| Wednesday, April 13, 2005
| |
| | one bedroom), his wife´s sister (who has
|
| Hello from Cuba (11) - Inside A Cuban
| |
| | the other bedroom) and the father of the
|
| Home
| |
| | 2 ladies sleeps in the living room.
|
| Etecsa Telecommunications Building,
| |
| | Furniture and decor are very basic and
|
| Downtown Havana
| |
| | instead of upholstered sofas the
|
| Wednesday, April 13, 2005, 3:06 pm
| |
| | furniture consists of traditional wooden
|
| So I am sitting here in a new place and I
| |
| | chairs that have a colonial appearance.
|
| gotta hurry since I bought a $6 CUC
| |
| | One of the cousins who was in from out of
|
| Internet access card and I only have 53
| |
| | town got married last year to a friend of
|
| minutes left.
| |
| | mine in Toronto, so she came to Havana to
|
| At any rate, the dinner at Pedro´s
| |
| | go to the Canadian Consulate to get her
|
| family on Sunday was amazing. We took the
| |
| | visa to finally go to Canada. Getting to
|
| GuaGua (Public Transit System) and after
| |
| | go to Canada is not an easy thing at all
|
| about 1 hour we arrived in the area of
| |
| | for Cubans, since it is very difficult to
|
| Marinao. From there we had to walk
| |
| | obtain a Cuban passport.
|
| another 30 minutes or so to get to his
| |
| | We talked a lot about Canada and about
|
| house.
| |
| | the fact that life is very different, the
|
| There I was received by an entire Cuban
| |
| | climate, the environment, the concept of
|
| family, Pedro´s wife and daughter, his
| |
| | family. This discussion was particularly
|
| sister in law and their two female
| |
| | relevant since Pedro´s wife´s female
|
| cousins who had come in from out of town.
| |
| | cousin is hoping to come to Canada in the
|
| It was amazing being in a Cuban home,
| |
| | next 6 weeks as she is currently
|
| after having spent a whole week in an
| |
| | pregnant.
|
| impersonal hotel. It was immediately
| |
| | At any rate, the hospitality was great. I
|
| obvious that the Cuban concept of family
| |
| | was received like a long-lost friend and
|
| is very different from what I have
| |
| | the ladies had really taken great care to
|
| experienced in Austria or Canada. Family
| |
| | prepare an outstanding dinner. The table
|
| members live in very tight living
| |
| | was full of dishes: fried chicken, white
|
| quarters since housing is scarce in
| |
| | rice with bean sauce, fried sweet
|
| Havana and often 2 or 3 generations live
| |
| | plaintains (one of my favourite foods)
|
| under one roof.
| |
| | and a tasty bean salad. We had flan for
|
| My friend told me that in his father´s
| |
| | dessert and it was one of the best meals
|
| house 3 of his brothers live in one
| |
| | I have had in Cuba so far.
|
| bedroom (and they sometimes receive
| |
| | I had brought a little souvenir for the
|
| visits from their girlfriends who end up
| |
| | family: 2 sets of coloured pens for the
|
| sleeping in the same room), his sister
| |
| | little girl which she absolutely loved
|
| and mother sleep in one room (as his
| |
| | and some beautiful flowers for the ladies
|
| mother is divorced), and the father and
| |
| | of the house. The atmosphere was a little
|
| another sibling sleep in another room.
| |
| | shy at first, but after a while we
|
| It´s very difficult to imagine this type
| |
| | started chatting, asking each other
|
| of crammed living environment, there is
| |
| | questions about our respective lives in
|
| definitely not much privacy....
| |
| | these 2 very different countries. All the
|
| By Canadian standards, the home is very
| |
| | while I was there I felt very special and
|
| basic, located in a complex with about 6
| |
| | I felt truly honoured to have had an
|
| apartments, this apartment contains 2
| |
| | opportunity to be introduced to a Cuban
|
| bedrooms which are shared by my friend,
| |
| | family and to experience Cuban
|
| his wife and daughter (who together have
| |
| | hospitality first hand.
|
