|
|
|
Hello From Cuba Part 4 Bureaucracy Galore The University Of Havana
otel Havana Libre, then had to do a quick written
Tuesday, April 5, 2005, placement test to assess our
7:20 pm existing Spanish skills and then
the bureaucracy began.
Yesterday I had to sign up for my
Spanish course at the University We found out that we needed the
of Havana. The Campus of the following documents:
University is an astoundingly
beautiful collection of classical - a copy of our passports
buildings and a Cuban tank graces
the entrance to the library. - an official copy of the hotel
guest card and/or a copy of the
At 9 am all the foreign students, licence of the private Casa
about 40 of them, met in the Particular
Edificio Varona and we were
shepherded by various professors - 200 CUC (Convertible Cuban
into a very antiquated lecture Pesos) in cash for a 2-week
hall. (By the way, of the 5 or 6 course or more for other courses
washroom stalls in the women´s
bathroom, only 1 or 2 have - 40 CUC for changing our tourist
toilets in them, no toilet seats, visa to an academic visa (in
and no running water in the fiscal stamps which we had to
sinks. Again a sign of rather obtain abuot 5 km away)
run-down infrastructure...)
- 2 passport photos
There they told us about the
program, but only in Spanish, - 25 CUC in cash to expedite our
which was okay for me, since I academic visa if we are in town
speak Spanish, but about half the for only 2 weeks.
group was completely lost. We
I linked up with a bunch of approached us for a meal and we
foreign students and we headed gave in and came inside. It was a
off together on our quest to beautiful colonial villa, except
fulfill the Cuban desire for that the guest room with is
Burocratismo. We first obtained obligatory 3 tables and 12 seats
cash at bank at the Hotel Havana was in a dark small dingy room
Libre, then got the passport completely without windows.
pictures done (to be ready for
pickup 3 hours later), then However, we had a delicious
searched for the other bank on home-cooked meal, I had roasted
Calle 23 that would provide us chicken with rice & beans, salad
with the 40CUC stamps for the and a lemon soft drink, all for 8
academic visa. With extremely CUC (about 8 US$). 2 of my
long lineups everywhere, this student colleagues were from
took us about 2 or 3 hours. Germany and the other fellow is
from Toronto as well, but
Then we got really hungry and we originally from Poland. We had
were approached by a local some great conversations and it
"Jinetero" (restaurant tout) who was interesting linking up with a
promised us a complete meal with bunch of Europeans in Havana.
main dish, salad and side dish
for 6 or 7 CUC. We walked with After a brief rest in the hotel,
him, only to find out that the my friend Pedro again picked me
wait at the Paladar (private up in the evening and I couldn´t
restaurant) would be about 45 help but tell him about my
minutes to even sit down, not experience with the Cocotaxi
including food preparation time. driver yesterday, who had tried
to pick me up, despite my
So we walked up Calle 21 and a clarifications and statements
private restaurant owner that I was married and not
interested in any amorous Cuba is a Communist / official
activities. atheist country and there are
much fewer Catholics today than
Pedro explained that sexual before the Revolution. Actually
relations in Cuba are a much of Cuba´s religion is a
relatively common, easy-going mixture of Catholicism and
thing and that it is very common Santeria (religious practices of
for people to link up for quick the African slaves). Regardless
"meaningful overnight of religiousness, Cuba has
relationships". He referred to declared a 3-day "duelo nacional"
the Cuban people as very (a national mourning period for
"passionate and hot-blooded", I the Pope) and the mass was
guess that explains a couple of attended by hundreds of people.
the advances that I have been
receiving so far, particularly Pedro and I then had a nice meal
since there is also quite a lot in the "Barrio Chino" (Havana's
of sex tourism where men (and Chinatown) for 5.60 CUC (less
even women) come to Cuba to than US$6) for 2 people and 2
engage in easily available erotic vegetarian meals and soft drinks.
experiences. After a nice dinner he again
flagged down a local private car
Pedro and I walked through the driver and gave him about 1 CUC
old town and of course along the for picking us up and dropping us
Malecon (the seafront boulevard) off at my Hotel. At midnight I
and saw the beautiful Plaza Vieja dropped into bed, exhausted.
and the Plaza de la Catedral
where a mass was being held for However, at 4 am this morning I
the passing of Pope John Paul II. awoke with major intestinal
problems. Apparently my Chinese
This was very interesting, since meal had not become me so well
and I had serious digestive environmentalist and historian.
issues emanating from both sides We asked some rather tough
of my body. This morning I realy questions about Cuban life, the
felt rotten and I ended up using political system, the economic
my own medical kit for the first hardships, the double economy,
time and took some Immodium. the situation of women and blacks
in Cuba, machismo and the
I was unable to eat breakfast, situation of the environment.
but I made my way to the
university where at 9 am our Some of these questions made our
classes started. Surprisingly the female professor feel extremely
placement test had put me into uncomfortable and it seemed like
the level of "perfeccionamiento", she was squirming under the
the highest level and the level barrage of probing political and
of Spanish in my class was indeed sociological questions. She got
very high. The class consists of very defensive a few times about
7 students, a young woman from the Cuban system and only after
England, a young female medical we discussed the good and bad
student from Denmark, a aspects of European and Canadian
middle-aged female doctor from societies did she loosen up a bit
Finland, a young male law student and become a bit more open and
from Sweden, a young woman and frank about the real Cuban life.
man from Norway and myself from It seems that to this day Cubans
Austria/Canada. have to be very careful about
what they say in public.
Obviuosly there is a very heavy
Scandinavian slant in my class For example, she frankly admitted
and it seems everyone in the that racism still exists in Cuba
class is a hobby sociologist, and to this day it is still a
political scientist, country with a lot of machismo.
However, she did not admit that of contention among the locals.
Internet access and access to
non-Communist media is forbidden Class ended about 1:20 and my
for Cubans, she simply explained upset stomach did not allow me to
it as an economic issue. (Several intake any food. I headed back to
of my colleagues had heard my hotel, slept a little and have
otherwise in their travels in been on the Internet for the past
Cuba, simply that a Cuban is not 2 or so hours (racking up a bill
allowed to have access to the of about $US 20.00 or s0),
Internet). She also admitted that documenting my trip.
it is not allowed for Cubans to
visit the tourist areas of the It´'ll be a quiet evening tonight
Cayos (e.g. Cayo Coco) which is since I am trying to settle down
exclusively reserved for tourists my stomach. But I am sure the
and Cubans have no access to that adventures and the learning will
area whatsoever, a definite point continue tomorrow.
About the Author:
Susanne Pacher is the publisher of Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com), a popular web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new section featuring FREE ebooks about travel.
Read more articles by: Susanne Pacher
Article Source: www.iSnare.com |
|
