In my last two post, Part Uno and Part Dos, I talked about Cuba. Here’s another post about Cuba. Third times the charm, yeah? Yes. But yes, this is the finale of my Cuba posts. This post will have a lot of extra photography.
I’m assuming you’ve heard of Ernest Hemingway, the great literary mind that wrote The Old Man and the Sea. The famous novel that got him a Nobel Prize in literature; the story of an old man trying to catch a giant marlin. I would check Sparknotes for the most accurate summary of the story. Well anyways, there’s a bar in Havana called El Floridita which was one of Hemingway’s favorite chill spots. In the mid-right section of this picture, there’s a photograph of Hemingway awarding Fidel Castro a fishing award. Fancy that.
In this picture, he let me hold his arm. We go way back.
So next, we went off to check out local life; flea markets, artisan shops, market places, food vendors and all. The culture is so vibrant there and EVERYONE is happy. From what I can see, people are very skilled in what they do as you can see from the diverse display of craftsmanship, and I think it owes mainly to the fact that people are able to enjoy their passions thoroughly. Most of the people here probably rely on their art in order to feed themselves, but despite that, they manage to smile through it. That’s admirable.
Next, we visited a beautiful Cathedral. I wish I remembered the name, but it was so hot that day, I just wanted shade from the sun.
After the tour of Havana, the rest of our trip was spent lazying around. Actually, that’s a lie. My friend brought her Biology textbook to study for her diploma and I brought my Calculus homework, so in between the runs down to the snack bar to grab Shirley Temples and fries, we actually did school work. Studying on vacation is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I had to resist the the empty enticing cool pool water and the free food…I advise people NOT to go on vacay during exam break when they have an upcoming exam. Do one or the other; not both. It’s just…no.
To summarize Cuba, it definitely wasn’t the same style of luxurious living as a resort in Mexico. Although that was the case, I managed to get an actual cultural experience out of my trip, which is probably one of the more important points of a vacation for me. We were able to interact with the local people in a more relaxed setting. It wasn’t like “I have to do my work, I don’t have time to talk”, people were generous enough to familiarize us with their culture and teach us a bit of Spanish. But I still have to admit, the country has its downfalls. There are some fundamental government flaws because of the completely collective mindset that they hold. The ration cards for example (ration cards explained in Part Uno)…distributing food in such small portions is hardly fair. I feel as though the distributed food is just to prove that the government does provide for everyone, but what can a small bag of rice do for a family for a month…? They end up going to privately owned markets anyway.
Okiie, all done my rant.
Visit lots of countries. Immerse yourself in culture and you’ll learn things better than our social curriculum teaches it. That is all ;D
Toodle-loo~
