At the Melia Cohiba hotel in Havana, Cuba. 7/23/13

First true blog post. At the Melia Cohiba hotel in Havana, Cuba. 7/23/13

Yesterday I began my journey to the island. Three planes and a short car ride was all it took to find myself at the Episcopal Cathedral, only four blocks away from the hotel where I am writing this post. Reality hit once the plane touched down in Havana; this is the place where I will be living for the next year. At first I felt the natural feeling of panic about this fact, but once I stepped off the plane and smelled the air of the night I realized that I was home. The smell of the trees, diesel fumes, and the Caribbean reminded me that I arrived at a place that I love. These smells remind me of every trip I have taken to Latin America so far. Before I went through immigration I had to locate the person who was guarding my visa for me. I saw a man with a clipboard and went up to him to find out about my documents. He asked me immediately if I was William and when I responded “si” he welcomed me to Cuba and thanked me for the work I am doing here. This took me somewhat by surprise, but I welcomed the greeting and went on to find my bags at baggage claim.

Now I sit, smoking my first Cuba cigar of the year (Montecristo No. 2), reflecting on what I have experienced in the last 24 hours. I guess you can consider this my first real blog post as I search to find my blogging voice. My final comment of this post is that it is HOT! Luckily the recent heat wave the east coast experienced prepared me well for the Caribbean sun.

Pictures may be hard to send right now, as the internet speed is very slow.  Stay tuned.