As I reflect on this week of Thanksgiving and my time in Cuba, I am thankful that I have the freedom to travel. Many of the Cuban people, particularly professional people, are not allowed to travel outside of their country. We spoke to a physician who is not allowed to attend professional conferences outside of Cuba even with all expenses paid. Some of the tour guides are not allowed to visit family outside of Cuba because they are too valuable to the government and there is the chance that they will not return.
I am thankful that we no longer have rationed staples and supplies in our country. The Cuban people's rations only last about ten days even though they get them only once a month. If they have no access to tips, they cannot supplement their rations. I am thankful that I have enough soap. Actually, I have an obscene amount of soap. Soap is at a premium in Cuba for those people whose rations do not last an entire month. People on the street ask for soap. Our hotel soap was an important commodity to the people we met.
I am thankful for a comfortable home. Although everyone in Cuba has a home, the condition of the homes is often questionable. Some homes have no screens; some have only a concrete floor. Many are crumbling; many have rot from the salt air. Often, there is no hot water; the kitchens are minimal. However, in the countryside where there is extreme poverty, I noticed beautiful embroidery on the bed linens of the baby's bed. There is still a need for beauty in the midst of abject despair.
I am thankful that we were able to visit a local couple in their home. We were deeply touched by this eighty one year old man and woman who continue to be creative and industrious in spite of their meager income and daily challenges. Their generous spirits and sense of humor certainly inspired me to be more grateful for my daily life. I was moved to tears as Juana Maria hugged to her chest the bottle of 750 Ibuprofen we brought from California.
I am thankful that now I understand the strength of the Cuban customs in my family. I know now that my Spanish is the Spanish of Cuba. It is not the Spanish of Northern Spain as I once thought. I am not a Spaniard from the elite provinces. My language and heritage come from the Cuban farms and cigar factories of Tampa, patterned after the farms and factories of Havana. It took this trip for me to figure all of this out.
4 comments:
seems like you learned from this trip, i love visiting new places and having them inspire me in different ways....glad you got to experience this!
I have no wish to ever visit Cuba or Mexico. I know for you this trip was a different thing but I have to ties and I know I couldn't sleep again if I saw the stray animals and the poor kids. Maybe we should all be forced to see these things so we fully appreciate what we have, although I think I do, but I wonder if seeing it all would change anything...
Sounds like this trip turned out to be a learning experience as well as a thankful one. I'm glad I'm here at home and very thankful for everything God has provided us with. Have a great week.
Your comment on a need for beauty amidst abject despair reminded me of a woman I knew many years ago when I was a Brownie leader. Her family had nothing, and lived in a run down tenement house. When I visited the house one day I noticed several things. One sofa, one chair, a neat pile of clothes on the floor in the corner. A plastic vase and flower in the window. She had a few rotten teeth...and she wore lipstick. It's an image I've never forgotten. Her husband drank his paycheck on Friday nights, but she fought for dignity everyday.
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