Proudly Latina
While I waited for her in a room with padded armchairs and air conditioning, I was able to take a quick nap, since to get to that place early I had had to get up before dawn. Suddenly I was shaken out of my drowsiness.
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Diaries
Mary, Customs Needs Your Blessing!
No, it’s not what all of you are thinking. What you’re reading above is the English translation of the title of an article by journalist Onnis Tur Pompa in the on-line bulletin of the Conference of Cuban Catholic Bishops.
Read MoreHavana Scenes (I)
He was pushing a long wide cart loaded with boxes full of books. He’s a self-employed carretillero (a wheelbarrow operator), which means that his occupation consists of moving books from his house to the Plaza de Armas in Old Havana, where they’re sold to foreigners.
Read MoreThe Lord of the Tiptoes
Over the last few days I’ve had problems with the telephone here at work. It seems that changes are being made to the local network. Nonetheless, I came up with a way to communicate personally.
Read MoreA Lion at the Mall
A few days ago I went by the Carlos III shopping center. I think it was a Saturday. In any case, I was looking for a pack of hotdogs. This store always gives me some reason to write.
Read MoreDemystifying North American Imagination
My matriculation at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana, Cuba has proven to be less romantic and demystifying as many red-blooded North Americans might imagine.
Read MoreSantiago de Cuba, Decadent Urbanism
Santiago de Cuba has been considered for a long time the second most important city on the island due to its historical, social and cultural-patrimonial values. Given those qualities, it would be logical to think that it maintains an enviable architectural and urban environment but…
Read MoreConforming Beats Embarrassment
The embarrassment of possibly being wrong, accompanied by the fear of being hammered with blame offers favorable circumstances for those having a small bit of power in their hands to abuse the even less powerful.
Read MoreEating for Five Pesos
A few days ago I went there famished, intent on ordering a double portion. I sat down at one of the tables and was surprised to find out how important it is to know a place from the inside.
Read MoreJust Doing You a “Favor”
Just a few days ago I had water problems for some mysterious reason. The valuable resource stopped running in my apartment so I had no other alternative but to go look for a plumber.
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