Cuba Ah! by Luis Arreguín

Two weeks before departure I began watching the recommended documentaries of Cuba to get an idea of what the trip would be like. Havana was the center of attention in most of the documentaries and that’s where we landed on Saturday July 7^th 2018. We stayed in houses near the Granma memorial, it was a very good location since everything was within walking distance. That night of arrival we dined at a restaurant that had live jazz music, it was a lovely experience. The next morning we all went on a tour of the museums and historical architectures that stand out there in Havana. Around 1pm we had lunch at a restaurant near the Plaza de la Catedral, that’s where I tasted the best lobster dish ever. Later that night we went to the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, which is a bar, restaurant, club, theater and museum all in one. Definitely a place I would visit again and recommend. The classic cars and the architectures in Havana are with no doubt also two of my favorite things from this city.

            Monday morning we traveled to what was going to be our homes for the next ten days, Matanzas. Matanzas? Matanzas... What could be so good about this place our professor was always bragging about? I guess you’d have to actually go to understand why people fall in love with it. The historic city of Matanzas lives at a much slower rhythm of life if compared to Havana. Matanzas is calm and peaceful, and you don’t have tourists walking everywhere being chased by locals trying to sell them anything. Matanzas is the real deal, if you want a taste of the Cuban life style there you have it. Our group was received at Ediciones Vigía, we met some of the Cuban writers who we were going to translate for and also the people working there at Vigía. That same after noon we received a small tour of the city and settled in our new homes.

            Tuesday July 10^th was the first official day for our translation work shop. Ediciones Matanzas was assigned for our first week and Vigía would follow. I soon became aware of the importance and transition in translating someone else’s work. I had been translating all my life but never before at this stage. Translating is not just switching words from one language to another, translating is giving life to a phrase or sentence in a way that the words maintain the same essence and atmosphere created by the author. I really enjoyed working in this work shop and look forward to seeing our work printed and published.

            The days passed and it was time to finally go the beach of all beaches, Varadero, or Varavida as I like to call it. Varadero was an incredible experience. The clearest and cleanest beach I have seen in my life, truly amazing! I cannot talk about Varadero and not mention that on the Saturday we were there a couple of the students and I went out that night looking for a club that had been recommended to us. By accident we ran in to the “Jasone” Varadero Festival, a typical Jazz and Son festival were we got to see celebrity Gilberto Santa Rosa in action. Out of this world!

              Sunday July 15^th we left Varadero and arrived once again in Matanzas. That night we attended a live theatre show given by Teatro el Portazo. The show was very professional and the actors were great. Some of my fellow classmates mentioned how that would be show quality seen on Broadway. That Monday we said good bye to Ediciones Matanzas and they hosted the presentation for the book that was translated the past summer by UH students. Here, that cycle ended and ours began. If everything goes well our stories will be read and shared the summer of 2019. The next day we relocated to Ediciones Vigía, and I can personally say that I became very good friends with certain people that work here. We would see each other basically all day, and at night we would hang out and play games and chat, I know for a fact that these are memories that will last a life time.

            The day for departure finally arrived. A part of me felt sad and wanted to stay longer, but the other part was happy and thankful for such a great experience and new it was time to head home. The two weeks I spent in Cuba are and will always be unforgettable. The friends I made in Cuba are unique and unreplaceable. Live, Love Cuba.