Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
National Honor Society...what's going on....
Isabella was nominated and then accepted for the NHS....after being nominated she needed to write an essay and list out her accomplishments in service, leadership and community. She was very excited to receive the award and is already very involved in the program. The photo are two of her closest friends here. Alazna is in 7th grade and a star athlete and student. She plays high school soccer and basketball with Isabella. She is from Venezuela. Carolina is in 9th grade and from Brazil. She also plays VB and Soccer with Isabella.
The girls are doing lots of soccer practices....now the coaches are trying to get them ready to play on the big fields (our school doesn't have a field and it has been difficult to get on a club field) so they have been practicing on the beach. On Monday, they were running sprints with 10 pound weights. Let's not give Coach Al any ideas..haha. The High School team plays in a BIG tournament next week in Caracas. Xela and I will go too and hopefully get our passports in order and watch some soccer games.
Xela is now practicing on both the 4/5 team and the MS team. At first she thought she was too small to be on the middle school team, but now that she has been going to 4/5 practices, she has decided that MS is better. :)
Me, not much going on.....going to the gym, going to the stores, going to tennis, walking with a couple of friends....the highlight of my week is probably that I found a very good dentist. Those of you who know me and my teeth.....know this is a HUGE thing in my life.
We went to a Venezuelan water park. Like any amusement park ride....I feel that dropping down something so your stomach is in your mouth is just NOT right. It was actually a pretty impressive park...really. But, it was funny and not so funny to see the hundreds of life guards yet they were allowing people to put their toddlers/babies on their backs and flying down these really fast, steep, dark tunnel slides. It was so unbelievably dangerous.
Well, that's it for now. Everything is settled down until we get those passports. vamos a ver.
The girls are doing lots of soccer practices....now the coaches are trying to get them ready to play on the big fields (our school doesn't have a field and it has been difficult to get on a club field) so they have been practicing on the beach. On Monday, they were running sprints with 10 pound weights. Let's not give Coach Al any ideas..haha. The High School team plays in a BIG tournament next week in Caracas. Xela and I will go too and hopefully get our passports in order and watch some soccer games.
Xela is now practicing on both the 4/5 team and the MS team. At first she thought she was too small to be on the middle school team, but now that she has been going to 4/5 practices, she has decided that MS is better. :)
Me, not much going on.....going to the gym, going to the stores, going to tennis, walking with a couple of friends....the highlight of my week is probably that I found a very good dentist. Those of you who know me and my teeth.....know this is a HUGE thing in my life.
We went to a Venezuelan water park. Like any amusement park ride....I feel that dropping down something so your stomach is in your mouth is just NOT right. It was actually a pretty impressive park...really. But, it was funny and not so funny to see the hundreds of life guards yet they were allowing people to put their toddlers/babies on their backs and flying down these really fast, steep, dark tunnel slides. It was so unbelievably dangerous.
Well, that's it for now. Everything is settled down until we get those passports. vamos a ver.
Friday, February 4, 2011
PASSPORTS, THE DMV ON STEROIDS, AND MISC LIVING IN HUGOLAND
So, if you have been reading from past to present, you know now that our passports have been through the washer and dryer.....they are now considered "compromised". Dealing with the US embassy (one would think that part of their job is to assist American citizens) is really quite a nightmare when you are American who does not live near the embassy or a consulate. I first called the embassy to see what should we do, since we really weren't sure how bad the passports were and if they were valid or not. Of course, they cannot make that judgement without seeing them. But, passport services are ONLY 8-10am Monday - Friday. EXCEPT the last Thursday of the month, Venzuela, USA holidays AND training days that are not announced until the day before. This makes it exceedingly inconvenient for Americans who live in this HUGE country outside of Caracas. That means two days of travel just to get to the embassy which passport services may be closed. (this week alone, the Ven government made 2 holidays, announcing them the day before....our school still had school though and victor was allowed to go to work).
We decided to go to the embassy to get a notarization first - before we proceeded with the actual passport services (so I could eventually get the passports without him), pick up forms and have our passports inspected during the soccer tournament and were assured "that American citizen services (different from passport services) are open all day long M-F, and to come on in, it should only take a few minutes." The vice -consular told me to use his name if I had any problems, because he knew we were traveling from far away. We traveled with the soccer team, leaving at 4am and arriving at the host school around 11. I met Victor there because he could not get a flight so he took the overnight bus and made his appt with the Guatemalan embassy. He should have his passport within a week. Go figure!!! We will have ours sometime mid march and they went through the washer on Jan 6th.
Victor and I ran over to the embassy and were prompty told "NO, American Services are closed for lunch". I told the security that vice - consular Albert, told me I could come in. So, they gave me the phone and a Venezuelan (naturally) told me that I should understand that people take lunch breaks and I can wait another 35 minutes.....click! I now have traveled for 8 hours for this answer, We decided to wait in the shade, unbeknownst to us, that a LINE was forming to get through security! Whoa, when we saw that we ran over into the line, and got our number. We made it through security and then waited another 40 minutes to finally see vice-consular Albert behind his bullet proof glass. I called him on the promises he made to me the day before, and he just laughed. He confirmed that our passports were ruined but they would get us back in the US if we had to leave Venezuela for an emergency but probably would not work for other countries or mulitple trips. We now have an appt for Feb 17th and then the new passports will be ready 2 weeks later, which means I need to GO BACK to Caracas again to pick up. The entire process to be told our passports were ruined and get a notary and get the correct forms ( the website was not functioning correctly to get the forms off the website, oh and btw, albert says, "these forms will be invalid when you return because the government is making new ones and no one knows when they will be on the web".....what????!!!!) took over 3 hours. What happened to the "it will only take a minute?" I kept saying this was like being at the DMV on steroids!! (not in Bozeman, MT, I am thinking more along the lines of Auburn NY) . Finally, Albert says....."if you have any problems you can use my name"...I responded "well, that didn't help today and he laughed and said "well, this is my last week anyway, I am OUTTA Venezuela for good in a week." So, he gave me forms that will be invalid sometime soon, he gave wrong info on the phone and then says his name is as good as gold for my future dealings w/ my passport. So I ended the conversation with a smile and a good laugh saying "good luck at your next posting at the DMV!!! " He at least laughed too.
The soccer tournament was great. Our school doesn't have room for a regulation field or much of any field so they have been practicing on the beach (of course, with Chevron security watching over them...geez), we were wondering how they would do....well those girls did great. Every game was a close call, a tie or a winner. Even went to shoot-outs in two games. Both the Sarmientos were starters and both played up an age bracket. Each team played 5 games in 24 hours (which means mom and dad watch 10 games) with little sleep as we left PLC at 4am on friday, played games until 7:30pm and woke up at 6am for 8am games. They got home at 10:45pm sat night. No one could move on Sunday. Next tournament (passport appt too) is in 2 weeks and will be easier because it will be a 3 day tourny in Caracas.
We arrived home to the AC not working and me popping off one of my cadillac porcellin caps. But, good news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We called the AC guy and he arrived at 9:30am and fixed it. I got an appt with a fantastic English speaking modern dentist and got my tooth fixed that day and we sold the keyboard and got the girls one that is larger and more of a piano! All is good. Like my tennis coach says "the frustrating things make you appreciate the good things". Even today was cool and breezy so we walked for over 2 hours getting great outdoor exercise.
Finally, one positive thing I am doing..............I am volunteering with another woman at a farm out in the country for 16 orphan boys. We teach English for about 2 hours once a week (plus it takes over an hour to get there). These boys are so loving and sweet. We teach about 5 of the teenagers and 2 are quite proficient. They raise eggs for income but cannot afford new hens right now, so the volunteer association that we volunteer for is having a fund raiser to get them more hens. It is a wine tasting and if all the tickets sell, they should have enough money to get 800 new hens. It has been great because all last fall I bought our organic eggs from them as they get delivered to PLC once a week to a friend's house. The couple who run the orphanage are hardworking and very loving. The kids all share the work load. They have very very little but they are healthy and clean and happy. They call us Tia (auntie). It has been very rewarding and I have been having fun coming up with fun lesson plans and games for them. This orphanage is also associated with our school's community outreach program so our girls will be coming out soon to the orphanage to help out.
So, sorry to have bored some of you with lengthy narratives. At least go back and look at pictures. Everyone is fine and happy. Missing skiing and all our family and friends but it has been a great experience especially for the girls.
We decided to go to the embassy to get a notarization first - before we proceeded with the actual passport services (so I could eventually get the passports without him), pick up forms and have our passports inspected during the soccer tournament and were assured "that American citizen services (different from passport services) are open all day long M-F, and to come on in, it should only take a few minutes." The vice -consular told me to use his name if I had any problems, because he knew we were traveling from far away. We traveled with the soccer team, leaving at 4am and arriving at the host school around 11. I met Victor there because he could not get a flight so he took the overnight bus and made his appt with the Guatemalan embassy. He should have his passport within a week. Go figure!!! We will have ours sometime mid march and they went through the washer on Jan 6th.
Victor and I ran over to the embassy and were prompty told "NO, American Services are closed for lunch". I told the security that vice - consular Albert, told me I could come in. So, they gave me the phone and a Venezuelan (naturally) told me that I should understand that people take lunch breaks and I can wait another 35 minutes.....click! I now have traveled for 8 hours for this answer, We decided to wait in the shade, unbeknownst to us, that a LINE was forming to get through security! Whoa, when we saw that we ran over into the line, and got our number. We made it through security and then waited another 40 minutes to finally see vice-consular Albert behind his bullet proof glass. I called him on the promises he made to me the day before, and he just laughed. He confirmed that our passports were ruined but they would get us back in the US if we had to leave Venezuela for an emergency but probably would not work for other countries or mulitple trips. We now have an appt for Feb 17th and then the new passports will be ready 2 weeks later, which means I need to GO BACK to Caracas again to pick up. The entire process to be told our passports were ruined and get a notary and get the correct forms ( the website was not functioning correctly to get the forms off the website, oh and btw, albert says, "these forms will be invalid when you return because the government is making new ones and no one knows when they will be on the web".....what????!!!!) took over 3 hours. What happened to the "it will only take a minute?" I kept saying this was like being at the DMV on steroids!! (not in Bozeman, MT, I am thinking more along the lines of Auburn NY) . Finally, Albert says....."if you have any problems you can use my name"...I responded "well, that didn't help today and he laughed and said "well, this is my last week anyway, I am OUTTA Venezuela for good in a week." So, he gave me forms that will be invalid sometime soon, he gave wrong info on the phone and then says his name is as good as gold for my future dealings w/ my passport. So I ended the conversation with a smile and a good laugh saying "good luck at your next posting at the DMV!!! " He at least laughed too.
The soccer tournament was great. Our school doesn't have room for a regulation field or much of any field so they have been practicing on the beach (of course, with Chevron security watching over them...geez), we were wondering how they would do....well those girls did great. Every game was a close call, a tie or a winner. Even went to shoot-outs in two games. Both the Sarmientos were starters and both played up an age bracket. Each team played 5 games in 24 hours (which means mom and dad watch 10 games) with little sleep as we left PLC at 4am on friday, played games until 7:30pm and woke up at 6am for 8am games. They got home at 10:45pm sat night. No one could move on Sunday. Next tournament (passport appt too) is in 2 weeks and will be easier because it will be a 3 day tourny in Caracas.
We arrived home to the AC not working and me popping off one of my cadillac porcellin caps. But, good news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We called the AC guy and he arrived at 9:30am and fixed it. I got an appt with a fantastic English speaking modern dentist and got my tooth fixed that day and we sold the keyboard and got the girls one that is larger and more of a piano! All is good. Like my tennis coach says "the frustrating things make you appreciate the good things". Even today was cool and breezy so we walked for over 2 hours getting great outdoor exercise.
Finally, one positive thing I am doing..............I am volunteering with another woman at a farm out in the country for 16 orphan boys. We teach English for about 2 hours once a week (plus it takes over an hour to get there). These boys are so loving and sweet. We teach about 5 of the teenagers and 2 are quite proficient. They raise eggs for income but cannot afford new hens right now, so the volunteer association that we volunteer for is having a fund raiser to get them more hens. It is a wine tasting and if all the tickets sell, they should have enough money to get 800 new hens. It has been great because all last fall I bought our organic eggs from them as they get delivered to PLC once a week to a friend's house. The couple who run the orphanage are hardworking and very loving. The kids all share the work load. They have very very little but they are healthy and clean and happy. They call us Tia (auntie). It has been very rewarding and I have been having fun coming up with fun lesson plans and games for them. This orphanage is also associated with our school's community outreach program so our girls will be coming out soon to the orphanage to help out.
So, sorry to have bored some of you with lengthy narratives. At least go back and look at pictures. Everyone is fine and happy. Missing skiing and all our family and friends but it has been a great experience especially for the girls.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Finally catching up the blog....The Big C, illness and passports
The photos are going from most recent to back to our trip to the Big C. So, I will start with the trip from Guatemala to the Big C. If you are interested in reading chroniclogically, scroll back a few pages.
****Let me start by saying this was one of the most interesting, fasinating, intriguing and wonderful trips we have been on. The girls were impressive with the amount of questions, thoughtful insightful observations and curiosity. It was an incredible educational experience and we think the girls were old enough and wise enough for this trip.
Although the dengue made me tired and sleepy, I felt good enough to continue on with our travels. We landed in C and immediately took a very expensive State controlled cab to the coast to a French colonial town named Cienfuegos.
There are two currencies, one is the local peso that is used by the locals and CUC's (convertibles) which are meant to be used by the tourists. I had brought Canadian dollars with me, as they are not taxed as heavily as the USdollar, but still it is so weird to use dollars and have them so devalued, once by purchasing the Canadian and then again purchasing CUCs. We had to make sure we had plenty of cash on us as no US atm or credit cards are allowed on the island. Everything is expensive for tourists except for staying in casa particulares and the meals they provide. The CP's were once an underground network of people opening their homes to tourists now they are legal and state controlled (but there seemed to ALWAYS be away around the State). It was a great way to experience the culture, get around state controlled transportation, tourist traps, and helpful hints. Plus, the conversations were great and the families always took fantastic care of us. This helped as it is NOT a cheap country for tourists.
C food in Miami is totally different from what C food is now. After the Russians left, C went into the "special period" as the presidente named it. Basically a time of terrible hardship. Therefore, meals consisted of either: chicken, pork, rice/beans, or lobster (consumed by tourists though). Never saw a chicken breast only dark meat. We asked about that...nobody knows where the breasts go, but everybody DOES actually know...most likely the rulers stomach. The food is bland, usually served with cabbage, carrots, and rice. Not a lot of spice or flavor. Rum is everywhere and can be purchased everywhere. That is one thing that is in abundance.
There is hardly any garbage anywhere due to the fact that the people are so use to not having anything, nothing goes to waste. Everything is recycled. And since staple food sources are controlled by the State, there are no bags of junk food, plastic bags, et al. There are no fast food restaurants except the "SuperRapido" which i noticed mostly sells small rum bottles. (it WAS the holidays). So, the country is so clean, no traffic and no air pollution. The last cars from the US are from 1959 so we saw the most incredible cars basically priceless. Of course, there are plenty of cars from Russia (Ladas) and China. They are very very resourceful, and it is amazing to see how they manage to keep things running like those cars. If you can't get a part, you find someone who can make the part for you.
It is a very safe country, as the joke goes in Havana...there are 3 million people who live there. One million are police, one million are compatriot informants making 2 million police watching the other million. But, the people are so very nice. The one tiring thing, is you always feel like you are being ripped off, not by the CP's but for services when traveling. They always blame it on "the state taxes us at 90% " but we always hired "under the table", so not quite sure where the tax figures in......
Communism does not work as everyone there is a capitalist trying to make a buck. As you will see in the photos, we took rides in non-state cars, on a farmer's wagon, on a pedi - cab. Totally illegal. There is also a class system which I defined by transportation. Highest rung: a person owns a car, then a person who owns a motorcycle and sidecar, then a person who owns a horse and wagon, then a person who has a bike and finally the person with a thumb and legs (hitch hikers can number up to a 100 on the intersecions of roads during the holidays). Most people make about 12 dollars a month legally. If you are in the tourist business and operate a restaurant or a horse and carriage, or a hotel or CP, you can make some decent money and have more than others. Otherwise, you just get by which is what most people do. Although, they are some of the most educated people, have the most doctors per capita than any other country (they just don't have medical supplies) and are rich in culture, sports and the arts.
Cienfuego was laid back....we hit the road one day in a 1959 Plymouth to Trinidad, where once sugar cane plantations ruled. We watched salsa bands that played in empty lots, homes, bars, in the streets. Live music is EVERYWHERE in Cuba. We ate lobster in someone's backyard where they had 3 tables set up as a "restaurant". It was like stepping back in time. Gorgeous old historic brick walls, wrought iron and lobster..yum.
Havana was the girls favorite. We stayed in "Old Havana" in a casa particular which was a private 2 bedroom, living room and bath on the 5th floor walkup. Everything is old and run down unless you are staying in a hotel. But, we didn't want the hotel experience. The owner, Juan, an old scholar and bilingual, who lived above us, didn't expect the changes 52 years ago, and never left. He has only seen his sister twice in 50 years as she left with so many others. A story we heard over and over. Split families, those who got out, those who weren't sure, and those who couldn't or can't. One new friend said "we are all prisoners on an island." It was always sad when we left a casa, when they said "buen viaje" "have a good trip"....knowing that they could never leave. Travel even in their own country is nearly impossible with the cost of transportation. People only know their own towns and/or surroundings. Never leaving. In Havana, we walked the streets, admiring buildings, loving the music, touring the official historical places of la revolucion. Pretty interesting their take on the Bay of Pigs, la Revolucion et al.
It is also sad to see such disrepair, to see how most people live in the city. The problem is every home is
"rent free" but it means that you cannot sell your home unless you buy another home that is exactly equal in worth and size.....therefore, a family that grows with each generation ends up smashed together in the same home. They say they have one of the highest divorce rates in the world.
We walked freely at night and had an amazing NYeve. We got reservations at the "best" flamenco dance restaurant. Down the street, in a plaza, the Buena Vista Social Club was actually playing too. So, when the dancers and musicians were on break at the restaurant, we took turns taking the girls down to the plaza to see BVSC. The tradition at midnight is to throw water out of the balconies (usually 5 stories high) to symbolize throwing out the old year and bringing in a good clean new year. The girls loved dodging the water, running through the narrow cobblestoned streets, taking cover under balconies and alcoves with hundreds of others.
Our last stop was Vinales which is famous for it's interior countryside beauty, tobacco farms and caves. We stayed in a home with a private room and bath but ate and hung out on the families front porch (i think swept 20 times a day by the mom) and their dining room/kitchen. It was soooo clean yet so sparse. Didn't matter, the girls had new friend's with the casa's children, even got invited to a birthday party down the street and played and played with the kids. One little girl wanted to be a famous dancer so "she could travel and see the world."
We had our casa arrange horseback riding with some farmers, who took us around the fields, to a lake and to see how hand rolled cigars are made. They offered Mojitos and Victor said yes. Well, this WAS on a farm with no potable or running water, with mint picked from the field with goats in it, and made with a farmer's hands that probably had not been washed. Hence, Victor got a stomach "problem" and was out of it for 2 days. I took the girls spulunking and walking about. We managed to spend every CUC and not lose our passports and get back to Panama where things started to go a bit wrong AGAIN for me.
Just like the dengue, my temperature began spiking to the point of semi-convulsions, my joints began aching again and by the time I got to the Caracas airport I was unable to walk. During most of our trip, we were receiving phone calls from Guatemala about Victor's mother's health. She was in a hospital in a semi-coma and his family wanted him to come back to Guatemala if things got worse. The problem was, we could not make outgoing international calls while in C so we were constantly waiting for incoming messages. The plan was for victor to get us to Caracas and then turn around and go back to Guatemala for a few days. Now, there I am, unable to walk much less speak coherently in Spanish...so Victor decides to get me all the way back to PLC. Once we got my fever down, my symptoms started to appear just like Victor's a few days prior. Aha, I had taken a sip of that Mojito.....a few lab tests later..... yup...we have amebas. Everybody back on antibiiotics again. But, since my immune system was so warn down and still recovering from dengue, my ameba attack lastest about 5 days in bed and it took 2 weeks more to get my strength back. In the meantime, Victor was doing everything under a great deal of stress because he was so worried about me and his mother he was: going to labs, grocery shopping, going to pharmacies, taking care of the girls and.......laundry.....which included his pants with our PASSPORTS....... Our passports are now ruined. Next entry.....the Passport saga. (some good news, Victor's mother came out of the coma and recovered well enough to go home. Unfortunately, she does have liver cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. She appears comfortable and happier to be home but these are sad days for Victor and his family.
****Let me start by saying this was one of the most interesting, fasinating, intriguing and wonderful trips we have been on. The girls were impressive with the amount of questions, thoughtful insightful observations and curiosity. It was an incredible educational experience and we think the girls were old enough and wise enough for this trip.
Although the dengue made me tired and sleepy, I felt good enough to continue on with our travels. We landed in C and immediately took a very expensive State controlled cab to the coast to a French colonial town named Cienfuegos.
There are two currencies, one is the local peso that is used by the locals and CUC's (convertibles) which are meant to be used by the tourists. I had brought Canadian dollars with me, as they are not taxed as heavily as the USdollar, but still it is so weird to use dollars and have them so devalued, once by purchasing the Canadian and then again purchasing CUCs. We had to make sure we had plenty of cash on us as no US atm or credit cards are allowed on the island. Everything is expensive for tourists except for staying in casa particulares and the meals they provide. The CP's were once an underground network of people opening their homes to tourists now they are legal and state controlled (but there seemed to ALWAYS be away around the State). It was a great way to experience the culture, get around state controlled transportation, tourist traps, and helpful hints. Plus, the conversations were great and the families always took fantastic care of us. This helped as it is NOT a cheap country for tourists.
C food in Miami is totally different from what C food is now. After the Russians left, C went into the "special period" as the presidente named it. Basically a time of terrible hardship. Therefore, meals consisted of either: chicken, pork, rice/beans, or lobster (consumed by tourists though). Never saw a chicken breast only dark meat. We asked about that...nobody knows where the breasts go, but everybody DOES actually know...most likely the rulers stomach. The food is bland, usually served with cabbage, carrots, and rice. Not a lot of spice or flavor. Rum is everywhere and can be purchased everywhere. That is one thing that is in abundance.
There is hardly any garbage anywhere due to the fact that the people are so use to not having anything, nothing goes to waste. Everything is recycled. And since staple food sources are controlled by the State, there are no bags of junk food, plastic bags, et al. There are no fast food restaurants except the "SuperRapido" which i noticed mostly sells small rum bottles. (it WAS the holidays). So, the country is so clean, no traffic and no air pollution. The last cars from the US are from 1959 so we saw the most incredible cars basically priceless. Of course, there are plenty of cars from Russia (Ladas) and China. They are very very resourceful, and it is amazing to see how they manage to keep things running like those cars. If you can't get a part, you find someone who can make the part for you.
It is a very safe country, as the joke goes in Havana...there are 3 million people who live there. One million are police, one million are compatriot informants making 2 million police watching the other million. But, the people are so very nice. The one tiring thing, is you always feel like you are being ripped off, not by the CP's but for services when traveling. They always blame it on "the state taxes us at 90% " but we always hired "under the table", so not quite sure where the tax figures in......
Communism does not work as everyone there is a capitalist trying to make a buck. As you will see in the photos, we took rides in non-state cars, on a farmer's wagon, on a pedi - cab. Totally illegal. There is also a class system which I defined by transportation. Highest rung: a person owns a car, then a person who owns a motorcycle and sidecar, then a person who owns a horse and wagon, then a person who has a bike and finally the person with a thumb and legs (hitch hikers can number up to a 100 on the intersecions of roads during the holidays). Most people make about 12 dollars a month legally. If you are in the tourist business and operate a restaurant or a horse and carriage, or a hotel or CP, you can make some decent money and have more than others. Otherwise, you just get by which is what most people do. Although, they are some of the most educated people, have the most doctors per capita than any other country (they just don't have medical supplies) and are rich in culture, sports and the arts.
Cienfuego was laid back....we hit the road one day in a 1959 Plymouth to Trinidad, where once sugar cane plantations ruled. We watched salsa bands that played in empty lots, homes, bars, in the streets. Live music is EVERYWHERE in Cuba. We ate lobster in someone's backyard where they had 3 tables set up as a "restaurant". It was like stepping back in time. Gorgeous old historic brick walls, wrought iron and lobster..yum.
Havana was the girls favorite. We stayed in "Old Havana" in a casa particular which was a private 2 bedroom, living room and bath on the 5th floor walkup. Everything is old and run down unless you are staying in a hotel. But, we didn't want the hotel experience. The owner, Juan, an old scholar and bilingual, who lived above us, didn't expect the changes 52 years ago, and never left. He has only seen his sister twice in 50 years as she left with so many others. A story we heard over and over. Split families, those who got out, those who weren't sure, and those who couldn't or can't. One new friend said "we are all prisoners on an island." It was always sad when we left a casa, when they said "buen viaje" "have a good trip"....knowing that they could never leave. Travel even in their own country is nearly impossible with the cost of transportation. People only know their own towns and/or surroundings. Never leaving. In Havana, we walked the streets, admiring buildings, loving the music, touring the official historical places of la revolucion. Pretty interesting their take on the Bay of Pigs, la Revolucion et al.
It is also sad to see such disrepair, to see how most people live in the city. The problem is every home is
"rent free" but it means that you cannot sell your home unless you buy another home that is exactly equal in worth and size.....therefore, a family that grows with each generation ends up smashed together in the same home. They say they have one of the highest divorce rates in the world.
We walked freely at night and had an amazing NYeve. We got reservations at the "best" flamenco dance restaurant. Down the street, in a plaza, the Buena Vista Social Club was actually playing too. So, when the dancers and musicians were on break at the restaurant, we took turns taking the girls down to the plaza to see BVSC. The tradition at midnight is to throw water out of the balconies (usually 5 stories high) to symbolize throwing out the old year and bringing in a good clean new year. The girls loved dodging the water, running through the narrow cobblestoned streets, taking cover under balconies and alcoves with hundreds of others.
Our last stop was Vinales which is famous for it's interior countryside beauty, tobacco farms and caves. We stayed in a home with a private room and bath but ate and hung out on the families front porch (i think swept 20 times a day by the mom) and their dining room/kitchen. It was soooo clean yet so sparse. Didn't matter, the girls had new friend's with the casa's children, even got invited to a birthday party down the street and played and played with the kids. One little girl wanted to be a famous dancer so "she could travel and see the world."
We had our casa arrange horseback riding with some farmers, who took us around the fields, to a lake and to see how hand rolled cigars are made. They offered Mojitos and Victor said yes. Well, this WAS on a farm with no potable or running water, with mint picked from the field with goats in it, and made with a farmer's hands that probably had not been washed. Hence, Victor got a stomach "problem" and was out of it for 2 days. I took the girls spulunking and walking about. We managed to spend every CUC and not lose our passports and get back to Panama where things started to go a bit wrong AGAIN for me.
Just like the dengue, my temperature began spiking to the point of semi-convulsions, my joints began aching again and by the time I got to the Caracas airport I was unable to walk. During most of our trip, we were receiving phone calls from Guatemala about Victor's mother's health. She was in a hospital in a semi-coma and his family wanted him to come back to Guatemala if things got worse. The problem was, we could not make outgoing international calls while in C so we were constantly waiting for incoming messages. The plan was for victor to get us to Caracas and then turn around and go back to Guatemala for a few days. Now, there I am, unable to walk much less speak coherently in Spanish...so Victor decides to get me all the way back to PLC. Once we got my fever down, my symptoms started to appear just like Victor's a few days prior. Aha, I had taken a sip of that Mojito.....a few lab tests later..... yup...we have amebas. Everybody back on antibiiotics again. But, since my immune system was so warn down and still recovering from dengue, my ameba attack lastest about 5 days in bed and it took 2 weeks more to get my strength back. In the meantime, Victor was doing everything under a great deal of stress because he was so worried about me and his mother he was: going to labs, grocery shopping, going to pharmacies, taking care of the girls and.......laundry.....which included his pants with our PASSPORTS....... Our passports are now ruined. Next entry.....the Passport saga. (some good news, Victor's mother came out of the coma and recovered well enough to go home. Unfortunately, she does have liver cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. She appears comfortable and happier to be home but these are sad days for Victor and his family.
Middle School and High School Soccer Tournament in Caracas at Colegio Internacional de Caracas
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| Yes, that is a Macow sitting on the fence |
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| Xela in action on the middle school team |
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| Yup, that player is down and out |
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| Beating the big girls on the field |
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| Bella with Pibe, the girl's Argentinian coach |
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| How serious IS this game of soccer? oh, I mean Futbol. |
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| Isabella on the high school team |
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| Xela and Pibe |
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| That girl in blue was REALLY good, but not good enough for Bella. haha |
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| Always, the coach...the best coach |
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| Our third and last casa particular, in Vinales. Famous for it's tobacco farms, natural beauty, national park and caves. The casas here, all have rocking chairs and well swept front porches. |
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| Vinales |
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| Tobacco Fields |
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| Playing cards with the casa owner's daughter and neighbors |
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| Borrowed headlamp, electricity went out. hmmmm, just like Venezuela...they have so much in common. |
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| Countryside farm house |
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| take a break, find some clay and make clay pots. yes, it made it all the way back with us. |
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| Learning Mojito making, good for that bartending job in the future, also a great way to acquire AMEBAS! |
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| How to start a hand rolled cigar |
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| Spulunking (sp?) |
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| Our Casa particular |
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| Neighborhood in Vinales, they have over 300 Casa Particulares. On our street alone there were 11. |
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| Like I said, Che is everywhere |
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| Again, totally illegal to ride with a local. Tourists must always use state sanctioned cabs or busses. well, a peso is a peso. Capitalism LIVES. |
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| A state store, where the people get their state provided staples. Notice how FULL the shelves are. |
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| Yup, again |
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