Things between day 5 and 11
Tomorrow Roberto is taking me to the place where he gets his haircut in Centro Habana.
I had my first real (non-introductory) meeting with Eduardo last Friday. We met at the steps of the Capitolio and wandered around from there. He kept emphasizing the “cara más profunda de Habana” (something like, “the more real side of Havana”) that exists less than a block away from the refurbished hotels. Walking through the residential streets, we would note every tourist that we passed. They were usually younger couples.
We tried going to his friend’s place who has a view of the city from above, but he wasn’t there. Instead, we made an impromptu visit to some other friends’ place. On their own volition they have been restoring their place for the last five years. They’ve collected antiques and arranged each of the rooms according to color. Each room looked like it was straight out of Architectural Digest (of which they had many). They asked if this type of place existed in Los Angeles and laughed when I said yes, but only amongst the very upper class. Most of the things they had were scavenged, gifted or found. I couldn’t imagine living in a place like it; I would feel like I was living in a museum.
Within the first couple days of being here I noticed familiar red double-decker tour buses (even with the same graphics as the ones in Los Angeles). I knew from that point that my project was going to be doable and stimulating. On Monday I bought a 5 CUC (about $6) ticket that would last me the whole day. I took it from the Riviera hotel in Vedado (where we’re staying) to Habana Vieja. I sat at the very front on top. After a stop or two, two older couples from London sat around me. After a little small talk, I asked the couple sitting closest to me what brought them here. They pointed to the other couple and laughed. A legitimate response, but not exactly one that answered the question. I need to figure out a series of not-too-straight-forward questions I can ask that will elicit some interesting responses.
I need to stop by a cadeca and exchange CUC for Moneda Nacional. MN is used for taxis (the cheapest kind) and cheap food places on the street. You can also use a 50 cent CUC piece as 10 pesos MN.
We went to a contemporary dance performance on Hampshire at Teatro Mella last week.
I spent Monday wandering around Habana Vieja where all the tourists hang out. There are at least a dozen hotels within Habana Vieja—most of which are very old buildings restored to a beyond-real state. It looks as though each hotel that surrounds the Capitolio gets a fresh coat of paint every night. The insides are kept to an equal standard.
This Friday in Spanish class with Roberto we have to give a short 10 minute oral presentation on something that caught our attention within the first couple days of being here. I think I’m going to talk about how many people I see walking.
After being here for about two weeks, it’s clear that I would recommend the program to others. The number reason being the people that Hampshire connects you with. This is independent of something like “how nice and easy-going Cuban culture is.” So far, Cuba is a great place, but what’s been making it really great is the people Hampshire has developed relationships with throughout the program’s 10 (?) years here.
It always feels like a weekend.
On Sunday we went to Las Terrazas in Pinar del Rio about an hour away from Vedado. Similar to hotels in Habana Vieja, it looked like each house got a fresh coat of paint each day. Las Terrazas is an old coffee plantation that was turned into a tourist spot in 1993 (?). Now, people come for the ziplining, roast pigs, trinkets, and natural pools.
