From the land of long lines and lovely people

Hola,  I finally made it to Cuba!!! (not to mention legally).  I have been here almost three weeks and I am currently staying in a house near Barrio Chine (Chinatown) in Centro Habana.  The neighborhood is not exactly the Upper Westside, but it is much more economic.  Originally I was staying in the fifth story of a building overlooking the ocean, two historic monuments (El Castillo de San Salvador and Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña), and Prado and El Malecon (very popular social walkways).  The owner of that place fed me fresh fruit and eggs every morning and meat and salad every evening (at the rate of $6 a meal)… some of these things are hard to come by, and because of the hurricane somewhat expensive for Cuban wages.  But it was still a little pricey for my budget, and so, I moved to a place which is less expensive and has a kitchen…and this Sunday night was my very first night cooking in Cuba.  Oooo, and Tuesday I learned how to make a knock you on your ass flan!  Everyone has been laughing at me this week because I’m having to learn how to cook and clean all over again due to the difference of tools and customs here.  Everything here revolves around a different logic.  Cubans are incredibly resourceful and conservative in the manner in which they do just about everything…they reuse a lot that we just throw away.  The only thing they are not conservative with is what they consider trash.  To me, this is actually a really odd thing: a Cuban, when finished with a wrapper, be it candy, cookie, cracker, or paper from a peanut vender, then proceeds to drop, throw, discard, or abandon the trash most anywhere, but a trash can.  There are, however, a lot of street cleaning jobs.

So a little background:  I was very lucky to be connected to an amazing group of people here in Centro Habana.  They belong to a church that has ensured my safety and comfort, whether it be through food or camaraderie, from the moment I arrived.  They have helped me through the processes of figuring out how visas work and how to study here.  They are also helping me to figure out how to get an internship here.  This is no small thing, as the processes here are somewhat complicated and confusing for an American.  However, I have been blessed to be here and to have people who treat me like family.

Outside of this group of people, I am usually very careful.  In the streets, men hiss and smooch to get any woman’s attention and it seems that everyone wants to sell you something or get with you.  These are some of the side effects of being surrounded by intensive tourism.  Of course not all Cubans behave this way in the street, but when you are trying not to make eye contact with the noisy part of the street, it’s hard to notice anyone else.  Still I have had no real problems, except for being lost a little here and there.  Well…and of course the realization that finding a position in Agriculture without having any solid contacts or at least a friend of a friend is near impossible.  Still I have not stopped looking, as the people here are teaching me nothing is impossible through God.

As a final note:  I know that last statement is shocking as most of you who have know me the last few years do not know me to be very religious nor outwardly spiritual.  However, I used to be, and when I began this process, my desire to be in Cuba was so great that I prayed out of desperation for God to help me get a license to study here.  I expected I would have to fight for this permission, but it arrived within a month of the application.  And then, when I was scrambling to make plans to come, my plans fell through, and it looked as though I would end up in Cuba without a place to stay or any real contacts.  Doing anything without contacts in Cuba is difficult and expensive, but two days later my mother coincidently happened upon a contact through her church which brought me into an amazingly generous and honest group of people.  Since that time, this group of people has bent over backwards for me.  Throughout these last two weeks, I have seen how they live in much difficulty and with a fraction of what the below average US citizen has, and yet they continually treat me as if I were they sister or daughter.  They give me their time, they feed me till I have to refuse, they teach me, and they labor to understand my broken Spanish, and all with patience, joy, and humility.  Never have I experienced such humble hospitality except in my own home, and yet everyday here I am surrounded by the love and the teachings of Christ carried out with compassion despite the economic conditions.  It is for this reason, although I have no idea how this whole thing will turnout, that I am unable to deny divine presence in their actions and in my path in Cuba.  Once again, greetings from Cuba!