Catch Up

It’s been a while since the last post. Oops. We are into April (yikes) and I believe (whether it’s true or just an excuse, I don’t know) that the reason I have not been blogging is because I’m more comfortable here. We have more or less settled into a routine. The things that were once new are now common and the new things we do see no longer faze us quite as much.

Last Tuesday was an awful day. No one had class, our week long trip to the east was cancelled due to earthquakes, in the morning there was 150% humidity, in the afternoon it poured for hours, I had a cold, and everyone in the group was a little on edge with one another (we do basically spend every waking hour with one another) and missing home. Because we are here for the entire semester and not just a week there is no need to squeeze activities into every second of every day. Albeit a bit dreary, it was nice to realize that I am spending enough time here to have the luxury of having a bad day.

So… here, in no particular order, are some of the fun things that have been going on because in reality this is an awesome experience and Cuba is crazy and I love crazy:

Ocean Kayaking – I FINALLY GOT TO GO KAYAKING. It was nothing compared to what I have been dreaming about, but I’ll take what I can get. Fun fun fun in the sun!

Life – Let’s face it, I am a science nerd. Every Sunday at 8PM I am perched in front of the TV watching the Discovery channel / BBC series “Life” slack jawed occasionally telling people to quite down to make sure I can hear every word. For all of yinz who have not watched it… do.

Calle 13 – For those who don’t know, Calle 13 is a very popular Puerto Rican music group. Between living with a group of Puerto Rican students and reggaeton being the music of choice for all young Cubans, the concert along the malecon was a big deal and “too much fun.” (see guest post for more details)

Baseball – The Cuban baseball championship concluded yesterday. Los Industriales (woooooooooo) and Villa Clara (boooooooooo) were tied three games apiece going into the final game. After battling back and forth and back and forth, the Industriales pulled through in the 9th inning making them this year’s winner. The streets erupted at 2:20AM after the last out with horns, shouting, running mobs, and the entire city singing the favorite local song “INDUSTRIALES CAMPEON.” The final two games of the series were away so we had to watch them on TV, but last weekend our group went to one of the games in Havana. Again, we paid 1MN ($0.04USD) to get in. Can you imagine going to see a Yankees game, or even a Pirates game for that matter, for $0.04USD? The stadium was PACKED and everyone was getting into it. We watched as the Lion (Industriales) drank the Orange Juice (Villa Clara… odd mascot I know) and then drag it off the field in a coffin. We also decided to add to the collection of floating condom balloons. The Industriales won in the 7th inning 11-1 because of the mercy rule… INDUSTRIALES CAMPEON!

Soccer – All of my years of playing soccer have come in handy once again. I have been playing in a soccer league (I am a member of the philosophy department team) at the University of Havana. We made it all the way to the finals but lost 1-0 to the law students. Lucky goal. It felt like the entire school was crowded around the 10 players on two small concrete basketball courts we used as our field yelling and screaming and cheering. I think this will be one of my favorite memories from Cuba. I love soccer and everyone on my team is so fun to hang with. Now starts the second round of soccer. From each of the departmental teams they pick the best players to represent the University of Havana and compete against other universities in Cuba… we had our first practice yesterday. YAY!

Cuerda Viva – A friend asked if I wanted to go to a concert, I had no other plans so I said sure. A bus ride and a short walk later we were at what I assume to be the Cuban version of the Grammys. It was an award show complete with performances, acceptance speeches, and obviously scripted dialogs between presenters. It was a great chance for me to see a bunch of Cuban music across a bunch of different genres all in one night.

March Madness – As any good college students who attend a school in the NCAA tournament should, we have a March Madness pool going. Hanging on my wall are 15 brackets next to an every changing ordered list of names each vying for the top spot. We get a variation of Spanish ESPN here, but they don’t play the games so we must rely on the “Bottom Line” or as we call it “The Ticker” for score updates. It’s pathetic. What is even more pathetic is that the top three spots are going to be held by two Puerto Ricans and a Cuban. Us Americans had a poor showing… but at least my bracket is pretty.

Music Videos – Along with the Discovery channel and Spanish ESPN, we also get VH1. It has become a morning ritual to watch the “Jump Start Videos” after out 7:30AM breakfast. We all know almost every word to every video now. I can’t tell if the songs I like are actually good or if I like them because they are in English (I think the latter). I do know, however, that Lady Gaga is a genius.

Artisan Fair – We have all made frequent trips to a warehouse along the bay in Havana Vieja. It is full of vendors selling jewelry, dresses, hats, dominoes, carvings, paintings, coasters, and any other type of souvenir (classy or tacky) that you can imagine. If you want something… let me know. I have gotten quite good at bargaining prices down.