Irina Echarry’s Diary

In 1973, when a coup d’etat overthrew the Allende government, many Chileans were forced to scatter throughout the world in search of a peaceful place to live. Our country opened its doors, and thousands of them arrived.

Living surrounded by water makes people a little more unstable. Each person debates whether to stay in the place where they’re from or let themselves be carried off on the waters to other latitudes.

My friend used to suffer from sudden high fevers, that would come on in the middle of the night or in the early morning hours, just when the buses were practically nonexistent. That’s where the revolver of her grandfather came into play.

Several years ago there was TV program for kids here called Fraggle Rock. It was a very good series where the characters would visit Mrs. Garbage, a pile of litter who was also a kind of guru or wise woman to whom they could tell their problems or worries.

Having a home is important; it’s the place where you create your space, a family, feelings and values. In Cuba, we never have a stable place that is really our own, in which we can be sure that our efforts will guarantee our children a happy and healthy home.

My brother was born on December 25, 1967. It was a big problem celebrating his birthday in revolutionary Cuba since on that date there were always voluntary work days, marches, or simply demonstrations to emphasize the positive change the island was experiencing.

It is a spacious, beautiful and comfortable theater that also served as a sort of bohemian style gathering spot for poets and painters with poetry readings and book presentations that we young people really appreciated.

As a little girl I listened to men make flirtatious comments. My mother has always been a beautiful woman, elegant, and although she doesn’t have a sculptural body like many Cubans, she awakened the masculine sexual appetite.

Dogs are known for their loyalty. The question is, “Are they masochists?” The streets of Alamar have been invaded by stray dogs. At the beginning of the nineties when the peacetime economic crisis known as the Special Period was first proclaimed, there were families who began to turn their pets out onto the street. At that time there was a video clip being repeated on television. The clip featured Burble, a rock group who were touched by the situation, pleading in their song for a little loyalty towards the defenseless pets.

Gonzalo is a 4-year-old neighbor. What he likes most is the beach, although at night he is obsessed with reaching the moon. He fears mosquitoes because he associates them with the noise and smoke of the fumigation apparatus. He is joyful and uninhibited, although he sometimes gets upset when his uncle doesn’t let him wear his hat or the ice cream man doesn’t pass at the usual time.