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