Week Three

Thursday, August 2:
A.M. Departure for Havana
P.M. Informal walking tour of Old Havana
Overnight at:
Hotel Parque Central
Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta
Havana
PH: 7-60-66-27
We were glad to leave "Mosquito Village" -- the hotel in Trinidad. We stopped in Cienfuegos where Nestor picked up his Mel Gibson look-alike cousin. They dropped us off and went in search of inexpensive gas.

We were dropped off at the Palacio del Valle. Magnificent mixture of Roman, Gothic and Moorish styles. [jb0714.jpg] Built by wealthy businessman Aciclio Valle between 1912 and 1917. Impressive interior and good, live music on the rooftop. [jb0712.jpg]

Sites along the way to Havana

Lots of corn & sugar cane fields
Horse-drawn carriages transporting groups of people
Large trucks full of people
Arrived to Havana and to our luxury hotel -- Parque Central. 5 star! Nothing like a nice hotel to lift a woman's spirits! (Especially a sick woman. My respiratory infection is worse, and I am pretty miserable.)

After settling in at the hotel, we went on a walking tour of Cuba with Bill.

Back at the hotel later that night I was coughing away when Christina & Sofia picked up Terry to go swimming in the hotel pool. They suggested I see the hotel doctor. I asked them to stay and translate since I was not confident that I could express my symptoms adequately in Spanish.

Christina called and Dra. Elvira Correa Terry came to the room within minutes. I learned that body temperature is taken differently in Cuba (the thermometer goes in the armpit -- not under the tongue!). I was running a temperature, had a bad cough and congestion. She gave me a shot of Benedryl and gave me tetracycline pills that were left over from her last respiratory illness. Total cost? Around $30.00. I was thankful that Sofia & Christina were there to translate.

Felt very sleepy... Zzzzz

Friday, August 3: Havana
A.M. Free Time
P.M. 2:00 briefing at the United States Interests Section
Had a good night's sleep. Only 1 or 2 coughing spells. The doctor called & visited with the nurse. I am better but need expectorant syrup & benedryl pills. Sofia went with the nurse (Deisy Montalván Cabrera) and me to the pharmacy across the street to purchase it.

Nestor gave us a van tour of Havana. We visited the impressive Plaza de la Revolución:

Monument at Plaza de la Revolución [jb1007.jpg]
Statue of José Martí [jb1001.jpg]
Ministry of the Interior (with Che Guevarra's image) [jb1003.jpg]
We also visited Miramar, Vedado, and saw the Russian Embassy. Of the latter he said, "Cuba can forgive Russia for many things but not for that ugly building!"

U.S. Interests Section

The U.S. doesn't have an embassy, they have an "interests section". And they share the building with the Swiss Embassy.

We met with Steve Schwarz, Political/Economic Chief.

Facts: 51 American employees
Goal: To assist Cuba with the peaceful transition to a democratic republic
Elements:
1) Pressure to institute changes
2) Reaching out to the Cuban people
3) Border issues
Pressure points:
1) Embargo
2) Political isolation
3) No diplomatic relations
Ways that the U.S. is reaching out: embargo exceptions. Since 1990s, selling of pharmaceuticals has been allowed. There was a medical product exhibition in Havana in 2000. People-to-people program began during Clinton administration. Fiber optic collaboration.

Estimated that 30,000 - 40,000 Americans visit each year. There are direct flights to Cuba from three US cities. Former Cuban citizens are able to visit regularly without going through a lot of red tape.

In 1999, 8,900 visas were granted to Cubans. In 2000, 40,000 visas were issued... most to people older than 60 years old. Half-million people applied.

There are illegal businesses that charge $8,000 per person to speedboat people from Cuba to the U.S. Cuban and American government officials work together to control planes and boats with drugs.

Why does China have favored nation status when it has human rights violations and is not a democracy? "Government sees progress in China... in privitization of business."

Over $300 million in remittances flow into Cuba from the U.S. (from family members). Average monthly income of a Cuban citizen is $18. To survive at a basic level, families need dollars.

Cuba owes the U.S. $12 million and owes Russia $800 million to $2 billion.

Why not take away the embargo? Why not take away Castro's excuse for why the Cuban people are suffering? "Taking away the embargo might strengthen the government. The government clamps down on entrepreneurs." Example: The markets used to be open 6 days a week. However, when the entrepreneurs involved were successful, the government reduced the market days to 4 days a week.

Is there psychological pressure on Americans working there? Yes. Have to give 4 days notice if you are to travel outside of the city. Cuban friends are questioned. Frequenting a particular business consistently may cause problems for the business-owner.

Saturday, August 4: Havana
A.M. Walking tour of Old Havana
Woke again at 5:00 A.M. with a cough. Felt groggy when awoke but better after breakfast and many cups of coffee.

Walked around Parque Central and stopped at the outdoor bookstalls. I bought a book from this man at the Plaza de la Catedral bookstall. [jb0715.jpg] Saw Robin and Marian trying to buy tickets at the García Lorca Theatre. According to the box office there were no good seats remaining. A woman who was loitering outside the theater, Aurelia, was dealing "on the side" and had tickets for good seats. So, we made a deal that we would buy the tickets for a $10 discount. She asked that we meet her in front of the theater before the performance and pass her the money very discreetly. Do you see where this is going? Stay tuned.

Visited the provincial library -- Rubén Martínez Villena. [jb0718.jpg] Had a fantastic visit with Rosa María Mendoza Hernández, the director. [jb0720.jpg] Met her 12 year old daughter who was visiting. Also met many of the friendly staff. Here are some photos from my visit at this library:

Patron doing research [jb0721.jpg]
Card catalog [jb0723.jpg]
Library service desks [jb0722.jpg] [jb0724.jpg] [jb0728.jpg] [jb0729.jpg]
Library staff [jb0726.jpg]
There was a computer in the director's office (one of only a few in the building). I spent almost two hours there. We talked at length about shared challenges. The library is the "mother library" for 24 libraries in the province.

Some public library challenges are similar to those in the U.S. and include:

Automation -- they are beginning to convert the card catalog into an online catalog. Lack of funding is a major obstacle.

Materials -- Some materials that are checked out by patrons are not returned. So, popular or important works don't circulate. There are closed stacks except for children's area. There was compact shelving used in the closed stacks area.

Professional Development -- only a handful of librarians were able to attend IFLA in Boston (International Federation of Library Associations). She had never heard of SOLINET (The Southeastern Library Network). More interaction with librarians from other countries for the purpose of learning was desired.

Unlike the library in Camagüey and the two libraries in Jamaica, this library was fully air-conditioned. Rosa María mentioned several times how much Spain had helped to further the cultural progress of Cuba.

Met systems librarian. Humo en su oficina! (Smoke in his office! What about computer hygiene?)

Walked around Old Havana and took photos of various performers. [jb0732.jpg] Here is a dance troupe dressed in costumes on stilts [jb0733.jpg] and a trio of musicians. [jb0734.jpg] One member of the musical trio saw me taking a photo and came after me demanding a dollar for "an old man".

I stopped at a Barnes & Noble-style book store. [jb0735.jpg]

Federico García Lorca Theatre (the mystery continued...):
I met the "mysterious woman" in front of the theater and felt like a spy in a novel. She whispered "be careful about the police". I carefully passed her the money and got the tickets. I gave them to Robin who went in before the group.

Robin discovered that people were already in our seats and that they had tickets for them. Yikes! A scam! I went outside and found the "mysterious woman" (actually I was quite surprised to find her... thinking she'd be long gone...). Remarkably, she came into the theater and tried to help. She could do nothing but complain to the usher (who may have been in on the scam) and find us other seats. In the end, we all had good seats. The performance emphasized dances from Spain (flamenco) although there was one song that celebrated the culture and music of Santiago de Cuba. Beautiful & well executed.

Sunday, August 5: Havana
A.M. Church and visit to a medical clinic
P.M. Museo de la Revolución, Palacio de los Capitanes Generales
Wandered into a bookstore near Plaza de la Catedral. Saw the book "Your Erroneous Zones" by Wayne Dyer in Spanish.

Visited the Revolutionary Museum. It was once the presidential palace. Lots of patriotic and historical propaganda. [jb0815.jpg] Met a group of students and faculty from a California university in front, while waiting for it to open.

Transportation options in and around Havana:

Old Chevys [jb0816.jpg] [jb0827.jpg] [jb0807.jpg] [jb1120.jpg]
Pedal-powered [jb0819.jpg]
Bus, mini-taxi, more modern car [jb0817.jpg]
Russian Lada [jb0809.jpg]
Waiting for the bus... [jb0833.jpg]
The pink camel [jb0901.jpg]
Transportation center near Parque Central [jb0902.jpg]
Bicycle with motor installed [jb1117.jpg]
Walked the Prado (a wide street for pedestrians lined with benches and trees). [jb0810.jpg] [jb0813.jpg]

We stopped at a pharmacy to check on tetracycline. But they didn't have any.

The group was treated to lunch by Furman (via Bill) at El Jaribe. [jb0835.jpg] All the chicken, beans, rice, maduros you can eat. Delicious!

Stopped at Havana Libre Pharmacy. They didn't have tetracycline. Maurice was now taking it since he too had a respiratory infection. There were other antibiotics but they were too expensive.

Back at the hotel, I called the doctor. The nurse and the doctor came to the room. [jb0836.jpg] They chastised me a bit for sharing the tetracycline -- since I am allergic to penicillin and have less options. Maurice was examined too. They will help us get more medicine.

Paid nurse Deisy $54 for the medicine plus added $5 for a "propina" (tip). Apparently both the doctor and nurse went across town to get the medicine. Maurice and I gave the doctor $10 as a tip. Unlike in the U.S., doctors are not paid very well. I am sure that the waitress pouring coffee at breakfast and the maid who cleaned our room made much more than the doctor. The key to improving one's standard of living here is access to dollars.

Monday, August 6: Havana

Robin, Sofia, Marian, Terry, Christina, Nestor and Brian went to Varadero -- the beach. Bill, Dick, Cleve, Maurice and I went to the cigar factory. The making of a hand-rolled cigar was a fascinating process to see and smell!

We walked to the Capitol (which looks just like the U.S. capitol building) and took photos. I needed to rest. Went back to the room and listened to Spanish music via the television and wrote postcards. Went to the pool. There seemed to be lots of German tourists.

Walked around Havana. Here are some street scenes:

Beautiful wall mural [jb0820.jpg]
View from Museo de la Revolución [jb0821.jpg]
Views from the Parque Central Hotel [jb0824.jpg] [jb0825.jpg] [jb0826.jpg]
Views from the Capitol [jb0904.jpg]
Since most homes have balconies that look out onto the street, the balconies are teeming with life:

Boy on balcony [jb0906.jpg]
Man on balcony [jb0905.jpg] [jb0911.jpg]
Walked along the Malecón. [jb0908.jpg] [jb0909.jpg] Unfortunately, there were lots of drink stands along the street, blocking the view. [jb0910.jpg] Passed one drink stand and heard the song by The Eagles -- "Hotel California". Can't get away from American culture! Continued to walk while the sun went down. [jb0913.jpg] [jb0918.jpg]

The group, back from the beach, wanted to go to Chinatown for dinner. It was too hot to eat outside, but there were no places inside the restaurant. The dogs and cats near our table did not create an appetite-enhancing ambience. Also there were street people, hustlers and prostitutes nearby. Everyone agreed that the dinner was mediocre at best. But the atmosphere showed us a perspective of the city that we had not seen before.

Tuesday, August 7: Havana
A.M. Visit to the José Martí National Library of Cuba
P.M. Visit to Regla, center of Santería
Sofia and I visited the José Martí National Library [jb1005.jpg] -- in Spanish, Biblioteca Nacional José Martí. I had contacted Library Director Eliades Acosta in May to arrange to meet with him. [janis&eliades.jpg] Sofia was interested in seeing the library and was a wonderful help as translator when I reached the limits of my Spanish comprehension. Severina Batista, a staff member, [janis&seve.jpg] gave us a tour of the facility. It has 3.5 million books and periodicals. All except a small number of volumes are in closed stacks. We saw 2 computers for public use. The keyboards were turned over to protect them from humidity. Some areas of the this library are not air-conditioned. There are 59 computers available for library staff.

Here are some photos from our visit:

Patrons using the library [jb1008.jpg] [jb1018.jpg]
Service desks and staff [jb1009.jpg] [jb1010.jpg] [jb1014.jpg] [jb1019.jpg]
Children's area [jb1015.jpg] [jb1016.jpg]
Club Minerva [jb1017.jpg] [jb1012.jpg]
Stained glass near rotunda [jb1011.jpg]
I presented Eliades Acosta, the director, with the Furman photo book. He was interested in establishing a relationship with us similar to that of UNC Chapel Hill and UC Berkeley. I explained that as a small liberal arts university, we did not have the library resources that the research libraries had... so a similar agreement would not be feasible. However, I would be willing to discuss other possibilities for collaboration that would be mutually beneficial. Here is a photo of Sofia and Eliades. [jb1020.jpg] It turned out that Sofia and Eliades had a friend in common (her dissertation advisor at Urbana).

P.M. Visit to Regla, center of Santería

Bill was kind enough to allow those of us (the "sickies") who missed the Castillo de los Tres Reyes Moros (Castle of the Three Moorish Kings) trip one evening to spend an hour or two there. Got some great photos:

El Castillo del Moro [jb1024.jpg] [jb1101.jpg]
El Castillo street [jb1104.jpg]
View of Havana [jb1021.jpg]
Ship entering the harbor [jb1022.jpg]

The castillo was built in 1589 and provides an unimpeded view of the harbor.

Near the castle was a huge statue of Christ that was constructed in 1959 with the influence of Mrs. Batista. [jb1109.jpg] (The Batista's left Cuba soon after.)

Regla, a small harbor village has a museum of santería. The Chapel of Nuestra Señora de Regla is known as the center of santería. Here's a street scene [jb1112.jpg] and a statue near the Santería Church. [jb1114.jpg]

We went to the area that served as the setting for Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. Cojimar used to be a small fishing village. Went to the Hemingway memorial [jb1115.jpg] then to the bar named Las Terrazas where Hemingway apparently used to frequent. [jb1118.jpg]

Our last supper was at an Italian restaurant that we frequented often which was located across the street from the Parque Central Hotel. [jb1121.jpg]

Wednesday, August 8
A.M. Depart Havana for Montego Bay, Air Jamaica #360
P.M. Depart Montego Bay for Atlanta, Air Jamaica #59
P.M. Depart Atlanta by van for Greenville @ 9:00
Arrive at the Furman Playhouse @ 12:00 midnight
It was a long travel day. When you're tired, you can snooze just about anywhere! [jb1122.jpg] Here's the group in the Montego Bay airport -- happy to be heading home. [jb1128.jpg]

We arrived to Furman, and my husband, Bill, met me at the van door with a kiss! It's good to be home! [jb1129.jpg]

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