"The Adventures of the Cuban Interns 2005 - 2006"Samantha Update - February 2006

After almost four months here, a lot has changed in my perspective of Cuba. I no longer really miss the food back home, or the cleaner air. I'm used to what's available here and have learned to love it in some ways. Many people here have called me a chameleon, because I adapt so easily to new environments and situations. On the other hand, some of my romance with Cuba is fading. The more I find out about the difficulties of life here, the more I am unable to go through Cuba with rose-colored lenses. Right from the beginning I have known of the difficulties, but I was able to really focus on the positive, especially since that was what is more frequently presented to me as a foreigner, and that is what I live as a foreigner.

I have continued to work in four schools for 1-2 hours each every week. I am really happy with the interest circles that I am running although I am running out of ideas for activities to do. I am certainly not a specialist in environmental education and never claimed to be, but this seems to be what I am expected to do, since there have not been any recent developments in the schoolyard gardens which I can incorporate into my activity plans. In the end, this makes it a challenging experience requiring innovation on my part to create interesting lessons with no resources that are not exactly my area of expertise. I am really learning a lot in the process, I just hope that the students in the primary and secondary schools are also learning. All in all, I do have confidence that it has been so far a positive experience for them also in terms of developing greater environmental consciousness and having an interesting cultural exchange with yours truly. In the last few weeks some of the highlights have been: giving a tour of the Fundacion to one group of secondary school students, doing a small garbage clean up with a group and playing great games with primary school students teaching about the food chain and later about deforestation.

One thing that I have recently really appreciated is just being linked to such an interesting NGO. Due to my link with the Fundacion I have been able to meet a lot of interesting people passing through Cuba, even if just to exchange contact information. There are people from all corners of the world interested in the sustainability movement and urban agriculture in Cuba. I have met many people here on personal research missions and with international NGO's or tours.

One way that I have felt very helpful is in meeting university students studying here or tourists passing through, and being able to help them to negotiate Cuba. As I have written in most of my former reports, things such as using transit, knowing where to eat and knowing where to stay without getting completely lost or ripped off can be a challenge, and it has really been great to give people tips, explain the dual currency system and much more. I suppose this is in exchange for all of the people who have helped me in foreign countries, all of the people who gave me tips on Cuba before coming here and all of the people who will help me in the future.

I have recently met a great group of people who work on an organoponico (urban raised bed farm/garden) very close to the FANJ. They are very kind and informative and have hosted and taught many foreign visitors...so I hope to go back there and arrange some sort of learning exchange with them. Another great, but unrelated, highlight of my life in recent times is my impending change of address. What was a daunting task of finding new accommodation, resulted in a dream come true. In a few days I will be moving into the first bachelorette pad of my life. I will have my own bedroom, bathroom, closet, kitchen, balcony, three sitting rooms and a view of the city and the sea. All for less than I am paying now for a shared room. It's hard to believe and I don't believe it myself, I am very much looking forward to my space and tranquility. I feel that I deserve it.

This brings me to the end of my last update! Cuba has been good to me so far, and there is still more to discover, share and achieve!

- Samantha

Samantha Update - January 2006

Vamos Bien

"Vamos Bien" says the sign on the side of the road with a picture of Fidel smiling. It's one of the many pieces of propaganda that assures the Cuban population that everything is fine. It's actually quite strange because most propaganda actually aims to assure the Cuban populace that everything is great and wonderful and that most grave global problems only affect other places. But regardless "Vamos Bien" somewhat represents how I feel every so often. Positive words, without tons and tons of enthusiasm. Without too much detail. A vague, short expression that leaves you guessing whether it is sarcastic or not. Leaves you guessing what exactly is going on that makes things "well", not good or bad, just well. I am actually doing pretty good, more good than well. Bordering on really well...So I guess that "Vamos Bien" sign and me aren't quite different really. Entonces, vamos muy bien.

The nights when the moon is full, I couldn't be better. There is nothing quite like seeing a full moon reflecting over the Caribbean sea, waves crashing onto the sharp rocks "dientes de perro" (dogs teeth, I heard these rocks called the other day) and sea wall of the malecón. Days when the sun shines I couldn't be better, which are really the majority of days. I still haven't been to the beach enough though. For some strange reason it seems to always be coldest on weekends. Not cold, cold, just windy and a little overcast and not really beach weather. What it comes down to, is that I must be Cubanizing. Hardly any Cubans go to the beach this time of the year, in November, December and January. So I have made it a habit to go to Callejon Hamel instead, the Sunday rumba party in a street full of murals, followed by the Sunday reggae music session in Parque de las Rastas and running into literally everyone I've met so far in Cuba there. Well, almost everyone. Since the Christmas visits from mine and Sonja's family, we have been spoiled with food from home, which has also contributed to feasting and keeping spirits high all around. It is always great to eat the food brought for me from Canada, days when I am left missing things that are impossible to buy here. Whole wheat pasts, pesto, mom and granma's baking. A renewed supply of peanut butter. Digestive cookies, Dairy milk and a new supply of tea. Oatmeal and dried fruit.

Then there are the days that aren't so great leave me like the sign "vamos bien" only feeling, "well". The days when the smell of gasoline is everywhere and inhaling diesel clouds that choke me as I ride my bike to work is nauseating. The days that I ride past a dead dog or two on the side of the road and feel nauseated by that. Or find a great big fly in my food and can't just brush it aside but rather feel nauseated again. There are the days that I can't stand the smell of greasy food, deep fried or boiled and simmered in it's own fat. Days that I just don't want to be welcomed to Cuba by a musician in a bar or stranger on the street, despite their best intentions, I just don't want to be welcomed. Not when I have been here for two and a half months. "Vamos Bien!"

Christmas in Remedios

My Christmas here in Cuba, was one that I will definitely never forget. Christmas Eve I had a ride in a little cart pulled by a mountain goat. This was part of a fair. The next highlight was a freak show. I paid two pesos to go into some patio where there was a rooster with three legs. It was impossible to tell if it had been sewn on or if it was real. The other parts of the freak show consisted of some weird looking somewhat fetal animals that were dead and stuffed, I couldn't tell what they were, but one looked like a small black pig with 5 legs and two noses. Really weird. Kinda freaky. I guess that's why it's called a freak show.

Later on, the night consisted of eating a lot of pork, rice and some excellent yucca cooked in a lot of garlic and orange juice. I have never seen so many roasted pigs in one place... all over town. Then... it began. At 12 pm the fireworks started. This was where the night became absolutely unbelievable. 10 hours of explosions all over the city, and fireworks flying every which way, to walk out on the street you have to cover your head and run for cover between buildings. It stopped at 10:30 am the next day. All in all, it was very unforgettable!

Trinidad and tourism

A short visit from my parents was great! I ate better than I had eaten since I arrived, with the highlight being bread with butter, yummy, yummy strawberry flavored soy yogurt (which you can only get as a Cuban, but at one casa they included it in the breakfast they served) café con leche at each casa we stayed at (instead of just black coffee with sugar), omelette galore, roasted fish.... And lobster not once but twice.

Whoa, when you eat like a tourist the food is good. I also had the opportunity to do some snorkeling, which was absolutely amazing. I first snorkeled when I was about 8 years old, but its been a while and I had forgotten how amazing it is to just enter the world of the colorful, beautiful fish and just chill with them, watching them eat, swim around, hide in conglomerations of coral, all to the rhythm and swell of the sea, to the muffled sound of your own breath underwater through a snorkel, and fins flapping about. I went on a long hike and swam in a waterfall, which really reminded me of being in Vancouver, as most hikes back in Canada have a great cool dip at the end.

Life at Work

Work continues to go well, with office conversation, fun, laughs and distractions as abundant as ever, as much as they would be in Canada. I often get much cultural insight in the office, as would be the case in Canada. Conversations may revolve around how impossible it is in Cuba to find a man who will help with cleaning or cooking. How impossible or successful it was to get to work on a given day through various means of transit, the most recent chain emails that are being sent around or good movies and plays that are on.

After a recent meeting with my supervisor, I have a renewed work load and sense of direction. We are planning to buy and transport a whole bunch of seedlings for the planting of a vegetable garden. This sounds straight forward but is challenged by proper transportation and approval to send monies. If it were Canada, I could buy the seedlings myself and and I could probably borrow a car, or even take the bus to transport them. However here, the bus is just way too full to even consider transporting plant material by bus, and I certainly don't know anyone who would lend me a car. Even if they did, there is no way I could drive an old, falling apart car on the nutty streets of Havana. There are many expectations of me that are quite hard to fulfill without being given the materials, without long and tenuous channels. Limited access to materials in a timely manner leaves me caught off guard to improvise activities and make do. I have no problem making do to begin with, it just means that the results will not always be the same and may not be what was asked of me.

Reflections on Urban Agriculture in Cuba

Urban agriculture in Cuba definitely takes a different shape within in the country than it does from afar. As much as I read and studied it ahead of time, the reality is always entirely different. Although I knew very well that in Cuba urban agriculture is practical and necessary and state controlled rather than an alternative green movement, I still viewed it somewhat romantically. It's hard not to automatically envision something one way, based on ones experiences, and as my experiences with urban agriculture were limited to Canada, my imagination automatically came from there specifically.

Visually, it's true that scattered all over the city are small and medium sized plots where people grow greens, roots, fruit and sometimes medicinal herbs and spices- called condimentos here. But the people working these plots are just doing there job like anyone else, a teacher, a taxi driver, anybody. The people who urban farm as a passion and due to farther reaching views of sustainability are few and far between. I have met these people, they are most often connected to Non Governmental Organizations, or Governmental extension and coordination organizations. There are people who have small community compost projects for their gardens, there are people running interest groups on how to conserve and preserve food, there are people with small rooftop gardens.

There is a small but strong movement of people in Havana working in urban agriculture and Environmental issues that truly believe in and are fighting for sustainability, but the large majority are just trying to survive and if the blockade ended and they would have cheaper, more abundant, imported food that was completed coated in chemicals, they would jump at the chance. This is why popular education is so important right now, so that if things do change, the alternative system that has been built so far will not crumble in a second. This isn't to say that people should not have access to cheaper food, and to achieve this maybe chemicals would be helpful in the short term, but many of Cuba's food shortage problems are due to soils that were degraded for years and years before the special period. (Beginning in 1989 and still going) So...that in mind, I personally would be against even a short term return to chemical inputs to increase productivity. Also... before coming I constantly heard about how so much of Havana's fresh food needs were being met within the city. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of Cubans just cannot afford fresh fruit and vegetables. The Cubans eat what is in the ration book. Rice, beans, pork and viandas -roots and tubers (sweet potatoes, yucca and plantain.) There is an abundance of other fresh fruit and veggies here, in certain markets, markets that are deemed outrageously expensive by Cubans, but which are still very cheap by our standards. (A pineapple costs .50 cents, a pound of tomatoes costs .40 cents). So... although I'm sure that a good amount of the greens and veggies in markets does indeed come from Urban Ag. Plots, the vast majority of people are still not accessing this food.

Life has settled into a comfortable pace, sitting at a happy balance of surprises and new experiences and familiar places and faces. I look forward to continuing to learn and experience what Cuba has to offer, and to offer Cuba all that I have to share.

- Samantha

Sonja's Update-January 2006

It's always difficult to sit down and sum up an entire month in a few pages. There's always so much that's happened or so much that's contained in one little experience that it's difficult to communicate.

Perhaps I'll start by saying that I feel like I'm coming more into my own here. I've gotten better at dealing with some of the frustrations and contradictions that come up. I've found more things that I like to do rather than feeling like I ought to adapt my social life to loud music or dancing scenes. Instead, I've been heading out to more movies and plays, finding out about book launches or going to the symphony. I've found people that like to talk about the relationship between "el tipo" (a euphemism for Fidel) and Evo Morales will be like, or who are happier sitting on the malecon than heading to a club or expensive concert.

And there are moments when I really can fall in love with Havana. When I walk down the street and no one asks where I'm from or offers me a taxi or anything. When I can't help but smile because the streets are so alive with music pouring out of every building and people going about business. Those moments when no one notices me, when I'm just another person, with my own things to sort out, those are the times when I love the city the most I think.

But enough introspection, I suppose I ought to write a little about what I've actually been doing.

Work

I am coordinating with various organizations in LifeCycles' first Eco-Tourism project. It's a good project because I worked on the feasibility study for LifeCycles this summer so it's great to be able to put the actual tour together. I won't be leading it but I'll run an orientation to get people into it and prepare a manual for the participants and well as all the work I'll do in Cuba hammering out logistics and the itinerary.

And I'm still at going to the farm twice a week although this mostly involves teaching English classes to those who are interested. My most dedicated student is Edith, the 13 year-old granddaughter of the farm boss, Papi. She always goes home and writes up all her notes, underlining and practices whenever she can. A lot of the adults are the same that I've found in other experiences, where they feel a need or pressure to learn English but that doesn't necessarily translate into dedication for it. I really appreciate Edith because she has a curious nature and will always come in asking about a new word she's seen, or the pronunciation of something from a previous class. It also makes for a really friendly class because she attends with her grandfather and alternates between teasing him and helping him out.

'tis the Season... to launch fireworks

Christmas has never been a big thing for me so it seemed pretty ideal to wind up in a country where Christmas had been more or less prohibited for years and still doesn't have a strong tradition. Nonetheless, not all are as Grinch as me, and some of my compatriots wanted to make a point of having a decent Christmas. I was all up for a little trip out of town and so we agreed to head to Remedios to take part in their annual parranda which we understood to be a carnival with floats and music.

Upon arriving I was immediately struck by how incredibly similar Remedios felt to Granada where I'd spent my previous new year. The central square, the colonial homes, the massive church, it all felt so remarkably familiar. But what was more striking was how distinctly un-Cuban the town felt. The streets were crammed with vendors of all types, selling hats, cds, clothes, ice cream, offering rides in a goat pulled carriage, selling pork, on and on and on. This open and unregulated street culture was so much more similar to other Latin American countries I'd seen than to Cuba. And somewhat refreshing about it, everything was in the national currency, there'd be no debating with people about my right to pay for things in Cuban pesos, no haggling or ambiguity, it was a relief.

It's difficult to describe just how alive the streets were in Remedios that day. Aside from all the vendors and all the rides for children there was just a general bustle. Outside our door there were a few musicians practicing for a future performance. Music blasted from every corner and people were walking around and chatting.

And then it started, hundreds of fireworks launched simultaneously into the air. Shooting up, up, up, exploding and then raining down in flames onto the crowded park. Trees, bushes, buildings, everything around us was soon a lit. More and more flying fireballs were released and then rained down. It was incredible. Of course, not all fireworks exploded while they were safely in the air, some fell and exploded only upon hitting the ground.

It was definitely a Christmas to be remembered.

A Night at the Theatre

I've always loved plays and before I came to Havana was excited to take advantage of the theatre scene. Unfortunately, because I didn't get my carnet until the end of December and because it's not always easy to find out information about performances, it was only recently that I was able to go to my first play. I went with a friend to see an incredible piece at the nearby theatre el Sotano.

- Sonja

Sonja Killoran McKibbin's Update - December 2005
No Es Facile

How quickly I'm nearing the halfway mark here! There's now 9 workweeks left and I've been here for almost 7.

A Night at The Opera and Street Shopping

Cuba highlights the importance of the unexpected. One night we set out for the opera. Samantha had found out that tickets were only five pesos (20 cents) so she bought four on a whim and we all headed out to see what Cuban opera was made of. We were excited just to go see the interior of the beautiful theatre that's a Havana landmark. The opera involved a lot of complexities of race in Cuba and there were scenes that we all couldn't understand and seemed to be included just because of the impressive dancing rather than their relation to the story line. But it was enjoyable, and definitely worth the 5 pesos.

But the real story is not so much the opera as the evening that followed. When I respond to people's hellos or questions about where I'm from it almost inevitably turns into a discussion of whether I'd like to go for a drink with someone, whether I'm married, how they'd like to take me to Varadero (virtually synonymous with paradise here), etc. Fred, on the other hand, doesn't face quite the same difficulties and is always up for talking to strangers in the street, striking up conversations and joking. As we strolled down the main street of Havana Vieja, Fred lagged behind, talking loudly and animatedly with a group of guys drinking rum in the street. It eventually turned around to one of the favourite topics in Cuba: black market hookups. Samantha wanted to prepare a special recipe that needed beef and was looking for some way to obtain it.

A quick aside... so many things can be had in Cuba if you have the right connections. So, lots of people keep their ear to the ground for where, when and how to find certain products. It's not rude to ask where someone got something, and people will often let you know that they can hook you up with cheese, seafood, good wine, or whatever. This will lead to some pretty funny conversations that sound incredibly illicit. So, at 1:00 am, in Havana Vieja, there really seemed nothing at all strange about asking some guys in the street if they knew where we could get ground beef. Even less so because they replied with confidence and even took us to show us their nearby homes where we'd go for the "pickup".

Then Fred's chatty manner waylaid us once again as he asked a man carrying a guitar where he could purchase one. The man, of course, offered him a guitar connection guaranteeing a reasonable price. This led to all of us sitting in the central park of Havana now at 2am testing out the man's guitar. He played us traditional Cuban tunes, which I sang along to, Fred and Valerie responded with Quebecois folk songs, and a back and forth folk-song stories started up.

Libretas and Trabajadores Sociales

I have to admit that, despite my complaints about food, in many ways I'm lucky when it comes to getting food in Cuba. The Cuban ration book (libreta) provides less and less of what is needed to feed a family. People now find themselves struggling to get foodstuffs after their monthly ration (which typically lasts around 10 days) runs out. This is one of the contradictions that people face; the average salary is around 250 pesos and their rations cost 25. For just a parent with one child this means they're left with 200 pesos left to spend. Consider this - a bottle of cooking oil costs the equivalent of 50 pesos. People develop side business, in whatever they can manage as a means to get by. Fidel maintains that people can live on the state salary but people say that since he's not doing it, he's not in much of a position to make that case.

One of the ways that people were getting by was taking a little off the top and reselling it. There were bakeries that were supposed to only sell on the libreta but that would sell some buns for a peso each. All that has changed since the government has started the program of "social workers". These are essentially teams of youth that are put into different workplaces to observe the workers and ensure that no one is conducting any untoward business. (For me, in concrete terms, it means it's a lot harder to buy bread).

But it's a much bigger deal for Cubans. If one is suspected of bad business in their place of work, they can be replaced by a "social worker" for a two to three month period while the impact of their absence is assessed. As well, it makes for a very difficult workplace when everyone knows that people are observing your every action.

And, I have a certain understanding for those who engage in such business here. People find themselves in real binds. Everyone I meet seems to have some sort of "negocios"; there are so many that have access to other forms of wealth through tourism. Workers in state-run stores are often at the lowest rung of the ladder for access to outside wealth. How can I really blame them for taking what little they can get? How is it any less corrupt for those with party connections to get good jobs in tourism or licenses to rent rooms? It's a challenge because I find it difficult to see the validity in policing people so heavily in their workplace especially when there is such a clear logic to people's behaviours. If the state addressed the need, the corruption would decrease.

Camello Culture

It's hard to do justice to the camello ride every morning. Picture an articulated transport truck with windows. But it's more than just the camello, there's an entire camello culture that's surfaced.

Everyone rolls their eyes at the camellos, everyone knows that there's no other transport system in the world comparable to them, everyone will tell you about how dangerous they are because of thieves but everyone takes them too - otherwise how would they get so damned crowded? Seats on the camello are precious. At the first stop there's a separate lineup for seats and standing; many people will wait for over an hour to get a seat. The lineup is an experience in and of itself, making a consecutive file is of little concern here, instead you ask who the last person "la ultima" was and then remember that you're behind them. When a new person comes you tell them you're the last one and they're behind you. After that you can sit in the shade, get a drink, eat some pizza, whatever. The lines are pretty strictly enforced and people will holler and curse if someone buds in.

Then there's getting on, people scramble to get seats and those that do hold on to them. People are reluctant to give them up even for seniors.You sometimes feel as though you'll be crushed or swept along in the exodus of passengers at a given stop but there's a solidarity in it too. One day when someone was pushing a woman and she asked where she should go because there was no more room she said, "Should I climb on top of Fidel?" Everyone on the bus started laughing; a whole banter started up about Fidel riding the camellos and singing "There's lots of room in the camellos and it's easy to live on the ration book!".

Another day I was riding and was lucky enough to get a seat. It wasn't much of a seat as it was broken and I had to cling on to the seat in front of me to hold it together. I was directly in front of the door and when the door swung open, the awning above it fell down, whizzing past my head and almost decapitating the woman unfortunate enough to be standing behind me in the stairwell. I turned to see if she was okay and found her bent backwards, twisted at an impossible angle in order to avoid the oncoming piece of sharp metal. As I stared at her predicament, she looked me in the eye and heaved out the words "No es facil" - it's not easy - the most common expression in Cuba. You're damn right it's not easy lady, riding your morning bus can almost cost you your head. A couple of guys soon were able to re-hoist the awning and rode the rest of the way holding it up in place.

There is something beautiful about it too, driving along past the malecon and breathing in the sea air in the morning, before you head into too much traffic and fumes. Thinking about the day that's about to start as this incredible monstrosity chugs it way to the city. There's some sense of camaraderie in it, in celebrating someone who was able to run and shove their way in so as not to have to wait for another half hour for the next rough beast to slouch it's way on, or the way that people with seats will regularly offer to hold the bags of those standing.

No es facil.

What can one say about a country where the motto is "it's not easy". There's a part of me that appreciates the sincerity of it - life isn't easy, anywhere, much less in Cuba where you have an outstanding medical system that can diagnose your illness quickly and then not have access to the medication to treat it. The striking thing about it is how all encompassing that one little phrase can be. It's considered an acceptable response for everything from "We're out of oil" to "I just found out my father was killed". Somehow the extremity or the gravity of situations is all lost in that one little phrase. Perhaps it doesn't matter, the daily struggle has its ups and downs but there's quite simply an ongoing sense of endless difficulty. It ceases to matter whether your child just died or your skirt ripped because, when added to the burden you're carrying, it just quite simply sums up to a lot - and who really wants to compete about who's been dealt the worse hand? We can all just get along agreeing that we all have it pretty rough.

Samantha Charlton's Update - December 2005
Still in Love with Cuba

I am still in love with Cuba. There have been the average amount of ups and downs that life brings, but no more than usual. I have experienced my first sentiments of annoyance with the cat-calling and un-merited doting. One time, I was in one of the dollar stores doing my first mini shopping spree. I had decided to indulge and buy packaged food to have on hand for snacks. The availability, or non-availability, of snacks is another story. I came away with something, not what I expected: plain crackers, coconut cookies, a can of tuna, a can of sardines, olives and chili peppers. Not exactly hummus and pita or Miss Vickies. Anyway, I assumed that when you are in the dollar stores you are free to do your shopping in peace. I was wrong. There was an employee restocking the shelves, who kept on whispering "linda, preciosa" in that creepy voice that certain people like to use. He seemed to be in every aisle that I was shopping in. It was so strange and I was just trying to buy olives!

Other times, the attention that one receives from men here is just plain funny. Two days in a row in one week I was recited and given poetry. Really bad, really funny, extremely cheesey poetry. It's harmless and amusing, but at the same time it can be annoying when it comes from a co-worker, then one doesn't know how to act afterwards.

On the issue of food, I'm getting pretty used to eating a lot of white rice and pork: two food items that I would never eat at home. There are also days when I end up eating peso pizzas (warm, doughy bread with a little bit of thin sauce and processed cheese, not exactly Amado's -for Torontonians or MegaBite -for Vancouverites) and other not-so-delightful street snacks to keep me going. It's not that there aren't ingredients available here to make interesting things... it's just that it's close to impossible to have any number of items on hand at the same time. You might have eggs for a while but no bread or milk, then you find bread, but nothing to put on it. Now that work and life in general has reached a level of business comparable to my pace of life in Canada, I don't always make it to market enough to stock up on fruit, veggies and bread. Thus, my trip to the dollar store. The dollar store options are rather depressing, in addition there were prices all over for items that should have been in the stores, but plenty of empty shelves. There were sections for yogurt, cheese, many kinds of meat, seafood and frozen fruit and veggies, but not much there. There was also a three day period when we went without bread. In Canada, that wouldn't be a big deal, because one would probably have an alternative: cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. But here, bread is really important. Why couldn't we get bread? Suddenly the panaderia wouldn't sell bread to us as foreigners because the "Trabajadores Sociales" were watching. From what I understand, these are workers in each workplace that act pretty much like Big Brother. Apparently they have existed about a year, they consist largely of people who have delinquent backgrounds, get paid more than other workers and have various incentives to ensure that they watch what is going on and rat out anyone who breaks the rules (and selling to foreigners is against the rules). Since the black market in Cuba is absolutely thriving, and everyone has one or multiple black market negotiations or "negocios", these Trabajadores Sociales are actually threaten basic survival.

Complaints and new insights aside, the last few weeks in Cuba have been wonderful. My Spanish is improving, I've started baile casino (Cuban salsa) and flamenco classes, I took a weeked trip to Vinales and have spent more time on the beach. Getting to Viñales was quite the adventure, with a lot of ups and downs. Most people would call them all downs, but in Cuba you have to lower your expectations sometimes. We detoured to Pinar del Rio to return a forgotten fellow-hitchhiker's bag on the side of road, weren't permitted to stay anywhere because our passports are in legitimate (but never-ending) processing with one of the Ministries, and then had to resolve ourselves to the fact that we only had five hours to spend in Viñales. We rented scooters to see as much as possible: the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. The only other time I left the city was to go to the beach outside of Havana. Every time that I go to the beach I love Cuba twice as much! The last time I went the weather was perfect, the sky and the water shone three shades of blue, and I even ran into various friends. Havana is really starting to feel small! The guagua (bus) was jam packed on the way home. I was smushed, we were all smushed, and there was even a small child that had fallen asleep with her head in the small of my back, despite the fact the she was standing up and it was a bumpy ride.

I love the maquinas. Taking one is kind of like taking a really funky, ancient, falling apart, cab from the 50's to wherever my destination is. All for the equivalent of .50 cents. If only I could do that in Canada, I would never be late for anything. I am also in love with the fruta bomba (papaya). I just can't get enough of that fruit, especially very cold, right out of the fridge in the morning. I bought a bike, and I love it. The roads are just fine and I have had no trouble at all with parking. It is black and I have named her "madrugada" or dawn. She is great for giving people rides, or even better for receiving rides. I couldn't imagine having a bike in Cuba without a back rack. She has already seen much of the Malecón, and will hopefully see much more of Cuba. Speaking of the Malecón, I had been spending some time hanging out there at night, walking, talking, and hanging out. The other day that I actually hopped over it and spent some time down on the rocks. Who knew it was that easy to find a place to hop over and safely climb down? wondered why it took me a month and a half to climb down over the sea wall and be splashed by the ocean.

Workwise, things are going smoothly. I am starting the get to know the kids and teenagers better in my circulos de interes. I am slowly learning their names and getting to know their learning style. The hard part is that the classes are unpredictable from week to week, and lesson plans hardly ever go as planned. The ability to improvise and be spontaneous is as important as the planned activity itself. The secondary students are so articulate and intelligent, even in my own language I would be slightly nervous facilitating the classes and group work. I am also constantly trying to organize different visits to urban agriculture projects in the city and other Cuban NGO's. In the last few weeks I went to two major events with different Cuban organizations and at each one I was able to make new contacts. I have continued to meet a variety of interesting foreigners and Cubans. I just love how wonderfully friendly, open and inviting all Cubans are. I often meet people on public transportation, or in a line up and before I know it we are inviting each other out to events or parties, exchanging phone numbers and calling each other "mi amor", "amiga/o" or "mi vida". I can't get enough of this instant friendship and kindness, that is really quite genuine. I love our neighbours. They always have parties and play entire Michael Jackson albums; I never would have guessed that I would develop a new found appreciation for Michael Jackson in Cuba. With Christmas and the Fin del Año (New Year) coming up the next few weeks are sure to be full of great music, people, food and fun!

Samantha Charlton's Update - November 18th, 2005

Crumbling colonial mansions and trees which appear to have more dangling roots than actual trunks line my route each day. Beautiful old cars spit out diesel in my face in black clouds and break down a few feet down the road. Hisses and cat calls are already relegated to background noise, I never even turn my head, getting used to ignoring it… but next time a stranger invites me to play dominoes I will, now that I've learned how to play. The Cubans speak very very quickly to me in their dialect and expect me to understand, so somehow I manage to.

Buying groceries means going to a variety of markets, street vendors, dollar stores and random black market vendors who whisper "cream cheese" to you as you leave the panaderia (bakery). It involves old scales, bright ripe colourful fruit and jumping back and forth between two currencies, as well as legal and illegal means, in order to acquire a small stash of what we would consider basic supplies that will last but a few days. It's too hot to buy for longer, things would rot. Common fare is bananas, plantains and more bananas, yucca root, malanga (taro) root, squash. Large avocados, pineapples, guava and both green and ripe papayas. And my favourite green, new zealand spinach which is more like purslane (for those of you who know it) than spinach. The main seasonings are lime and garlic.

Work involves walking some distance, then flagging down either a maquina (Cuban taxis that go on set routes) or ending up just getting a ride with a random car. Hitchiking and grabbing a taxi are really one and the same in Cuba, as people in cars are required to pick up people who need rides for a small fee. Other days, I take the jam-packed gua-gua (bus.

My job slowly but surely getting underway and I trust that it will be quite interesting. My welcome to work involved being picked up by my boss on his motorbike and having meetings in fast paced Cuban Spanish all day, where I caught as much as I could. The other two women who I am working with are great. They are both very interested in Canada, the environment and the culture, and are so helpful, friendly and fun. The building itself is gorgeous. Three quarters of it are rooms and hallways of wood and glass that act as museums of geographical and cultural artifacts from the excursions of Antonio Nuñez Jimenez (famous environmentalist and founder of the foundation) around Cuba and much of South America. As things get underway, two days a week I will be going in between 4 schools doing environmental education in their outdoor classrooms. Other days I will be translating documents, reporting, writing articles, giving tours of the Foundation to English speaking visitors and helping out with a variety of events and projects that are all a part of the school ground environmental education program. I am also responsible for a new project that will match grade 4 or 5 classes in two Cuban primary schools to classes of the same grade in Canada. For this twinning project or "hermanamiento", I will be translating various parts of the kids work to send to their partner classrooms and also delivering to them artwork and various pieces of writing from the Canadian side.

On the social side of life things were somewhat slow to get underway, I am living in a district chalk full of great places to go out but for some reason myself and Sonja (co-worker) were crashing close to 10 p.m. It was all the heat.. all the fumes…laziness. We have a long time here in Cuba so there hasn't been a sense of urgency to discover the abundant nightlife at our doorstep, plus we are waiting for our Cuban identification cards that will allow us entry into most theatres, clubs and shows for Cuban prices, in pesos.

Now, with time and with being tapped into the established social networks of our Canadian supervisor, things are picking up socially. Some fun extracurricular activities thus far have including pool crashing at the poshest hotel in town, going to Guanabo beach (a bus ride east of the city centre), visiting rooftop patios overlooking downtown Havana, walking along the Malecon, going to see flamenco dance, hip hop music and other types of musical performances, and ending up at interesting house parties.

The family that I am staying with is amazing, right from day one they have included us as part of the family. One weekend we had a huge dinner with the extended family on both sides. It consisted of typical Cuban fare: congri (rice with seasoning), salad and a huge roast pig leg (seasoned with lime, salt and garlic). All to the background beats of reggaeton. Figuring out who the heck everyone is and how they are related can be quite challenging. Another weekend they had a large party for the daughter and grandson's birthdays, we danced on the terraza almost until dawn to salsa, son, reggaeton and even some music that I brought from Canada. One of their sons, Renee, is a really interesting character. He is a photographer who has traveled all over Europe taking photos and the house is full of great shots, he is having an art opening soon, which will be great to attend.

As I write this, I'm in love with Cuba. With doing quite a lot of traveling in my life, places quickly feel like home. I really have to make it that way or I'll get homesick. However, even though I go out and meet people, I'm always somewhat on the periphery looking in. I'm here temporarily, a visitor; this is their life and reality. There is such a strong sense of culture, tradition and family here that has been lived since birth. Even if I were to live in Cuba for 5 or 10 years I would not have the culture embedded in me. This life and reality is wonderful to me, as an outsider. But for the Cubans, they in fact cannot leave or change their reality even if they wanted to. And even if they succeed in emigrating, they are most often forced then to give up their Cuban citizenship, leaving them with less rights in Cuba than tourist, at the same being in their new country only as a resident, not a citizen.

On a last note, the Spanish here is HARD!! I understand almost all of it, on the streets, at faced past meetings at work, in the home. But then one on one when conversations become more profound, or over the phone, I mess up A LOT, and even when I don't mess up grammatically, just the way I structure my sentences and my accent make people laugh at me. Literally, even my Spanish teacher.

There are many parts of my job and extracurricular life that I am very excited to explore. Havana alone is so full of culture, beauty and life and there is still much of the country to discover when I get myself organized to take a few weekends away. Before coming I was at times nervous to leave my country for so long, yet again, but now I feel that my remaining 3.5 months will just not be enough!!

Samantha

Sonja's Update - November 2005

It's hard to believe that I've been here just over two weeks. On the one hand, I feel like I'm getting used to it and that I've had so many new experiences, so many things to adapt to and so many ups and downs that I can't believe it's been such a short time. On the other hand, I look at how little has actually been defined or accomplished and how little I really have done or just how slowly things move here that it seems like I couldn't have been here more than a few days for the little that's been accomplished. But here goes with what has happened:

Work

Let me start out by saying that the culture of work is really different in Cuba. I would say that it's a reflection of it being a less industrialized society as well as never having developed a purely capitalist state. There's a lot of inefficiency that you see and a really different relationship to the workplace. I can never figure out how people who apparently have full-time jobs still seem to be home a lot of the time. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing but it's just something that's hard for me to wrap my head around.

People always comment on how different the pace of life is in Cuba. Sometimes this can be relaxing as there's less pressure but it also can be frustrating because it can take so long for something to get done. I first noticed it with the ordeal with our visas. As if the two-month delay in receiving the visas wasn't enough, waiting around the Cuban consulate was an experience in and of itself. People would arrive from all over Southern Ontario for an appointment they'd scheduled with a particular woman who was apparently the only person capable of authorizing documents and then be told that she hadn't come in that day and no one couldn't commit to when she would be in. You could tell the difference between the Cubans and Canadians at that point as Cubans seemed to resignedly shrug their shoulders, shake their heads and shuffle out while Canadians became insistent that there must be some kind of resolution - that she couldn't be the ONLY one who could help them, etc.

But here, you often see people working in what you'd consider really inefficient ways, more people than necessary doing a simple job and not getting it done any faster. Or just how incredibly long it will take someone to charge you for some purchases at a store, there's no hurry. Some of this relates to the collectivity of certain actions - people tend to do things together and this can slow things down. Some could be attributed to the heat. And then it's also a terrible catch 22 because you can't demand much of people or put things on tight schedules because it just takes so bloody long to get a simple thing done.

My workplace it seems is no exception to this rule. It's been frustrating thus far mostly because I haven't seen my boss much at all. I've scheduled meetings with her only to have her not show up - a pretty unthinkable thing in Canada but it seems to be the norm thus far. I was originally supposed to work here in Health Centres but this has been changed to work with Circulos de Interes (a type of after-school program) in different municipalities with the end goal of coordinating a regional encounter of different Circulos. I'll be focused on ones that work in the area of agricultural/environmental education, food preservation, etc. and my job will be to assess where they're at and assist them with getting and developing resources to further their programs. One challenge is that, as a foreigner, I don't have the authority to independently go to the schools and set up appointments. I need a Cuban to accompany me and assist with making the connections. Idalmis has said that she should be identifying someone to work with me shortly. Let's hope.

I did get the opportunity to see one school near the farm. The kids were excited to show me around, show off their skills and teach me about what they're doing. I was never a scout so I don't have any familiarity with the Canadian version of childhood military training but these kids spent about 2 hours a day with this group learning how to tie knots, build fires, do exercises, etc. Some of it was innocent enough, keeping birds but some - loading fake guns and doing drills with them - was a little creepy for me. Adding to all this was the fact that their auditorium in the basement where most of their activities are based out of is still flooded from Hurricane Wilma, which hit over two weeks ago. When I remarked on this the children assured me that this was to their advantage because they've been able to practice different life-saving techniques in their newly formed pond!

The Food

A big challenge thus far has been figuring out how and where to purchase food. Suffice to say that finding certain products can be a challenge and one has to carry shopping bags at all times on the off chance that there might be a choice product while you're out walking - you likely won't see it again. I learned this the hard way. First, Samantha and I missed our chance to nab peso toilet paper and were later forced to walk into dollar stores across town looking for the more overpriced alternative. Then, a pizza vendor by our home was selling eggs, another choice commodity, and we lined up not wanting to miss the boat again. We forgot that we had no bag with me and ended up carefully staking a dozen eggs in my already packed purse leaving me praying that I didn't trip on these crazy sidewalks on the way home.

Another thing about Havana food is that people carry a lot of cakes. I have yet to go out and not see someone carrying a cake somewhere. I'm not really sure where all these cakes come from or where they're going - well I can surmise to some kind of party. You'll see cakes of all sizes and people with various ways of transporting them, walking, bus, bike, car. But none of them covered, all on a simple slab of cardboard or something, open to the diesel filled air. Ironically, the only covered cakes you'll see is when someone is actually trying to sell the cake. People will come up to you and hiss "cake", and slide a cover off a box only to reveal pre-cut pieces of cake for sale.

Housing

Everyone will tell you that in Cuba there are no homeless people. What is also not mentioned is what a right to housing can mean. Many times people are not homeless not because they have a home of their own but because they never leave the home of their parents. Papi, a worker on the farm, is an example of this. He lives in a house that has been added on to and divided up as his children started their own families. With five adult children in Cuba and 13 grandchildren you can imagine what types of domiciles there end up being! While there was a redistribution of homes and a great deal of construction that happened earlier on in the revolution, the special period changed that and people are making do - lack of homelessness is more a reflection of obligation and flexibility.

Currency Contradictions

One might wonder why, considering the cramped quarters, a family would rent out rooms. It's a reflection of some of the strange economics that are going on in Cuba right now. Cuba introduced the CUC a new unit of currency to replace the U.S. dollar and there are certain products that can only be purchased in CUC. Most people earn money is local Cuban pesos - an average salary being around 300 pesos (equivalent to $12 CUC or $15 Canadian). Cubans don't pay rent, healthcare or education costs so this money goes farther. As well, local buses are highly subsidized (they cost around a penny), workplace lunches are around a nickel and the population gets a ration of subsidized food - rice, beans, oil, etc. But it's not enough. The problem is that there are lots of necessities that can only be bought in dollars such as soap, toilet paper, cooking oil (if you need more than ½ a cup a month which most Cubans do), shoes, clothes or books. So the $12 CUC a month which could probably sustain people if they were only relying on subsidized buses, lunches or vegetables but they also need to buy cooking oil at $2.50 a bottle. What to do? Everyone develops a side business. Hence the family I live with giving up two bedrooms to rent out. This is a legal way to get some hard cash but, to make matters worse, they are required by law to pay $300 a month for the license whether they're renting rooms or not. It also results in a lot of other illegal business. Everyone has some type of negocio. This can be anything from sewing or ironing, painting nails, driving an illegal taxi, selling contraband beef, selling shoes off your front porch, etc. You see it all. Strange economy

Good Things

I feel as though I ought to end off this report on a positive note so I'll share a bit about our trip to America's farm.

I met America while she was up in Canada as part of the LifeCycles-ACTAF delegation and I really appreciated her because of her sincerity, humour, frankness and kindness. It was her first time being out of the country and being away from her family and we spent a lot of time talking about them and the whole experience of leaving Cuba. We agreed that I'd visit her anytime I felt sad or lonely in Cuba.

Last week Samantha, Jacinda and I headed out to her place. I was excited to see the farm which I'd heard so much about, to see her again and to meet her family. As well, I knew that she grew a lot of things that I had yet to find in Havana so I was excited to see vegetables that I'd been missing.

I guess the thing that was so special about the day for me was how welcome I felt there and how genuinely enthusiastic our hosts were. America's daughter came all the way out to our neighbourhood to meet us and to ensure that we didn't get lost. America prepared an incredible lunch for us while her husband toured us around the farm, showing us all the different crops, the animals, and even letting us in on family gossip. The welcome for me was unparalleled and it was probably one of my happiest days here. America continues to call to check-in on me and ask when I'll be out to see her again and work on the farm and that I don't even need to call if I want to head out there. It's nice to feel so welcome.

Sonja