two worlds part 3

8/3/2019 Two Worlds Part 3

1/24

July 2, 6:48 AMBack on a Sleep Schedule

Another day has begun. It isa special one because itmarks the beginning of my lastweek in Cuba. It is good tofeel better, and my frame of

mind is much more positiveagain. I am writing whilesitting in front of the singlefront room window, writingand watching the street cometo life a bit more slowly on aSaturday. Breakfast will be abit earlier. No problem. Iawoke at about 6:20. Idecided to take a shower, eventhough I took one last night.I want to feel as good as

possible for the three-hourbus trip to Cuba's secondcity.

I have more CUCs andhope to find gifts foreveryone back home.Let's see if there'sanything I can do tohelp get breakfast onthe table


2/24

7:18PMDifferentWorld,SameUniverse

TheexcursiontoSan@agowasprobablythemostextensivevisualexperienceofthetrip.Thebusridetookusacrossalmosttheen@re

north/southwidthofCuba.Somuchofmostofthispartofthecountryispoorfarmland.San@ago,itself,isabustlingcityofabouta

millionpeople.RidingaroundgavemeasenseofSanFranciscoifithadbeenbombed50yearsagoandmostofitleunrestored.


3/24

Plentyofmoneyseemstogointoextollingthevirtuesofthe

[email protected]

investmoreinitspeopleandtheirfutures.


4/24


5/24

ThetombofMar@andtheSpanishfortwesawwereimpressive,though.Iwasthrilledtoget

picturesofalighthousethatstoodadjacenttoarestaurantwithpossiblyoneofthebestviews

intheworld.Iwasalsoabletofindpresentsforthefamily,sothatisbehindme.BuyingKa@e's

presentremindedmethatIwillmissbeingwithheronherbirthday.

Wereturnedat6:30,andIwasinformedthatIhadanemailfrom

home.Itwasgreattohearabouthowthingsweregoingathome,even

ifthedetailswerespoZy.Irepliedlongenoughtosuggestsending

anothermessageonTuesday.Thatwillbreakupthelastweekhere.

YouthserviceintheChurchbeginsin30minutes.Weareonstage

again!Moretocomebeforeturningin


6/24

11:05PM

Onascalefrom1to10thisdayratesat10onwhatWillSmithreferredtoinMeninBlackasbeingonmyweirdsh*tometer.Bulletpointsfollowtobrieflysummarize

BustriptoSan@agothroughlandsthatcouldeasilybemistakenforruralVietnam;

StopataRomanCatholicChurchinanoldcopperminingtowninthemiddleofnowhere,who'spatronsaintisbedazzledinyellow;

StopatRevolu@onSquare,wherethePopeheldoneupfourCubanmassesin1998;LunchatarestaurantoverlookingtheCaribbean,

whereSirPaulMcCartney'splacesengs@lloccupiesaframedspaceonthewall;

PhotosoftheyetunnamedlighthousenearanoldSpanishfort;

WatchingthechangingoftheguardatthetombofJoseMar;

Inthesamecemetery,avisittothegravesiteofafoundingmemberoftheBuenaVistaSocialClub;

Returntripthatincludedtwoimpromptustopsatroadsidestands(theCubanswantedmangoesandcheese)andalegi@materainstorm(thoughwewereinthebusthroughoutit);

Eveningchurchserviceforyoungpeoplewhichincludedseveralnonsensicalpantomimes,ofwhichIpar@cipatedinone,andasongin

whichalargeintegratedcirclewasformed;

Aertheservice,allwalktothecity'scentraltheatertocatchwhatwasleoftheHolguinSymphonysperformance(wesatdownin

ourbalconyseatsforjust5minutes,thenjoinedeveryoneinastandingova@ontheconcertbeganat8:30,andwedidnotarriveun@l

aernine);

Returntothecompoundwithhalfofthegroup(theotherhalfstayedbehindtotakeinaplay,Ihope).

Ihadsomedeliciousicecream,tookanotherquickshower,wroteinmyjournal,andnowhopetoturnineventhoughtwointheplay

grouparemystudents.Bytheway,formonths,IthoughtthemeterlinewasaGeorgeCarlinism.


7/24


8/24


9/24

July 3, 7 AMIndependence Looms

Happy birthday, Katie!

This has the potential to bea bad day. I keep remindingmyself that I won't have to

endure any more Sundays inCuba after this one, but Istill am not looking forwardto it. I do hope we get achance to get out and playsome baseball. I'll even takesome ftbalif I have to,though I will probably lookfor some way to take awalk instead. Church won't

be over before noon, thenthere is lunch. It lookslike it will be as hot asever. Just get throughtoday, then it's Monday, the

next day will be amessage from home,Thursday and Friday aresupposed to be thedays of working in the

garden, then it will beSaturday: going home

day. Independence Day,delayed.


10/24

1:22PMOvertheHump

IfeelthatI'moverthecrestandheadedtowarddaysthatarenowclosetomyreturnhome.Eventhoughtheservicewasextralong,

endingat12:20,Ihadmuchlesstroublemakingitthrough.Theaernoonisbeginning,andwehavefinishedourlunchofpulledpork,

bakedyucca,riceandbeans,andmangojuice.Therearenoplansun@l4PM,whenwearesupposedtobegoingtoaplaygroundfor

sports.IwillseeifIwillbeallowedtowalktocentralcitytoseeaboutwhethertheaforemen@onedmuseumisopen.

[email protected]'llreadwhilelisteningtosomemusic...


11/24

6:56PMNoWalkinthePark

Well,mybaseballskillshavecertainlydeteriorated.

Aertwoerrorsinarowintoday'sgameIwas

movedfromsecondbasetofirstbase,muchtothe

pitchersobviousdissa@[email protected]

betweenonthenextplay,Ipromptlymovemyselftotheouieldanythingtoavoidaninterna@onal

incident!Ididredeemmyselfsomewhatbyscoring

thetyingrunonthelastplayofthegame.WhenI

gotbackIwashedmylearmandappliedIcyHot

rightaway;mytendini@s,aswellastheshoddy

baseballequipment,givemeplentyofexcuses.

Thetwohoursuptoourleavingtheparkseemed

longerthantheywere.Ihopethattheeveningisn't

ashard.

10:52PMLong,ButGoodNight

So,dinnerwassupposedtobeinarestaurantand

weweretoleaveexactlyat8PM.Weleatabout

8:20,walkedtothesamepizzaplacewegaveour

businesstotheothernight,orderedandfinallyate

[email protected],though,itwasa

goodnight,circlegroupnotwithstanding.IjustfinishedthefirstdraofmythankyouleZerto

ourhosts.I'llhaveAlexorTomcheckhowbadmy

transla@[email protected]

brushmyteeth,haveacolddrinkofwater,splash

wateronme,andturnin.


12/24

July 4, 7:12 AMWhole New Meanings to

Independence Day

A quick thought from lastnight: after this I mayhave my own personalIndependence Day

celebration on July 9, theday I came home to theLand of the Free. It wasnot a good sleep. I firstwoke up a little before 1AM to the sounds of achild's screams. After thesecond, it sounded morelike those of celebrationthan distress. That would

make sense because todayis kind of an IndependenceDay for schoolchildrentheir first Monday ofsummer break.

Next I remember wakingup before 3 AM. Fromthat point it was thestruggle to get back tosleep. I drifted in and out,until suddenly it was justbefore 7 AM. Breakfastwill be soon; and then we

supposedly have a day ofheavy labor, getting cementup onto the roof.

The street outside ourfront room seems to betaking some extra time towake up, as well. Iwonder if it's related tothe kids vacation. A

street sweeper justpaused in front of thewindow to put some ofthe curbside debris, smallstuff, into a dustpan andthen into the cart.


13/24

Ihaveseenmorethanafewofthese.Itrevealeda

parallelbetweenCubasaZemptstofind anyworkfor

peopleandourownDepressioneraWPAprojects.

Thisaernoonwearescheduledtotakeanother

hourlongbustriptovisitaQuakerchurchinaquaint

liZletownwithmuseumselsewhereinHolguin

Province.Iamcurioustoseewhatpassesforquaint

today.

Ihavereachedthehalfwaypointinmyjournal.GladI'm

morethanhalfwayhome.

1:02PM

Middayshowersaremixedblessing,butnecessary

today.Aerfourhoursofhelpingmixcementfor

supportsandflooring,itwasagiven.Weareahalfhour

away(orwhatever)fromleavingontodaysexcursion.I

showered,shavedandbrushedmyteethinreverse

order.Iputonrequiredlongpants,whitecargopantsI

plannottowearagainun@lthedayIleave,andalongsleevedomnidryColumbiashirt.

Wereceivedwordthatourmee@ngtomorrowwith

youngcommunistswillincludearankingmemberofthe

CommunistParty.Ourtripleadersareveryexcited

aboutthis,sayingitisafirst.I'llhavetopayclose

aZen@on,asIaminchargeoftomorrow'sblogentry.

Thatwillbeachallenge.


14/24

10:32PMBayamo

TheaernoonjourneytoBayamowasapleasantone.Thetowns@llhadmorethanitsshareofunfinishedwalks,butthehistoric

centerwasnicerthanmostofwhatI'veseensofar.Aerashortpresenta@onbyalocalserenadinggroupandsomedancing,wetooka

walkthroughtheshoppingarea.Dinnerincludedshreddedbeef,riceandbeans,andtheusualsalad.Thehighlightsformewerethe

musicalperformers,threeincrediblytalentedwomen,andthepineapplesodaIfinallydecidedtotry.Excellente!

Wereturnedatabout9PMandhadacirclemee@nginwhichwemainlydiscussedtomorrow'[email protected]

soundsliketherewillbeliZleinthewayoftransla@ng,whichcouldmeanatotallywastedopportunityformeandpoten@almissteps

bythestudents.Theywanttohaveadialogwithoutourusualtranslator,whichIthinkisbothnaveandriskyontheirpartandthatof

thetripleaders.

Ohwell,onestepata@me.NowImustprepforbedsothatIhaveabeZersleep.Thiscouldbetough.Iamalreadyswea@ngprofusely.

Happy4thofJuly!MypersonalIndependenceDayisnowfivedaysaway.


15/24


16/24

July 5, 7:02 AMRestless

There was another nightwhen the only solid sleepI got lasted until 2:18 AM.

I got up and went to thebathroom, hoping I coulddrift right off again. Whatactually transpired wasmore like the night before,drifting in and out until6:18 AM. I hope thisdoesn't become my sleep

pattern the rest of theweek.

Today's goal will be tostay as active as

possible. It sounds likeit may be a lightworkday at best.Hopefully I can get

some more moneyexchanged, do someshopping, and visit themuseum before lunchor after our meetingwith the youngcommunists. I alsohave to keep mentalnotes on the others sothat I can mention

them in my blog entryhome.


17/24

SideBarTopInven8onsinMyLife8me

Iwasbornin1957,thesameyearthatSputnikwaslaunched.Thiscoincidencemademethinkaboutwhatthemostimportant,ifnot

necessarilythebest,inven8onshavecomealonginmy8me.Satellitetechnologycertainlyhastorankhigh;itistheheartandsoulofall

communica8onsweusesomuch,fromTVandradiotowirelessandcellphones.

Personalcomputersandtheiroffspring:laptops,tablets,slates,etc.havemadecommunica8onopportuni8esexplode.This,coupledwith

theadventoftheInternet,hasalsomadeouraccesstoinforma8onalmostomniscient.

OnepersonalfavoriteisMP3technology.Is8llmarveloverthechangesI'veseenstar8ngwithvinyl,movingtocasseeandTracktapes,

thendiscs,andnowtoplayersthatholdtonsofmusic,videos,textandmore.


18/24

1:55PMOppositeSidesoftheTable

Wehavearrivedandhavebeenusheredintoathirdfloor,[email protected]

communistsandadultrepresenta@ves,includingonefromtheCentralCommiZee.FranisgivingaratherlongreviewofhisexperiencewasCuba.Heislovingit.


19/24

Ques@onandanswersummary...

Tom:Canyouprac@cereligionandbeamemberoftheparty?Answer:Yes,theCommunistPartyispoli@calversusphilosophical,a

shifromoriginalMarxism.

Myques@on(deliveredbyBrinton).Answer:Medicinewouldbemostimportant,theeconomycouldalsogrow;butthepresidentcan't

endtheembargo.

Ques@onfromtheCommunists:Whatmo@vatesustocometoCuba?Dominiquesresponse:ToseethetrueCubaformyself,and

whiletherewouldn'tbeprofoundchanges,moralrespectoverthatbasedonmaterialworthisimportanttotheCubans.

AnothergirlstoodtotalkaboutwhatitmeanstobeaCubanyouthoftheRevolu@onandfamily.

Alex:Whathavebeenthesuccessesofthegovernment?Answer:Educa@on,health,culture,SocialSecurityandthateachdaythe

countrygetsstronger.Accordingtotherepresenta@vesandCubanstudents,libertyandfreedomareimportantforthepeople,asare

socialequalitywithoutdifferencesamongpeopleandthecountry'swillingnesstoreachouttoothercountries.Cubadoesn'tofferwhat

ithasextra,onesays,butratherwhatithas.S@llanotherstudentsaysthatthishasbeentheintentfromthestartoftheRevolu@on.

Whenthestudentswereaskedwhattheywantedtodoforliving,mostsaidtheywantedtoworkininterna@[email protected]

includedcarpenters,doctors,orsecurityworkers.Thisseemstoshowaproblemthegovernmentwillhaveinconvincingthenext

genera@ontobeinvolvedinagriculture.


20/24

Next,oddlyenough,camea

musicalnumber.Wethenallcame

togethertomingleforseveral

minutes.Fransaidlaterthatthis

wasbyfarthemostsuccessfulexchangeofideasandques@ons

hehadeverseen.Thankgoodness.

Iwasworriedaboutusnotveng

[email protected]

Brintonforaskingmyques@onfor

me.


21/24

6PMJustAnotherDay

9:05AMAshortandworksession,includingpain@ng,varnishing,rearrangingrubble,andpeelingabushelofmangoes.

1:55PMThestartofthesessionwhereideaswereexchangedbetweenourgroupandseveralyoungcommunists,overseenbya

memberofthena@onsCentralCommiZee.

4:05PMAsurprisestopatachurchmembershomeforaBiblereading,singing,asnackandahome.


22/24

YearsfromnowIwillbegratefulfortheexperienceofthisday,butrightnowI'mfeelingabitused.TheEvangelicalthinghasnow

wornoutitswelcomeforthisagnos@cIreallythoughtgengthroughSunday'smarathonwasthelastIhadtogetthrough,soIdidnot

appreciateanotherhourplusinacrampedroomofabout25people.ThegoodnewsisIwassingrightinfrontofafan.Thebadnews

isthatitwaspushingaverystrongsmellofsomekindofsmokedmeatinmyface.The15minutewalkbacktothecompoundcouldn't

comesoonenough.Westartedbackanhourandahalfaerthevandroppedusoffwithnowarningorexplana@onaboutwhatwas

goingon.

Tonight'sblogentryhasnowbecomemoreofachallengethansomethingtolookforwardtobecauseI'mgoingtohavetomakesureI

putitallinagoodlight.Tomhadagreatwayofdescribingourlateaernoonexperience.Hecalleditadrivebyevangelism.Chalkone

upforBuddhaBoy(mynewnicknameforhim).HopethereisanemailfromhomewhenIsitdowninfrontofthecomputer.


23/24

Sidebar:TopThreeThemesinCuba

Therearebasicallythreethingsoneseestravelingthroughthiscountry.ThereareseveralthatextolthevirtuesoftheRevolu8onandits

leaders.WhenyoudrivejustaboutanywhereyoubecomefamiliarwiththefivewhomthegovernmentwantreturnedfromaU.S.

prison,Finallyseenlesso[en,isthedictumtoproducemoreanduseless.I'mactuallysurprisedIhaven'tseenthatonemoreo[en,

basedonmyshortstay.Maybeeveryonealreadygetsit.Thereareafewplaceswithoutreusablerefuse,eitherontherooforinthe

yard.


24/24

9:46PMSoulCleansing

Ijustfinishedmyblog.It'llgooutwhenthenextInternetconnec@onismade.Thishappenslessfrequentlythanwater

outages,itseems.Ialsosentanotherseparatemessagehome,[email protected]

[email protected],havingtakenashortbreakinthisentryforsomeofNana's

incredibleicecream,twoAlevePMcapletsandaheadsoakinginthecoolwatersoftheshower.

Lightsoutis48minutesaway,butImayendupturninginbeforethathappens.FornowIguessI'llgojoinaconversa@on

goingoninthekitchen.

two worlds part 3

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