately.
O
Oriente: the region comprised of Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo Provinces
orisha: a Santería deity
organipónico: urban vegetable garden
P
paladar: a privately-owned restaurant
palenque: a hiding place for runaway slaves during the colonial era
patria: homeland, country
PCC: Partido Comunista de Cuba; Cuba’s only political party, which was formed in October 1965 by merging cadres from the Partido Socialista Popular (the pre-1959 Communist Party) and veterans of the guerrilla campaign
pelota: Cuban baseball
peninsular: a Spaniard born in Spain but living in the Americas
peña: musical performance or get-together in any genre; son, rap, rock, poetry, etc.
período especial: means special period; Cuba’s new economic reality post 1991
piropo: flirtatious remark/commentary
pregón: a singsong manner of selling fruits, vegetables, brooms, whatever; often comic, they are belted by pregoneros/as
Q
¿qué bola?: what’s up?
quinciñera: 1. Cuban rite of passage for girls turning 15 (quince), whereby they dress up like brides and have a celebration including music and dancing 2. Julia Alvarez has a new book out about this tradition. Check it out!
R
reconcentración: a tactic of forcibly concentrating rural populations, used by the Spaniards during the Second War of Independence
reggaeton: Cuban hip-hop; mix of reggae and hip-hop
Regla de Ocha: a set of related religious beliefs popularly known as Santería
rumba: an Afro-Cuban dance form that originated among plantation slaves during the 19th century; during the 20s and 30s, the term rumba was adopted in North America and Europe for a ballroom dance in 4/4 time
S
salsa: Cuban music based on son
Santería: literally ‘saint worship’; Afro-Cuban religion resulting from the syncretization of the Yoruba religion of West Africa and Roman Catholicism
Santiagüero: someone from Santiago de Cuba
son: Cuba’s basic form of popular music that jelled from African and Spanish elements in the late 19th century
sucu-sucu: a variation of son music
T
Taíno: a settled, Arawak-speaking tribe that inhabited much of Cuba prior to the Spanish conquest; the word itself means ‘we the good people’
telenovela: soap opera
tres: a guitar with seven strings and an integral part of Cuban son music
timba: modern salsa music mixed with funk, rap and rock
trova: traditional poetic singing/songwriting
trovador: traditional singer/songwriter
UNEAC: Unión Nacional de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba; National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists
V
vega: tobacco plantation
Y
Yanquí: someone from the USA
Yoruba: an ethno-linguistic group, and Afro-Cuban religion, originating in West Africa, more specifically Nigeria
Yuma: slang for someone from the US; can be used for any foreigner
Z
zafra: sugarcane harvest
These are some of the resources I used to place into SLC in Cuba’s program. Check them out if you’re interested in more recent relations between the US and Cuba:
“Bush to Warn Cuba for Transition.” The New York Times. 24 Oct. 2007. 8 Feb. 2008.
“Cuba.” The Economist. 29 Oct. 2007. 8 Feb. 2008.
“For Cubans Fleeting to the U.S., the First Stop Is Often Mexico.” The New York Times. 16 Oct. 2007. 9 Feb. 2008.
“Las Mujeres Cubanas Contra el Bloqueo y la Anexion.” La Habana. 25 Oct. 2006.
“Orishas’ Unofficial Website.”
“Travelocity Pays Fine for Bookings to Cuba.” The New York Times. 16 Aug. 2007. 9 Feb. 2008.
“The World Factbook: Cuba.” 7 Feb. 2008. 8 Feb. 2008.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Today we made a visit to Hershey Village. Yes, it is what you actually think it is. It was, at one time, all about the chocolate here. The Hershey Factory in Cuba was established in 1918. This factory—well, moreso a community—was constructed by Cubans and Americans who both lived in this town and were all employed by Sr. Hershey. In this village, houses were provided for about 390 workers, all of which were categorized by racial, marital and economic status. There were medical clinics for the workers and even schools for the kids of the workers. Después del triunfo de la revolución (After the triumph of the revolution), though, a Cuban bought the company from Hershey. The company was abandoned back in 2000.
After this trip, I met up with Néstor’s niece and her family. We spent the day by a river not to far from their house and ate lobster, tamales, rice and beans to celebrate Néstor’s nephew’s son’s birthday (how would the “family tree term” go for that one?). It was truly an amazing day. Once again, I’ll post the pictures when I get back home.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Hurricane Ike is coming. Curses! Harvard students arrived today. Yes! I met Bolagey, a junior at Harvard, today and discovered that one of her Gospel Choir director’s two choirs performed at my high school a few times during my last two years of high school. It’s such a small world! So, Sarah, Jack and Noor: she said that we can try to get the Kumba singers to perform at SLC at some point. If you don’t know who the Kumba singers are, you are missing out. They’re Harvard’s gospel choir and they are amazing. In any case, please check them out on youtube!
Another Harvard student here, Cristina, is in an a cappella group at Harvard as well. So, I think the three of us are going to start up a trio at some point. Life is good.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Quite a few people have e-mailed me asking, “what is it like there?” It’s been difficult to describe. I’ve been traveling my whole life and I have never felt such a loss for words. So, I’ll describe today’s group meeting in an attempt to tell you what life is like here.
Today the Sarah Lawrence group had our first show-and-tell. Sure, it sounds tacky, but it generated a 2 1/2 hour-long conversation about US-Cuban relations.
Each of us attempted to explain what each Cuban object we brought meant to us, to Cuban society and to our lives here. One girl brought a ticket for a hip-hop concert; another, a mango; and myself, a weekly paper on Cuban film.
It seems, in then end, we all had our respective expectations of what the real Cuban experience was going to be like even though we tried to ignore them. After seeing the film, “Inventos”, we expected “fists up” at all times. Though, as one girl put it, there are many loopholes in the economy that oppose this embargo. It’s amazing to see how many American products are on supermarket shelves here—including my peanut butter from Arlington Heights, Illinios. Apparently southern American senators are now looking for new ways to import more chicken and eggs, and the majority of the Cuba’s current supply of chicken and eggs already are from the South.
To get back to the nitty-gritty, though: one girl mentioned how it sounded good, Che’s “El socialismo y el hombre”. It does. It sounds ideal. No perfect place exists. We all know that. But, in the end, we agreed that it was better to fight for equality than to not fight at all.
I’m not placing these statements here as revelations, I’m writing them simply because there are certain words that come up when one mentions the word socialism like the following: free education, free healthcare, etc. I was aware of the fact that these elements of Cuban society are not as simple as they seemed, as they’re typically stated in the media but I was not aware of what these necessities cost. My friend, Laura, will be working for the government three years after she finishes with the Artes y Letras Faculty at La Universidad de la Habana. She told me she wants to travel one day like I am right now.
So, yes, in some ways Cuba is “behind the times” but in certain legislature, they are ahead. I remember talking to one woman outside an agro and she told me that “each time Cuba takes a step forward, it takes a step back”. Here are the plus sides of politics in Cuba: in case some of you didn’t know, Raul Castro’s daughter is working hard for gay rights (look at the history of the treatment of homosexuals in Cuba and you’ll see why I’m so excited) while the rest of the government is trying to make maternity leave longer—even up to a year—and even for fathers. I see so much potential in this country but so much is hindering its progress. One could very easily say that it’s the blockade but there are so many other factors that add to the daily struggle that I wouldn’t even feel worthy of explaining it. I’m still learning how this society functions. Remember, I only arrived on August 17th. That’s not to say I’ll have this hands down by December 14th, but I’ll try to get the gist of it, at the least.
P.S. I’m proud to say that I saw Chris Evans mentioned in an article on action movies in the ICAIC bulletin! This was no surprise to me after seeing him up on a billboard for “Fantanstic Four” back in my junior year of high school.
P.P.S. I’m also pleased to announce that my second goal in life is to see Krrish II, the sequel to the tacky Bollywood film, Krrish, which all of you must see immediately. It is an epic film that lasts for three hours but, if you love the Bollywood genre as much as I do, you will get a good laugh.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Hurricane Ike was worse than Gustav but the good thing is that we survived. We were under lockdown for almost three days, which almost drove the entire house mad, but, in the end, I found it to be good for me. It inspired me to start reading three new books and start to get to know the Harvard students, who arrived 10 days ago. They’re all fantastic. I am truly grateful to have such a nice piece of home right below me on the first floor.
As for classes: I finally had my first grammar, film and biology classes. All my teachers love what they do so they’re incredibly engaging. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great semester. Ella, I love my profe for Bio, she’s amazing!
As for other touristy things: I’ve visited the Hotel Nacional with Patricia twice now (remember the 1946 Habana Conference of the New York Mafia?). I wish I could show all of you the pictures! The view is unbelievable! At the least, I can tell all of you that there is a cueva (cave) there that reminds me of the “evil bunny scene” from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I went to my second concert here. It was a William concert, Esther. I must buy all of his albums immediately, as he is the perfect blend of folk and reggae. This combination is actually possible, trust me.
Also this past week, I finally went to my first Cuban birthday party. Who knew that all Cubans were professional dancers—the men even moreso than the women.
Today I did a grand tour of La Habana Vieja with my new friend, Jeanpierre. We visited El Capitolio, which is essentially a mock version of the Capitol House that we have in D.C. The construction of it took 3 years and 50 days.
Chewy, I’m going to quote you here because the SAME exact thing happened to me when I was walking around the Capitolio. Each time they took a picture, a little piece of me died inside. For those who do not know my former roommate, Chewy, I introduce her to you as a writer and student at the University of Edinburgh for the next year with this quote from her blog (http://alexrocksyoursocks.blogspot.com/):
“We even saw the crown jewels of Scotland. There was a pretty hefty pearl/diamond necklace that must have weighed a TON. As we walked through the exhibit we were following these annoying Spanish tourists. They stopped at every possible display to take a group photo, preventing people from passing them. And as they finished their photo they lingered and loomed over the displays. They posed with the baby Mary Queen of Scots, grinning as the plastic baby was held over their heads. Argh!”
I literally exclaimed, “Oh my GOD!” as I read this. It was better saying it here than it was en el Capitolio, I guess. Though, JP compensated for my deficiency of voicing my annoyance by saying, “¡Qué horror!” I would’ve said the same but my trilling skills are still lacking. I’m working on it Esther, I promise!
In conclusion, Spanish tourists, please stop taking silly pictures in front of and on historical monuments and jewels and get moving!
Thank you.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
I went to my first Cuban art exhibition last night. No cheese and wine, just shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. If I had actually allowed myself to remain still, the people surrounding would’ve brought me from room to room with no problem. It was not a place to mingle, which is great, because I’m not one for mingling with several people at once.
Earlier tonight I went to my first choir practice. Unfortunately, I was not singing this evening but I’m glad that JP invited me. He also has invited me to see him sing in the San Francisco de Asis Church alongside his professional choir at some point. Needless to say, I am very excited.
Friday, September 26, 2008
As part of our CEDEM research lesson for today, we visited a grade school. I didn’t really know what to expect but, once I saw the school, its students and teachers, I wasn’t really surprised. A school is a school is a school, I guess. I think the only thing that caught me off guard by the end of our visit was when the 4th graders told us: Todos enseguimos el ejemplo de Fidel (We all follow the example of Fidel).
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Today I met Patricia’s beautiful new niece. Her name is Cecilia and she’s 8 days old.
I also went to JP’s concert at La Iglesia de San Francisco de Asis. He performed 5 pieces alongside his choir, which included a new and Cuban interpretation of Requiem and a musical interpretation of one of Lorca’s poem about longing to go to Santiago (Alissa, don’t worry, I filmed all of them!). Furthermore, what was so unique to this concert was that, after each set, the composer of the previously performed piece came up to congratulate his/her students and the director’s work. Maybe some of you musicians out there, like Sarah, Ashley or Amy, have seen this before, but I haven’t. Anyway, it was wonderful to see and it’s nice to know that I’ll have an easier time getting my hands on this great music. That reminds me: Paco, I asked JP to photocopy all that music so, when I get back, I’ll be sure to send it to you. You just have to give me your address first. ☺
After JP’s spectacular performance, poor ol’ JP got sick. Our friend, Ale, and I quickly took him over to a clinic when we saw that he had a pretty bad fever. This medical center was literally a block away from JP’s house. We walked in, sat down and he told the nurse what was going on with his stomach. She gave him a prescription, we went into the next room and then the poor guy got a shot in his ass. It was all very quick and easy. I don’t know if this is how clinics function all over La Habana never mind Cuba but, I must admit, I was amazed at how quickly all of this happened (and I was glad I was able to see this process since technically Americans are not permitted to enter clinics nor Cuban hospitals). By the way, I still (thankfully) have yet to go to a foreigner’s clinic so, I will get a fever at some point if need be.
P.S. Amy Cattle, this is for you. I mention it for obvious religious reasons: “You can behold a different side of Cuban history at the original Bacardí Rum Factory. The factory was founded by the Bacardí family in 1838, but after the revolution the company moved to Puerto Rico taking the Bacardí patent with them (they’re now suing the Cuban government under the US extraterritorial Helms-burton law). The Santiago de Cuba product was renamed Ron Caney. Also produced here are quality rums such as Matusalem, Ron Santiago and Ron Varadero.”
Monday, September 29, 2008
Today I went to La Fundación de Fernando Ortiz to do research on immigration from here to The States. Since we have yet to really start our tutorials for CEDEM I figured I’d get a headstart, and a headstart I did get (explained further under “In other news”).
P.S. I finally saw “Vampiros en La Habana” this evening. I am officially traumatized for life. My favorite line is “¡¡¡Enfermera!!!”
In other news:
I’ve added a few things to my schedule to keep myself busy. La Universidad de La Habana is not your average school with choruses and clubs. So, the group of Harvard students and I decided to create communities of our own.
On Mondays, I’ve decided I’ll be studying at La Fundación de Fernando Ortiz, a place where foreign anthropologists go to study. It seems you have to have some sort of license or professor to work alongside to study there but I’ll manage it somehow. One of the librarians there literally took out her address book to give me all the names of the researchers she has on immigration, who live in Santiago de Cuba (I’ll be flying there next week, and to Baracoa as well), Vedado (where I live) and even in New York (two blocks away from where I worked last summer in the city. Small world, eh?). My friend, Cristina, hopes to be an immigration attorney so we plan to exchange any information we get on Cuban immigration. Needless to say, we are always on the lookout for new stories and information on this extensive subject. So, if you find anything, don’t hesitate to forward it.
On Tuesday evenings, we have started to do a Bible study, as we have two religious members in our group. Bolagey is nondenominational. Cristina is Catholic. And, as many of you know, I’m a devil child. I thought I might as well learn about people’s other spiritual experiences, as I know I have my own. I just can’t quite identify myself with one religion or philosophy yet. But, hey, life’s a journey, right?
I’ve met another student, Harry, who loves film even more than I do, it seems. We’ve decided to make it our weekly mission to trek to La Fundación del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, where I take 3 ½ hour classes on Wednesdays, on Thursdays after our classes at la Universidad.
I don’t have to worry about the weekends EVER because there is always a concert or local performance. Everything travels word of mouth here so, to those who plan to travel here in the future, keep your eyes, ears and mind open.
Once again, if you have any questions or responses to this blog, let me know. Sending much love your way!
P.S. I recently watched Persepolis for the first time with a couple of friends here. I then lent it to my friend, Ale, who just watched it a couple of days ago and he said he’d like to do a showing of this film at his church. I’m so excited. It is officially one of my favorite films—and graphic novel series. Ms. Sarah Livant, please tell me you’ve seen the movie by now! Anyway, the reason why I mention this film is because of the fact it is about a girl being brought up during the Iranian Revolution/Iran-Iraq War era in Iran. In conclusion, please go rent this right now!
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