| What I loved about my program was the organized class dinners. On our last day I boarded the bus for our class farewell dinner at La Moraleja. For dinner I ordered ropa vieja with black beans and rice and lobster on the side. I had the honor to give a closing speech and reminded my colleagues that we can learn a lot from the Cuban Revolution in how to create a better society back home. |
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On our last lunch break my friends decided to go to a fancy restaurant with a nice view of Havana. Not much has changed after watching the 1968 film screening Memorias del Subdesarrollo in class, the city skyline hasn't changed much.
Meet my Cuban host Lupe. Living with her and her daughter and grandchild for a month was amazing once in a life time cultural experience. I already miss her home made mango, fruta bomba and guayaba juice. My roommate Gustavo and I decided to take her out for some amazing Batidos de Helados aka milkshakes at La Chucheria on our last dinner together.
Havana Cuba has great monumental buildings throughout the city. It is an eclectic city in the sense that you can find almost any kind of architectural style from neoclassic, baroque and art deco buildings. The Gran Theatro de La Habana is a great example of Neobaroque style and has been open as a theater since 1838.
Fun fact the city streets where designed to be confusing and resemble a maze to defend the city from pirates in the colonial times.
Trova's is one of Cuba's great music traditions. Right after the city tour I walked by a plaza and stopped to listen to a trova group play the song Hasta Siempre, Comandante by Carlos Puebla.
It was difficult to enjoy the climb of the Manaca Iznaga tower at Trinidad not because I am afraid of heights but because the tower was used as a watch tower for the slave plantation here in Trinidad. The colonial city is a world heritage site but its history as a slave city is being erased by the tourist economy. Trinidad has reconstructed the image of the city to cater to tourists.
Stopped by the valle de los Ingenios to enjoy the stunning view of the old sugar cane valley. During the Colonial era slaves would harvest sugar in the fields.
Real organic fruits for breakfast. I had one of the best breakfasts meals at my Casa Particular in Trinidad because I ate a variety of fresh fruits. My first course was a plate of fresh fruit, then followed by eggs with ham and cheese. Just about any meal I had in Cuba was accompanied with some amazing Cuban coffee.
Since it was to hot and humid for a city tour of down town Trinidad we went to the beach. I didn't mind the change in the schedule. The water is not as clear as the beaches in Havana but it feels so refreshing to swim in the tropical warm waters. Oh and word of advise don't swim with your casa particular keys. I lost my keys somewhere in the water. #mess
On Friday July 17th the bus departed to Trinidad for the weekend. The scenery on the way was really beautiful and tropical.
Pantheon de Colon is a historic cemetery in Havana. The Revolutionary martyrs are buried at a mausoleum inside the cemetery. I later learned from my host Lupe that it does not cost any money to get buried in Cuba. All funeral costs are covered by the state including the coffee. If only the US did not make a profit from death.
On Monday July 13th we had an alternative tour of old Havana historic city center. Guest lecture Dr. Roberto Zurbano facilitated the city tour of Havana and talked to us about the rich history that Afro Cubans have contributed to Cuba. We learned about race relation in Cuba which is a current social problem. After the city tour we took a class picture with Zurbano. This picture is important because it shows the first UCLA class to study abroad in Cuba.
Sunday July 12th was paradise on earth. I experienced for the first time in my life Caribbean waters. Mar Azul is one of Havana's prettiest beaches. The water has different shades of blue and sand bars which makes the water clear, shallow and easy to swim in. I spent the whole time in the water swimming until it was time to head out for lunch at Cafe Ajiaco.
After our study break at the beach we had a class lunch at Cafe Ajiaco which serves traditional Cuban food. Ajiaco is a Cuban beef stew with corn and potatoes. The food was served in family style. I made sure to try some of the Ropa Vieja which is a traditional Cuban dish with shredded beef. It is rare to eat beef in Cuba and can only be found in five star hotels or restaurants. Cuba's cattle industry collapsed when the government began rationing food. Cubans began eating more meat after the revolution which lead to a bigger demand than the supply of beef.
Saturday evening my friends and I were invited by my friends house maid Milagros to a traditional Rumba. The performance was in the corner of Zapata avenue and 4th street. The neighborhood was predominantly Afro Cuban. We were greeted by Milagros family to participate in the Rumba celebration. The music performance was performed by local cultural groups, as part of the weekly summer cultural performances for the community and the children since they are out of school and have time to enjoy and learn to dance Rumba.
Founded in 1728 the University of Havana is one of the oldest universities the Americas. Leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro studied Law here in the 1940s. It is tradition for graduating students to take a picture in front of the Alma Mater statue in front of the university steps. It was not part of our program to visit the university so I took advantage to explore the city and visit the historic site today on Friday. Our classes were canceled today due to a power outage at school.
"To fight for the social revolution in the Americas, is not a Utopian idea of crazy's or fanatics. Its a struggle for the next stage of development in History" Mella
I headed down two blocks to the Malecón and 16th street from my casa particular. The sunset in Cuba is a beautiful must see when you are in Havana. I heard Ernest Hemingway fell in love with Cuba after witnessing the sunset. It was one the most peaceful moments I had in Cuba. Sitting on the seawall, reading an excerpt from Cuban writer Reinaldo Arena's Before Night Falls and just thinking of the adventures ahead of my life was a memorable experience I will never forget.
Syncretism is one of the main traits of the Cuban religion. Catholic and African religions are fused into Regla de Ocha or Santeria. Pilgrimages and yearly processions are held at the Cathedral de Regla.
After class lecture at CEM we boarded the Charter Bus to the Museum of Regla and the Cathedral of Regla. Regla de Ocha was created by the slaves from the Yoruba cultures and is based in the belief in the Orisha's or saints that represent the forces of nature and symbolize rituals, passions and emotions of human beings.
I was really happy that the homegirls ( Natalia, Mitzy, Maria Elena, Celsa and Christina) wanted to try Cuban ice cream after class. As we walked on 23rd street towards the historic ice cream parlor Coppelia I saw the old Hilton hotel which was renamed after the Revolution to Habana Libre. Eating at Coppelia made me realize that their is two Cubas. The country has two official currencies, the Cuban National Peso or the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC), the CUC is used by foreigners and Cubans that can offered to use them. Coppelia is a favorite gathering place for Cubans especially in the summer time. Before the revolution Coppelia offered a wide selection of flavors and now with the triumph of the revolution only strawberry, chocolate and vanilla are served. What made it evident in the preferential treatment of tourists was the fact that my friends and I did not have to wait in long lines for ice cream. As a foreign visitor we had the privilege to not wait in line through the CUC express line. While eating my ice cream it was hard to enjoy while locals waited to walk into the ice cream parlors in long lines.
Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch were trained by the CIA and are best known for the bombing of the Cubana de Aviacion Airlines flight 455 which killed all on board including the Cuban national fencing team. On my way to the ice cream parlor Coppelia I noticed the poster depicting the two militant Cuban exiles that have been supported by the US government. Today Carriiles lives freely in the US which shows a double standard in US treatment of terrorists.
Revolutionary Cuba is perhaps one of the few countries in the world where you can find a presidential monument dedicated to Salvador Allende, the first democratically elected Socialist president in Latin America. He was murdered for his ideas of a better society by Fascists in Chile and the CIA on the first September 11 in 1973.
Walking around the Organoponico class tour I came across a religious altar that is used by the local farmers to ward of bad spirits. The Altar futures various Afro Cuban religious symbols which is heavily influenced from African religions and Catholicism.
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