Translating in Cuba 2017

Translating in Cuba 2017  

by Emmanuel Gonzalez

 Cuba is like a ship in the sea that never moves, motionless for ever, as one of the poets described it in one of his poems. I felt very fortunate of traveling to a country that holds a lot of history and is enriched by its culture. From the moment the group arrived to the airport, it felt as if I had traveled back in time. The 1950 Chevrolets instantly caught my attention, while Dr. Cuesta pointed out the smaller cars from the Soviet-era. Most of the vehicles still ran with the help of newer parts in their interior. As we headed to our hostels on a minibus that picked us from the airport, I noticed the great amount of propaganda on billboards, confirming the strong communism that we had heard of back home. One of them read "Revolucion Es: Defender valores en los que se creen, al precio de cualquier sacrificio." Meaning, "Revolution is: To defend the values in which we believe, with the price of any sacrifice."

 We finally arrived to our rooms, and the next two nights in La Habana were set to be really busy, yet productive. From visiting the historic sites of the capital, to eating some really good congrí and drinking my first Mojito. The first two nights had already become my favorite. I got to see the Malecon, the famous seawall that was filled with people at nighttime.

The day to embark on our translation project had arrived. We headed to Matanzas and and met the poets. They gave us a warm welcoming and were as excited as we were about the project. My poet, Daniel Cruz Bermúdez, turned out to be one of the most creative and unique. His poems were filled with metaphors that made you think outside the box. Our days became a routine of waking up for breakfast, heading to the publishing house to translate the poems and then going to the city’s historic sites. We also experienced Cuban talent in a couple of theatrical plays and music performances we attended.  Our evenings were free, and in charge of us were matanceros Adrian, Elizabeth and Hector that served as our guardian angels as they showed us the city at night.

At the end of the first week we headed to Varadero, a resort town and the biggest tourist attraction in Cuba. I couldn’t ask for more when we got to the Be Live Experience resort. The group had our own house and even our own private pool, but what excited me the most was the main purpose of this trip to Varadero: the beach. The white sand beach is the most beautiful I have seen in my life, as I showed excitement of being able to see my feet through the water.

 For week two we continued working with the poets, getting to know each other better than the day before. I had great conversations with poet Derbys Domínguez, as I asked about politics, sports and what he thought about the United States. He even gave me a Che Guevara peso as a gift! We visited The castle of San Severino which was one of my personal favorite historic sites of the whole trip. It held so much history about the African slaves that were brought into the country and our guide (historian) Silvia Hernandez Godoy made sure to tell us everything that happened inside the castle.

The Friday before our return to the United States the next day was a though one. It was our last day to spend time with people we had bonded with for two long weeks. We concluded our translation project by presenting our poems among everyone that had formed part of our awesome Cuban experience.  

Personally, I can’t wait to go back. Cuba was a life changing experience and a big eye-opener. When I got back to the states I realized how different our society is and how addicted to the internet we are. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from Cuban society.  If I have the chance to, I will be returning sooner thank I think. Cuba is amazing!