| Hotel Havana Libre, Tuesday, April 5, 2005, | | | | of sex tourism where men (and even women) |
| 7:20 pm | | | | come to Cuba to engage in easily available |
| | | | erotic experiences. |
| Yesterday I had to sign up for my Spanish | | | | |
| course at the University of Havana. The | | | | Pedro and I walked through the old town and |
| Campus of the University is an astoundingly | | | | of course along the Malecon (the seafront |
| beautiful collection of classical buildings | | | | boulevard) and saw the beautiful Plaza Vieja |
| and a Cuban tank graces the entrance to the | | | | and the Plaza de la Catedral where a mass was |
| library. | | | | being held for the passing of Pope John Paul |
| | | | II. |
| At 9 am all the foreign students, about 40 of | | | | |
| them, met in the Edificio Varona and we were | | | | This was very interesting, since Cuba is a |
| shepherded by various professors into a very | | | | Communist / official atheist country and |
| antiquated lecture hall. (By the way, of the | | | | there are much fewer Catholics today than |
| 5 or 6 washroom stalls in the women´s | | | | before the Revolution. Actually much of |
| bathroom, only 1 or 2 have toilets in them, | | | | Cuba´s religion is a mixture of |
| no toilet seats, and no running water in the | | | | Catholicism and Santeria (religious practices |
| sinks. Again a sign of rather run-down | | | | of the African slaves). Regardless of |
| infrastructure...) | | | | religiousness, Cuba has declared a 3-day |
| | | | "duelo nacional" (a national mourning period |
| There they told us about the program, but | | | | for the Pope) and the mass was attended by |
| only in Spanish, which was okay for me, since | | | | hundreds of people. |
| I speak Spanish, but about half the group was | | | | |
| completely lost. We then had to do a quick | | | | Pedro and I then had a nice meal in the |
| written placement test to assess our existing | | | | "Barrio Chino" (Havana's Chinatown) for 5.60 |
| Spanish skills and then the bureaucracy | | | | CUC (less than US$6) for 2 people and 2 |
| began. | | | | vegetarian meals and soft drinks. After a |
| | | | nice dinner he again flagged down a local |
| We found out that we needed the following | | | | private car driver and gave him about 1 CUC |
| documents: | | | | for picking us up and dropping us off at my |
| | | | Hotel. At midnight I dropped into bed, |
| - a copy of our passports | | | | exhausted. |
| | | | |
| - an official copy of the hotel guest card | | | | However, at 4 am this morning I awoke with |
| and/or a copy of the licence of the private | | | | major intestinal problems. Apparently my |
| Casa Particular | | | | Chinese meal had not become me so well and I |
| | | | had serious digestive issues emanating from |
| - 200 CUC (Convertible Cuban Pesos) in cash | | | | both sides of my body. This morning I realy |
| for a 2-week course or more for other courses | | | | felt rotten and I ended up using my own |
| | | | medical kit for the first time and took some |
| - 40 CUC for changing our tourist visa to an | | | | Immodium. |
| academic visa (in fiscal stamps which we had | | | | |
| to obtain abuot 5 km away) | | | | I was unable to eat breakfast, but I made my |
| | | | way to the university where at 9 am our |
| - 2 passport photos | | | | classes started. Surprisingly the placement |
| | | | test had put me into the level of |
| - 25 CUC in cash to expedite our academic | | | | "perfeccionamiento", the highest level and |
| visa if we are in town for only 2 weeks. | | | | the level of Spanish in my class was indeed |
| | | | very high. The class consists of 7 students, |
| I linked up with a bunch of foreign students | | | | a young woman from England, a young female |
| and we headed off together on our quest to | | | | medical student from Denmark, a middle-aged |
| fulfill the Cuban desire for Burocratismo. We | | | | female doctor from Finland, a young male law |
| first obtained cash at bank at the Hotel | | | | student from Sweden, a young woman and man |
| Havana Libre, then got the passport pictures | | | | from Norway and myself from Austria/Canada. |
| done (to be ready for pickup 3 hours later), | | | | |
| then searched for the other bank on Calle 23 | | | | Obviuosly there is a very heavy Scandinavian |
| that would provide us with the 40CUC stamps | | | | slant in my class and it seems everyone in |
| for the academic visa. With extremely long | | | | the class is a hobby sociologist, political |
| lineups everywhere, this took us about 2 or 3 | | | | scientist, environmentalist and historian. We |
| hours. | | | | asked some rather tough questions about Cuban |
| | | | life, the political system, the economic |
| Then we got really hungry and we were | | | | hardships, the double economy, the situation |
| approached by a local "Jinetero" (restaurant | | | | of women and blacks in Cuba, machismo and the |
| tout) who promised us a complete meal with | | | | situation of the environment. |
| main dish, salad and side dish for 6 or 7 | | | | |
| CUC. We walked with him, only to find out | | | | Some of these questions made our female |
| that the wait at the Paladar (private | | | | professor feel extremely uncomfortable and it |
| restaurant) would be about 45 minutes to even | | | | seemed like she was squirming under the |
| sit down, not including food preparation | | | | barrage of probing political and sociological |
| time. | | | | questions. She got very defensive a few times |
| | | | about the Cuban system and only after we |
| So we walked up Calle 21 and a private | | | | discussed the good and bad aspects of |
| restaurant owner approached us for a meal and | | | | European and Canadian societies did she |
| we gave in and came inside. It was a | | | | loosen up a bit and become a bit more open |
| beautiful colonial villa, except that the | | | | and frank about the real Cuban life. It seems |
| guest room with is obligatory 3 tables and 12 | | | | that to this day Cubans have to be very |
| seats was in a dark small dingy room | | | | careful about what they say in public. |
| completely without windows. | | | | |
| | | | For example, she frankly admitted that racism |
| However, we had a delicious home-cooked meal, | | | | still exists in Cuba and to this day it is |
| I had roasted chicken with rice & beans, | | | | still a country with a lot of machismo. |
| salad and a lemon soft drink, all for 8 CUC | | | | However, she did not admit that Internet |
| (about 8 US$). 2 of my student colleagues | | | | access and access to non-Communist media is |
| were from Germany and the other fellow is | | | | forbidden for Cubans, she simply explained it |
| from Toronto as well, but originally from | | | | as an economic issue. (Several of my |
| Poland. We had some great conversations and | | | | colleagues had heard otherwise in their |
| it was interesting linking up with a bunch of | | | | travels in Cuba, simply that a Cuban is not |
| Europeans in Havana. | | | | allowed to have access to the Internet). She |
| | | | also admitted that it is not allowed for |
| After a brief rest in the hotel, my friend | | | | Cubans to visit the tourist areas of the |
| Pedro again picked me up in the evening and I | | | | Cayos (e.g. Cayo Coco) which is exclusively |
| couldn´t help but tell him about my | | | | reserved for tourists and Cubans have no |
| experience with the Cocotaxi driver | | | | access to that area whatsoever, a definite |
| yesterday, who had tried to pick me up, | | | | point of contention among the locals. |
| despite my clarifications and statements that | | | | |
| I was married and not interested in any | | | | Class ended about 1:20 and my upset stomach |
| amorous activities. | | | | did not allow me to intake any food. I headed |
| | | | back to my hotel, slept a little and have |
| Pedro explained that sexual relations in Cuba | | | | been on the Internet for the past 2 or so |
| are a relatively common, easy-going thing and | | | | hours (racking up a bill of about $US 20.00 |
| that it is very common for people to link up | | | | or s0), documenting my trip. |
| for quick "meaningful overnight | | | | |
| relationships". He referred to the Cuban | | | | It´'ll be a quiet evening tonight since |
| people as very "passionate and hot-blooded", | | | | I am trying to settle down my stomach. But I |
| I guess that explains a couple of the | | | | am sure the adventures and the learning will |
| advances that I have been receiving so far, | | | | continue tomorrow. |
| particularly since there is also quite a lot | | | | |