Bienvenidos a Cuba

The Flight and Airport de Jose Martí
1. The flight in. From my view from the tiny airplane window, I took in the Cuban landscape and was immediately struck by the vast blue sea. However, as we continued our descent, my eye was caught by the huddled grey-white mass perched on the edge of the ocean surrounded by the blue and green landscape, welcome to Havana.
2. Conrado. As we made our trek through the intricate system of immigration and customs, I watched as Conrado, our tall sturdy representative from the internationally known Casa de Las Americas, smooth-talked his and our way through lines and customs, going up to each official and employee, saying a few words, and then all of a sudden frantically waving for us to follow. In this manner, we were treated like special foreign ambassadors and were shuffled fairly effortlessly through the airport, with only a minor setback due to some spices, which are hard to come by and expensive in Cuba.
3. Security. I have always been nervous about going through security because I’m always afraid that some little item that I have forgotten in my pocket will set the machine off, and I’ll have to face the dreaded pat-down. Upon arrival, I was already confused because we had to go through security again on our way out, making me wonder if it was there to stop me from bringing anything in, or designed more for returning and visiting Cubans. I was already a little anxious when the security guard asked me if I my backpack had a laptop. Shit, I had forgotten to take it out, but he shrugged his shoulders and waved me through anyway.
4. Pesos. I have never changed money before and have never wanted to be a part of the process either, but as I changed Canadian dollars into the superimposed tourist currency of Pesos Convertible and then some CUC into the less valuable and traditional Cuban currency of Pesos Cubano, I felt the excitement of finally getting Cuban money. The 20 dollar Peso Convertible is decorated with the image of the monument of the revolutionary hero, Camilo Sinfuegos on one side, and disembarking tourists on the other. In contrast, the 20 Moneda Nacional bill also portrays the image of Sinfuegos on one side, but the other side depicts agricultural developments and successful farming techniques. While both are worth 20 in their respective currency, the Peso Cubano, and its message of “Desarrollo Agricola” holds no weight when compared to the CUC, stamped with images of tourists and the words “Operación Milagro”.

The Drive in
5. Propaganda. As we drove into Havana, I happened to be sitting right next to the open window. Hanging my head out like a dog, I couldn’t help but already notice the presence of revolutionary and socialist propaganda as we passed the political posters and slogans, splashed with sayings such as Cuba Sí, Hasta la Victoria Siempre, and Todo por la Revolución.

La Residencia
6. The Elevator. It only works sometimes, you have to press the button really hard, it doesn’t completely close, and too many of you can’t go all at once. Also it has a hole in the top.
7. The view of the Malécon from the Residencia. Simply amazing.
8. La Economía Política de Subdesarrollo. It’s a book that sits right next to the television along with a novel by Octavio Paz, other literary works, and a multitude of travel guides for Cuba.
9. The toilet. There is no seat, but thankfully I fit, and the chain is a string, I broke a part off the first day. Also, the string is always wet.
10. The view from my room. Sadly my window faces away from the Malécon. However, I get an equally fantastic view of the city, from which I not only get a great breeze, but can hear the sounds of cars, motorcycles, dogs barking, and the people below shouting and talking to one another. Sometimes, when it is really quiet I can hear faint echoing footsteps or the sound of a far off drum calling out in the night. Although it isn’t the constant soothing sound of the ocean, as I fall asleep, I listen to the lullabies of la calle and of Cuba.