An Introduction to Cuban Culture... Christina style!

September 30, 2008

Sorry for not updating in a while!!! Last week we went to the cigar factory, where cigars are still manufactured by hand. Believe me, they take their cigars SERIOUSLY. Workers are put through a 9-month training school where only 35 percent of students pass the three tests that are spread out over the 9-month training (one at three months, the next at six months, the final at nine months). The workers that make the cut are given numbers according to their level of cigar-making ability, and are assigned to making a cigar with the quality of their level. For instance, the highest level cigar makers (I think it’s 9, maybe?) are assigned only to making Cohiba cigars, which are the best brand of cigar that Cuba produces. Workers are salaried based on their evaluations, which measure how many mistakes they make in their cigars, and how large those mistakes are.

Cigars differ by brand, size and amount of certain types of tobacco leaves used in the cigar. There are specific tobacco leaves used from various parts of the tobacco plant which make the cigar burn more easily, give it a richer flavor, etc. I think they classify tobacco leaves into five different types, all of which are used for different parts of the cigar (some in the middle, others for wrapping the cigar, etc). They are divided by color and size before being rolled into cigars.

Our tour guide, at the end of the tour, starting talking about US politics (!), which was awesome, and he said that most Cubans follow the election, because Obama has talked about improving US-Cuban relations, whereas Cubans have no reason to support McCain. I don’t want to get into a huge political battle here, but I just thought it so interesting that, even though the Cuban government only puts 20 minutes of election coverage on the news, Cubans all seem to watch it and follow the election. After all, it could be very important for them to have a President willing to stick out the olive branch to their country – especially when that olive branch comes with a trade agreement. Our tour guide even talked about the recent debate that was held, which my group didn’t even watch!

Another cool thing I got to do last week was visit Temas magazine, which is a cultural magazine that accepts academic abstracts from around the world to be published and shipped around the world. It is difficult for the office to function, because internet is slow (but it’s lucky that it’s even available!), and they lack connections in other countries. I’m going to be helping out there once a week, along with another girl from my group, in order to try to publicize the magazine and make calls for papers to various academics in primarily developing or undeveloped countries, who normally would not have the resources to publish. Also, the director of Temas knows a woman that I work with at the library technical services, which I thought was pretty darn cool. Small world, no? I think it’s great what they are doing, and am so eager to use my day off of classes to work with such a cool Cuban organization!!

In addition to all the events of last week, however, I figured I would take out a small amount of my blog post to describe the Cuban food and style of dress that I have seen over the past three (!) weeks (I still can’t believe I have already been here for three weeks!). The style of dress here includes a LOT of tight jeans (how they survive in this heat, I don’t know), tight, stretchy tops with holes cut in them, and miniskirts, and all the guys wear tight, stretchy tshirts and jeans. EVERYONE WEARS D&G. I have to see at least 10 different people every day who have a D&G stretchy tshirt on. It’s apparently the thing for youth down here. Last time they had the study abroad program, it was apparently Puma, and you can still see the remnants of that trend in shirts and shoes.

Cuban food has also been a great experience. We get really fresh food served to us for breakfast and dinner, and lunch is usually a Cuban peso pizza, which us students buy at the University lunch cafeteria and consists of soft dough, a thin layer of tomato sauce, and some cheese, or a hot dog. Breakfast is always a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, and a “tortilla,” which means an omelet (not a thin type of bread) in Cuba. We also get fresh-squeezed juice served with every meal (orange and guava are typical, sometimes we get mango or pineapple, though). Dinner is often some form of cut up and fried tubular vegetable (often boniato, which is kind of like a more starchy sweet potato), rice and beans (the beans are often replaced with chickpeas and are cooked with ham), some form of meat (ham and fried chicken are popular), and a veggie (Linda usually buys us avocados, which they cut up and serve to us). We also always get a delish dessert, which often is chocolate pudding, or a kind of French-toast like adaptation to the fresh baked bread that we get served with every meal. It’s like a giant family-style dinner at home, only the circumstances and type of food are obviously changed a little bit.

In other news, classes are going really well. I have two papers due next week, and am inundated with readings for class, but I’m liking my professors (one professor actually had to leave to do some research in another part of Cuba, so we’re getting a replacement today). I recently had to read an 86-page Word document that I downloaded offline, called the “18^th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte,” by Karl Marx, for my History of Cuban Culture course. All I have to say is, Marx REALLY liked his analogies / metaphors…

But, the good news is that I have all my books and readings, I will be working at a pseudo-internship once a week, and I’m starting to finally feel really settled in. I’m also trying to do some “thesis research” (by that I mean buying books about Cuban migration and the government issues surrounding it, from both a sending and receiving country perspective). The books here are really cheap (5 for about $2.50 US), and I’m eager to get researching senior year!! Wish me luck!!! : )

END NOTE (PLEASE READ):

Given the fact that my blog posts are typically sarcastic, I just wanted to take the time to impress upon you all the fact that my entire experience here – all of it, good and bad – has been SUCH a blessing beyond comprehension. I'm so lucky to be here! I often say that “Cuba is wonderful,” but don’t explain the real meaning behind those words, and really want to explain the “why” of this experience. I know that it is often easy to consider all the downsides of studying abroad here (she’s CRAZY!) – I get my cross stolen, or classes don’t meet on time, or there are strange people. But, all of that is part of the experience of growing up and living life as a functioning, breathing fully-grown, independent woman of faith. I have spent most of my life living comfortably in a large house, in an upper-middle-class town, in a rich state, in a rich country, and offer praise to God for that, but I am also so, so thankful for the chance to be a part of a different walk for a few months. This has been as much a strengthening of my faith as it has been an educational opportunity, and I am so blessed, not just to possess the things that I do in the US, but to be privy to such a loving people, who are open, great friends and honest critics, hilarious, and know how to take the knocks of life and get up, dust themselves off, and keep going. There is so much more to people here than generalizations about impoverished masses, or dominating Cuban men, or coffee and cigars, or fresa y chocolate.

Anne Frank once wrote that despite all of the horrible things that happen in this world, she still believed that all people are good at heart – and I’m getting to see the real truth behind that statement here. So, why the decision to go to a developing nation, living a very simple life instead of the comfortable life I’m used to in a developed country? Because beauty in life, in God, in other people, and in yourself is only visible when you don’t have so many THINGS to occupy your attention. There is no need to be worried about me – I have the best protector in this universe looking out for me, and He follows me everywhere. Just be happy for me, knowing that this experience is granting me the gifts of grace, fulfillment, and love in my life. : )