Hello From Cuba – Part four – Bureaucracy Galore –
Hello From Cuba – Part four – Bureaucracy Galore – The University Of Havana
Yesterday I needed to sign up for my Spanish direction on the University of Havana. The Campus of the University is an astoundingly desirable assortment of classical constructions and a Cuban tank graces the entrance to the library.
At nine am the complete international scholars, approximately forty of them, met inside the Edificio Varona and we have been shepherded by plenty of professors into an exceedingly antiquated lecture corridor. (By the way, of the 5 or 6 washroom stalls in the womens lavatory, only 1 or 2 have bogs in them, no toilet seats, and no walking water inside the sinks. Again a signal of especially run-down infrastructure…)
There they advised us approximately this system, yet only in Spanish, which become alright for me, considering I dialogue Spanish, however about 1/2 the group become completely lost. We then needed to do a immediate written placement test to evaluate our current Spanish skills and then the forms started out.
We discovered out that we essential here documents:
– a replica of our passports
– an authentic reproduction of the motel visitor card and/or a replica of the licence of the deepest Casa Particular
– two hundred CUC (Convertible Cuban Pesos) in cash for a 2-week direction or more for other courses
– 40 CUC for changing our traveller visa to a tutorial visa (in monetary stamps which we had to attain abuot 5 km away)
– 2 passport photos
– 25 CUC in income to expedite our educational visa if we are in town for handiest 2 weeks.
I associated up with a host of international pupils and we headed off at the same time on our quest to fulfill the Cuban hope for Burocratismo. We first obtained cash at bank on the Hotel Havana Libre, then received the passport photos done (to be prepared for pickup three hours later), then sought for any other financial institution on Calle 23 that would give us with the 40CUC stamps for the instructional visa. With highly lengthy lineups all over the world, this took us approximately 2 or 3 hours.
Then we received exceptionally hungry and we had been approached by using a nearby “Jinetero” (eating place tout) who promised us a comprehensive meal with leading dish, salad and part dish for six or 7 CUC. We walked with him, simply to discover that the wait on the Paladar (non-public restaurant) would be approximately 45 minutes to even sit down, no longer along with foodstuff preparation time.
So we walked up Calle 21 and a confidential restaurant owner approached us for a meal and we gave in and got here within. It became a amazing colonial villa, except for that the visitor room with is necessary three tables and 12 seats was in a dark small dingy room solely with no home windows.
However, we had a scrumptious abode-cooked meal, I had roasted chicken with rice & beans, salad and a lemon soft drink, excited by 8 CUC (approximately eight US$). 2 of my student colleagues were from Germany and the alternative fellow is from Toronto as well, but at the beginning from Poland. We had a few impressive conversations and it become thrilling linking up with a host of Europeans in Havana.
After a short relax within the resort, my chum Pedro returned picked me up within the night and I couldnt aid but tell him about my adventure with the Cocotaxi driving force the day past, who had tried to choose me up, despite my clarifications and statements that I become married and not fascinated by any amorous hobbies.
Pedro explained that sexual relations in Cuba are a distinctly traditional, effortless-going issue and that it is very fashioned for employees to link up for brief “significant overnight relationships”. He mentioned the Cuban men and women as very “passionate and sizzling-blooded”, I wager that explains more than one the advances that I have been receiving up to now, pretty considering there's also fantastically a lot of sex tourism wherein guys (or even girls) come to Cuba to interact in quickly to be had erotic experiences.
Pedro and I walked through the old metropolis and of route alongside the Malecon (the seafront side road) and observed the amazing Plaza Vieja and the Plaza de la Catedral in which a mass used to be being held for the passing of Pope John Paul II.
This changed into very unique, when you consider that Cuba is a Communist / legitimate atheist u . s . a . and there are so much fewer Catholics today than until now the Revolution. Actually lots of Cubas religion is a combination of Catholicism and Santeria (non secular practices of the African slaves). Regardless of religiousness, Cuba has declared a three-day “duelo nacional” (a country wide mourning era for the Pope) and the mass turned into attended by 1000s of of us.
Pedro and I then had a pleasing meal within the “Barrio Chino” (Havana’s Chinatown) for 5.60 CUC (less than US$6) for two human beings and 2 vegetarian foodstuff and comfortable drinks. After a nice dinner he again flagged down a local personal vehicle motive force and gave him about 1 CUC for making a choice on us up and shedding us off at my Hotel. At hour of darkness I dropped into bed, exhausted.
However, at four am this morning I woke up with significant intestinal trouble. Apparently my Chinese meal had now not turn into Exclusive yacht charters Cabo me so nicely and I had severe digestive topics emanating from equally facets of my frame. This morning I realy felt rotten and I ended up simply by my very own medical kit for the first time and took a few Immodium.
I turned into not able to devour breakfast, yet I made my approach to the institution in which at 9 am our classes begun. Surprisingly the location try out had positioned me into the level of “perfeccionamiento”, the best stage and the level of Spanish in my classification was once indeed very prime. The class contains 7 scholars, a young woman from England, a young female scientific student from Denmark, a middle-elderly woman surgeon from Finland, a younger male rules pupil from Sweden, a younger woman and guy from Norway and myself from Austria/Canada.
Obviuosly there's a extremely heavy Scandinavian slant in my class and it appears each person in the category is a interest sociologist, political scientist, environmentalist and historian. We asked a few particularly difficult questions on Cuban lifestyles, the political machine, the financial hardships, the double economic climate, the situation of women and blacks in Cuba, machismo and the subject of the environment.
Some of those questions made our female professor suppose really uncomfortable and it appeared like she become squirming lower than the barrage of probing political and sociological questions. She obtained very defensive a number of times about the Cuban system and only when we mentioned the good and horrific points of European and Canadian societies did she relax slightly and end up slightly greater open and frank about the proper Cuban life. It looks that to today Cubans should be very careful about what they say in public.
For instance, she frankly admitted that racism still exists in Cuba and to these days it can be nevertheless a country with a number of machismo. However, she did now not admit that Internet access and access to non-Communist media is forbidden for Cubans, she easily defined it as an fiscal thing. (Several of my colleagues had heard differently in their travels in Cuba, in reality that a Cuban isn't very allowed to have get entry to to the Internet). She additionally admitted that it isn't really allowed for Cubans to consult with the traveller spaces of the Cayos (e.g. Cayo Coco) that's completely reserved for vacationers and Cubans don't have any entry to that location in any way, a particular aspect of contention many of the locals.
Class ended approximately 1:20 and my upset abdominal did no longer allow me to intake any meals. I headed lower back to my motel, slept a bit of and have been on the Internet for the earlier 2 or so hours (racking up a invoice of approximately $US 20.00 or s0), documenting my travel.
It’ll be a quiet nighttime tonight since I am attempting to cool down my stomach. But I am certain the adventures and the getting to know will preserve the next day.