Diaries Archives - Page 624 of 635

Tourism in Cuba

I have taken several weekend trips with my student group while in Cuba. Most recently we went to Santiago, where we also spent a day in Guantanamo, and two weeks before that we went to Cienfuegos and Trinidad.

A Leap into Darkness

In the airplane, to prevent the confusion that continued pursuing me, I began to recall how I had got there. It was in August 2008 that I met Yumiko, a Japanese woman who had made close contacts with my friends, who by then had emigrated to different countries.

March of the Torches

It then hit me that they were holding the “March of the Torches,” which didn’t take a lot of convincing to get my friends to participate in. We walked closer to the area and found a sea of people clenching smoky torches and heading down San Lazaro St. toward the Malecon seawall.

My friend Livio

Livio walks the streets weighed down with depression. He drags his feet as if he was hauling his own body, but he’s so thin you hardly notice. When he comes up to you, all you notice is his energy.Livio is a poet who lives in my Havana suburb of Alamar, a fine poet. He has been left all by himself.

University Students vs. University Leaders

Despite all their protests, we held our activity. We weren’t going to allow this little group that holds power to make decisions for us. We refused to accept being turned into marionettes so that they could later proclaim they are still a viable organization.

A White? Cuban Woman Facing the Mirror

I don’t remember ever having asked myself what race I belonged to. I was born advantaged in a society that discriminated against non-whites. So, am I white? The answer isn’t so simple. Let’s have a look at my genealogical tree; since racial classifications don’t work with me.

An Excursion that Ended at the Beach

As we had secretly yearned, we got lost. Emotion returned something to our faces, but only slightly, because we suspected that soon we would find our way out of there. While we strolled along those sunny paths, we told stories and passed the time throwing stones, like children.

Who Was I to Criticize?

I was confused by this situation, and temporarily abstained from involvement in “political life.” Upon completing my premedical training, due to a personal situation I had to travel to Argentina, where I had time to think a little more about this situation.

Creationism in Cuba?

In Cuba, officially a lay state since 1992, the theories of Darwin has been part of the obligatory basic education and of our boring conventional stereotypes since the Revolution. The interesting thing is that the Cuban reality as regards the theories of evolution is much more complex.

The Van Van Effect (II)

She displayed no type of hysteria or shouting, simply tears. I thought that she felt bad, but when I asked her, she told me that nothing was wrong, that she was only excited because this was the first time she had ever seen Van Van live.