Running an Uphill Marathon!

I deeply regret not having written in quite a while, but at we only have about two and a half weeks of class left, things have been very busy. I had a fantastic short chat with Mom, Dad, and Kiera (who didn't recognize my voice) on Mother's Day. Mother's Day is hugely celebrated in Cuba (I can just hear Mom right now saying "As it should be!") It was so nice to hear everyone's voices. I'm also greatly anticipating the arrival of my "Special Friend" as Mom likes to call "It", who is going to be staying in my favorite hotel in Vedado, with a pool!

A Special Update: the elevator is chronically broken as of two days ago, which means that every time anyone wishes to leave the residence, it takes 27 flights of stairs to go down and back up again. I will be able to run an uphill marathon after this is over, I think. The neighbors feel bad for us now, because everyone knows the students live on the 13th floor and we can be seen at any hour of the day trudging along. In truth, it isn't too bad until you get to about…the 8th floor. At that point, it is absolutely no fun anymore.

Yesterday we had quite a full academic day, because after classes we went on a field trip to the Latin American Film Institute, which is housed in a gorgeous colonial building in the most beautiful part of Havana, Miramar. (Miramar was where all of the wealthy families of Havana lived before the Revolution, and now most of the embassies are housed in the old colonial mansions). We got to see old documentaries from some of the mot famous film makers in Cuba, including Now, a 6 minute documentary from 1963 about racism in the United States.

Also, this month is Mayo Teatral month, where the Casa de las Americas invites theatre and dance groups from all over Latin America to perform around Cuba. Because our program is run out of this institution, we get free tickets to almost all of the shows! On Monday, we saw a Brazilian group perform O Cano, which was a musical comedy very similar to America's STOMP. There were dozens of Cuban children laughing hysterically the entire time, and the adults did too. When the performance was over, the children were invited to play with all of the instruments on stage (all made of recycled materials!)

Last night, we saw a contemporary dance show by an Ecuadorian named Wilson Pico. This was not as enjoyable to as many people, but I loved it. (Kind of weird to those who hate modern dance, because it was exceptionally different). His dances were based on his childhood in Ecuador – on the overpowering of the Catholic Church, of hunger, and of the struggles faced by his mother and grandmother – which I thought were absolutely gorgeous. It was also very political. I don't know very much about Ecuadorian politics, but he was very critical of the government and of religion.

This past weekend, my girlfriends and I went out clubbing several nights in a row. We met a culturally insensitive Australian guy who we ended up having to shake off, but altogether had a really great time. If you can, please picture this: There is a dark and smoky dance floor with strobe lights. Everyone is gyrating quickly to salsa music, when all of a sudden the DJ begins to play "Take On Me" (yes, the 80's song). All of the Cubans bolt from the dance floor, which my friend Christina and I proceed to absolutely steal the show, bouncing from wall to wall alone in this giant club. This was probably one of the coolest moments I've had thus far in Cuba.

I also made a friend at one of our favorite paladares (tiny restaurants) – a 3 year old girl. I didn't catch her name, as her Spanish is very difficult to understand, but we were able to communicate enough to play hide-and-seek. I'm doing a small project/presentation on elementary school students, which I'm planning on observing after class tomorrow. I miss children! (And unsick dogs!)

As much as I may complain sometimes, I am really not having as bad a time as others. My friend Rosa got a horrible infected bug bite on her ankle that has confined her to bed for the last 4 days (and it's worse because there's no elevator!) Last night, one inebriated student thought it would be fun to put another inebriated student on his shoulders and run. (I was asleep, but I've been helping with the aftermath this morning). Apparently they only made it about 15 seconds before the guy fell flat on the hard stone of the Malecon, bringing the girl with him. Both of them are at the doctor's currently getting x-rays for concussions. Que triste.

Otherwise, things are going great. I'm 99% positive we're going to a place called Las Terranas on Saturday to go ziplining through the jungle!

Love to everyone,
Caitlin

PS. Does anyone know how to send relief aid to Myanmar? Let me know if you find out – the media is awful about reporting the stories and the poor people are so devastated – I would really like to do something.