The Seven City Wonders of Cuba

 

Through my own four eyes.... 

By Chenelle Hammonds

 

 

Las Tres Amigas 

 

This picture is first because... well... without these ladies my trip would have not been the same. We were visiting an old castle for prisoners in Havana. This castle was also used to help defend the city during times of battle. This was one of our last days in Havana (we stayed for 3 days) and was a great end note to the trip before we embarked upon our journey to 6 other Cuban cities. Dr. Torres scared me a little by saying that many of the people imprisoned in these walls "never left" (I get spooked quite easily) however, it was a realistic reminder that for the Cuban people, imprisonment by the government is a very real thing. Many people died here fighting for their right to freedom and free expression. 

Meet Hank the Pig!

 Hank (I named him 30 seconds ago) was having a great day enjoying a cuban cigar until a group of Americans came along... and decided they'd EAT HIM!!! (We're so rude smh)
This was our very first meal when we landed in Cuba. What a great way to start off our Cuban journey with whole roasted pig. I had NEVER seen a pig cooked whole like this, and definitely not any adorned with a cigar and sombrero. This was a very memorable night for me because it was the first night I got to try authentic Cuban food. We were welcomed by Hank and the hosts of our B&B with music, fun, and tons of laughter... oh and crispy pork skin of course! Mmm.

9/11 Dedication... In Cuba? 

 A museum we visited in Matanzas had this amazing photo hanging on the wall. There was a plethora of art on display, but this piece caught my eye the most. I had this misconception that a lot of Cubans "hated" Americans. Why would they care about September 11th? Clearly I was wrong. This trip in fact, dispelled a lot of misconceptions and myths I previously had which is one of the beauties of studying abroad. You learn, you re-learn, you grow. I was moved at not just the fact that there was a wall dedicated to remembering the victims of 9/11, but that this particular piece shows the "traces" of those memories, as many of the remains of those who died on this day were never found.  

Havana, Cuba... Haunted City? 

 So... our house was definitely haunted. I'm not "superstitious" (contrary to what many in the group may think) but I do believe in Spirits. The house we stayed in while in Havana certainly gave me the heebie jeebies... the FIRST night. After that, I slept with the light on. From this night forward... I only got more creeped out as the trip progressed. The country definitely has some "spiritual beliefs" within the Afro-Cuban religion that made me quite honestly, very uncomfortable. But hey, I did manage to sleep with the light off the very last night in Havana! (BOSS!!!) ;) 

 Propaganda... Propaganda... No Mas Propaganda!

In Cuba there's a strong sense of nationalism conveyed through the government's use of propaganda. In the US it is not uncommon to see various ads and bulletins as your walk or drive by streets attempting to persuade you to buy their product or visit their store. In Cuba this simply does not happen. According to the Cuban Constitution, (I've done some research) advertisement is capitalism, which goes against their socialist system, and is therefore prohibited. It was interesting to see then just how much the government posted bulletins like the one pictured here throughout various cities in Cuba yet denied their people that same right of free expression. Yet... who are we to judge?  The government uses mass media advertisement to indoctrinate the Cuban people to support their actions and military revolts while in America... the same brainwashing ads can be seen on bulletins, magazines, and TV screens to convince us to accept ONE image of beauty, wealth, and prosperity... Think about that.

"The people are the revolution." 

 

WarmheARTed.

 Next stop... Matanzas! We visited an art shop a couple of blocks away from our B&Bs. I know what you're thinking... typical craftsmen working in a local shop... you're wrong. (Well, actually you're kind of right) BUT... what made this shop so special were the absolute MASTERPIECES these men created with very little supplies and little to no money. Of course I took loads of pictures that I couldn't all upload here (wouldn't you like to see them) but pictured here is one of the workers painting a sculpture he'd recently made. The sculptures around the shop were probably my favorite pieces, as they had so many abstract gothic elements to them...like a horror clown with arrows through his face, and a man with multiple heads attached to his brain. (Yeah I'm weird like that) But what moved me the most about this visit... was not the art but the random acts of kindness I witnessed. One of the fellow members of "las tres amigas" had her hat stolen by the wind... who then decided to leave it in a nearby river. One of the men grabbed a fishing rod and "fished" her hat out of the water! Although the sight of its dirty and wet condition was more repulsive than a "Make America Great Again" golf cap, it was the thought nonetheless that counted. While this is taking place, one of our group members was simultaneously helping a group of men care for a horse that had fallen over and gotten trapped under a carriage (ouch!). These kindhearted acts made me feel good knowing that there are still caring people in this world...  
 

"Quieres Caramelo?"

Schoolchildren in Matanzas. On this day we learned about the rebuilding of a recreational center in this underserved and underrepresented community consisting of predominately Afro-Cubans. We learned about the importance of this rec, and why its needed in communities like these. Afterwards we passed out  donations to kids we had previously gathered before the trip including clothing, barbies, markers, toys, gum, & suckers (and debated its pronunciation in spanish). Afterwards some fellow villagers on stilts put on a "circus-like" show for the kids. They appeared to be delighted and enjoying themselves, which of course made the little social worker in me smile. =] 

Now... como se dice "sucker" in Spanish again? 

They play WHAT kind of music here?

 We were invited out by a group of people around our age in Matanzas. They took us to a "punk rock" concert. I had no idea Cuba had so many hipsters! My expectations weren't that high but I was pleasantly surprised to hear the band that played (forgot their name) they were so awesome. Although we waited on them for about 2 hours (took several selfies during this time) it was worth the wait. I guess what surprised me the most was the "openness" of the LGBT community present there and the free expression of the young people through their choices of clothing. 

The REAL Cuba.... & the Danger of a Single Story

So I wasn't exactly expecting a "tropical paradise" when we got here but I was also not anticipating for places to be as downtrodden as they were. You read about Cuba being a relatively poor country and suffering from lots of resource shortages, but most of the images you find portray a different story... one that depicts the island as more of a "tropical time machine" than an island in need of dire renovations, rebuilding, and restructuring. Ever since this trip, tourists who only post pictures of "Che, cigars, and Cuban cadillacs"  slightly annoy me (a lot). These types of tourists are in essence, misrepresenting the real images of Cuba and downplaying the poverty that ravages Cuban communities and families. The average person makes $10-20 a MONTH here. The government's regime works hard to ensure that the State's "ugly side" isn't seen by the media and tourists play right along. Are many parts of Cuba beautiful? Absolutely! I get that many people who visit the country want to take beautiful pictures next to beautiful sites. I sure did. Who wouldn't? However... I don't think its completely honest to ONLY show those beautiful parts. In the same sense that I do not believe tourists should only show stereotypical "poverty pictures" of places like Africa.   Having traveled to Cuba on an "education exchange" is it not our duty then, to "educate" the millions of Americans who have never been to Cuba, many of whom likely never will? So how can we enlighten our fellow American comrades... showering them with images that only tell a "single story" of Cuba? A couple months before the trip I watched a Ted Talk by Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie where she discussed the dangers of a "single story." Many of my friends were surprised to see pictures like the one pictured above, because all they have seen when it comes to Cuba, are cliche images of "old cars, rum and cigars, and colorful buildings." That is their "single story" of Cuba. Hence, when you only have one story to show from an entire camera roll of pictures ... you risk perpetuating stereotypes and spreading limited, sometimes inaccurate knowledge to others. This is why I took it upon myself, to show friends, family, and YOU images of the REAL Cuba. Poverty and oppression is not a tourist attraction. (Welp there goes me being impartial to the US embargo lift) And yet.....although most Cubans are poor, they are "rich" in so many other ways... <3

 Cleaning up La Playa

 Here we are... in Matanzas again (we traveled to other cities I promise). Since we spent more time here than any other place visited (5 days) this city hosts my most vivid memories of Cuba. On this day we helped clean one of the beaches. While I've done my fair share of community cleanups, this one made for quite an interesting experience as we had no gloves or trash pickers (Can you believe it? No trash pickers in Cuba how dare them! [sarcasm] Spoiled American speaking here). There was TONS of trash, even glass, which was very dangerous for the several schoolchildren who went swimming. So I was eager to clean and help make the beach safer in any way that I could. I also made some other discoveries on the beach... like a dead dog (Had to leave that one there... sorry guys) and plastic materials that could've otherwise harmed the environment. 

"You Have to Go to Varadero Beach..."

 So... let's be clear. Not all beaches in Matanzas are filled with trash. Varadero, a beach town located on the Peninsula of the Matanzas province is a must-see for anyone visiting Cuba. The water reminded me of Miami beach... not just because of the amount of Cubans in the water (Ha) but due to the crisp blue hues and soft white sand... reminiscent of the American coastal city. Since I had just spent hours the previous day cleaning another beach, I had a greater appreciation for the cleanliness of this one as I now understood the effort that must be exerted to keep such a massive attraction clean. A Cuban table at my job (I'm a server) that I took care of a couple weeks before the trip told me I HAD to go to this beach.. and aren't I glad I followed their directions.

Disclaimer: This picture does its beauty no justice. I am simply a terrible photographer. 

 My Husband's Carriage

  
So... Trinidad was my absolute FAVORITE city that we visited. The small town located in the Province of Sancti Spiritus boasts some pretty impressive Spanish colonial architecture, including palatial mansions, plazas, and churches. In addition to the "old cadillacs" typically seen in other cities, I witnessed several men of the town traveling to their destinations via horse. It was funny to watch then, men trickling down old cobblestone streets riding horses with cowboy hats atop their heads. It reminded me of Texas. Some men were also riding horses with carriages attached and using them as taxis. Pictured here is one of the "cowboys' " taxi that he stopped in front of one of the sites we were visiting. The man was very attractive, and actually sat close to me while we were resting but seeing as to how my spanish is kind of funky... I chose not to speak only admire (and declare him my husband-to-be). This is one city I really wish we would've stayed longer in. There were so many sites I would've wanted to see and explore that I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to.

 Dude, Whose Car is This?

Remember how I just said there's a lot of men riding horses and old cars in Trinidad? Yeah... out of nowhere we see two VERY nice cars (one of them was a new model Audi). What made it so strange to see first and foremost was the fact that a lot of Cubans cannot afford wifi cards (yes.. that's a thing) let alone an Audi! I mean let's be honest here, I can't even afford one. But it was also strange in relation to the colonial-esque vibe of the town, to spot two very modern cars amongst such remarkable antiquity. I just... had so many questions. Where did they get the car from? How much was it? How did they manage to pay for it and ship it to Cuba? What JOB do they have where they can afford such a luxury while the rest of the country does without? Do they work for the government? Or is this Fidel himself? Maybe one of his nephews? Dude... Whose car is this? 

Pork, Fish, or ....Chicken Cordon Bleu 

Most days we ate the same food, with the exception of a few times I had lobster for dinner. By the end of the trip, Cuban cuisine left much to be desired. Its not that I did not ENJOY the food, I did, very much so. However, after days of repetitively eating chicken, fish, or pork for dinner you eventually grow tired of it. And then... (cue the music) we are offered a NEW choice. Not lobster. Chicken cordon bleu! A french dish very popular in the States with a cuban twist--rice and beans of course! I LOVED it! It was absolutely delicious and hands down the best meal I had there.

LEBRON!!!!!! ....... Sucks.

During the last few days of the trip we traveled to Santiago, Cuba. After we settled in to our B&Bs there I decided not to go out with the rest of the group for my own personal reasons. Television in Cuba can be pretty boring, since the Cuban government supplies its citizens with television stations and chooses what they can and cannot watch as a method to control "the media." So, as you can imagine I rarely turned on TVs for viewing when our hosts did have them (most did not have TVs in our rooms). This day I got pretty bored and decided to check out the "three channels" that were offered and VOILA!!! Not only American sports, but the freaking National Championship game is on! This was a very memorable moment for me because it BLEW MY MIND that they were showing the Cavaliers v GSW championship in Cuba... of all places. (So much censorship, or so they want us to believe) And it shocked me even more (or should I say angered) that Steph Curry could blow a 3-1 lead like that!!!! Smh. C'mon guys! I thought I was gonna celebrate a win in Cuba not cry in the States. =[