August 8 Update: Don't do something, sit there!

8/8/13 Update!

“Don’t do something, sit there. Don’t sit there, do something!” This has been a phrase that I have repeated to myself ever since I arrived in Cuba. All I have wanted to do is to help, to do something constructive. Whether that is ripping through a concrete wall to install a new air conditioner, sweeping, or helping to repair a broken chair, I have jumped at any opportunity to be productive. There are times, however, when there is simply nothing for me to do. In this time I am reading, chatting with locals, or taking a quick siesta. Communication is a very important thing in Cuban culture. I have spent countless hours talking about politics, sports, life in the U.S., and many other random things. This is where I feel my real work lies.

 As I communicate with people I start to become a member of their family, someone they can trust. Cuban culture values family as number one; a close second is dancing but that is beside the point. I have been welcomed here by everyone I meet. Here I am not seen as your typical American, partially because of my Spanish accent and love for the country and people of Cuba. It seems like in America people live to work, not work to live. In Cuba money is the last thing on people’s mind. This has been forced upon them but is not necessarily a bad thing. This allows for time to slow down and smell the roses.

            When I arrived in Itabo, a small city in the province of Matanzas that many Cubans have never even heard of, I was fighting a small head cold. Let the concoctions begin! When I first arrived I was given a warm mix of lime juice and who knows what else. The following day, the local farmer made me a tea made up of orange tree leaf and a few others that I was unable to identify. Finally I was given a cough syrup that I will upload a picture of later. When there is a lack of traditional cold medicine, people are forced to improvise. I feel like these improvisations worked better then any other cold medicine I have used in the past.

            Translation has been my main job so far. This is something that I have found to be very valuable. In a culture that is based around communication, not being able to communicate is debilitating. The group that came from Tallahassee came for the music festival. With them they brought their talent and a shared passion for music. It was my pleasure to translate the many thank you’s they were offered for their support and visit to the island. Music turned out to be another form of communication as they arrived with no previous Spanish experience. 

            A group of 24 people arrived the other day from Christ Church Bronxville, NY. They came to Itabo with the sole purpose of working manual labor. This included digging holes, mixing concrete, planting coffee trees, mango trees, and participating in arts & crafts with the locals. One of the things they brought with them was a water purification system. The installation of this system has allowed for clean drinking water that will be used by the community and visiting foreign travel groups. On our last day in Itabo, we played a game of baseball with some of the locals. The bases were made up of cardboard and other random trash items that we found scattered across the field. To the left of home base was a horse, simply tied up watching us play. The home run line was a sugar cane field and the right foul line was made up of thorn bushes, bushes that seemed to be a magnet for the baseballs. The love for baseball in Cuba is something that is more important than American safety standards, which was apparent by the speed at which pitches were being thrown. I have to admit that one of my hits fouled into the crowd and struck one of the locals in the rear end. I promptly went up to apologize and she responded with a massive smile and a swift “todo bien” or its all good. This game was an incredible experience for both the group and me alike.

            I am starting to get into the flow of life here. Locals keep reminding me that I am already turning into a Cuban, adapting to local dialect and tradition. This gives me great joy. They no longer see me as an American but as someone who is part of their community. This weekend I will be traveling back to Itabo, then onto Camaguey. After that trip I will return to Havana to collect my things then will proceed to Cardenas. Cardenas will be my home base for a while. If anyone wishes to talk to me I now have a local cell phone, my number is 58392908. I have heard that the website hablacuba.com works best for making calls to the island. This is the second best way to get a hold of me besides email. That’s all for now. Thank you all for your support and this opportunity to come to an island filled with vast amounts of love and culture, I truly feel blessed for this opportunity.

            This blog post is brought to you by the Reverend Geoffrey Ward, Terry Pendleton, Eunice Sutphen, and Carmen Rivera. Thank you again for your support.