Excerpt from Inside Cuba in 2016: A Lot Can Happen in 10 Days
JUNE 29, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
The first day included continued strolls and other stops around Havana.
KT and I took something of a small very manual vehicle to the Malecón, the waterfront, where we would periodically return several times. We gained two new adventurous Australian friends along the way.
The Museum of the Revolution was one of our first self-guided stops.
Having a guide or an impromptu inside person facilitated some experiences. Then there were also plenty of everyday friendly Cuban people ready to share suggestions, advice, and encouragement. We got some okay and really good directions to eateries, the markets, and museums and we got a lot of curious inquiries about ourselves as well. This was true in every Cuban city we visited. We didn’t appear to be the everyday tourists.
There were some temporary fails getting where we intended to be or at least as quickly as we would have liked. We did well on our own as well, while leaving enough time to explore.
There would be some pretty open conversations with residents about the culture and everyday ambience.
We ran into some familiar travelers from spot to spot, also there on holiday. We found ourselves in the midst of multiple celebrations.
There was our planned agenda and then there was another one that kept us returning to Havana between various cities and towns which included Viñales, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Mayabeque, Guanabo and Juracao. The capital city became quite the temporary home base.😊
JUNE 26, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
from Inside Cuba in 2016: A Lot Can Happen in 10 Days
The heat became intense during our summer trip through Cuba. I can see why so many air conditioners were part of the luggage our co-passengers were bringing back. Each of our private home rentals (our casas particulares) had a window unit which we used only at night. Perhaps even some or a lot of the people on our flight offered home stays as well. There was quite the network of people involved in the tourist industry, which could include various types of sightseeing, tours, and transportation. As a result, there was typically no shortage of places to stay, places to go or ways to get there. We just needed the proper negotiating and timing.
We lost a couple of half-days on no-luck negotiating. Some good ways to save money were teaming up and splitting rides with 3 or more people in addition to splitting tours. Once inside various cities, we could get to a lot of places on foot, in the local cabs (vintage cars), public city buses or in the more interesting one driver two-seater vehicles.
I had messaged the owner of our first casa particular, Dignora, to let her know our flight was delayed a couple of times so the driver she had arranged for us would stay informed and most importantly not leave us. He didn’t. I handed KT a blue “mosquito repellent” bracelet that looked more akin to the old school coil key chains and I kept the pink one for myself.
Our driver was there, waiting calmly. Our bags retrieved, I spotted him right away. He was holding a makeshift sign – a couple of the letters in our names not quite right. Suddenly, I sensed things were falling into place. If I wasn’t trying to be off the grid, I would have been my regular enthusiastic traveling self from the beginning, but my ease came in waves. Once we reached the sky over Cancun, I was more self-assured and seeing the driver, knowing we were on our way gave me complete comfort. (I figured I would worry later about jumping through a couple more hoops on the way back.)
The driver was mixed in with a group of other people with signs plus those without signs who seemed to have no one in particular to pick up. They were searching and offering. One of them randomly said, “Cassandra”, smiling after he saw the exchange between me and our driver, who led us out quickly, very purposefully. We stopped off at a money exchange kiosk outside the station. The driver was super chill again, directing us over and then smiling, waiting.
Enter and Exit the Fortress:
There was a safe friendly energy surrounding Havana. I know our Wi-Fi access was limited and the country entities were very much state-run. Still, in addition to feeling free from any potential harm, I felt free to explore.
When I write about fortress, however, I am even more specifically picturing Dignora’s house. We had to walk up a few flights to get to the communal area, and back to our room, which was one of about four rooms in her casa particular. Walking up that many steps with my pink duffel back and my suitcase and my backpack was a workout, but I was thrilled. My friend was feeling the climb too. He said, “For real”, when we turned yet another corner on the way up.
The walk up was worth it. The view from the terrace was gritty and breathtaking. We would also have breakfast there a few times for an additional 5 CUCs (pesos convertibles) the money for foreigners like us. (I mention more details on the two currencies in my Spontaneous Audio Suggestion).
We left the house on Day 1 in the late evening. We wanted to get in some sights before nightfall, but not before I lost myself in chatting with Dignora and her husband. All our smiles. What fluid feelings going from being nervous before boarding the plane to feeling relieved. Sometimes I swear it feels like I’m revisiting people I’ve never met before. There is something so familial about a lot of the places I’ve stayed and most of the reception seemingly may be both from my enthusiasm for exploring and bringing my own diversity to tourism.
I took out little replicas of both KT and my country’s flags. I handed them to our host. Dignora had explained she enjoyed having them as mementos from everyone who stayed with her. I believe I was her first quasi-lone visitor from the US. KT’s flag was her first Swedish one. She accepted both with pleasure and I realize one of the kindest things anyone can do is welcome you for exactly who you are. 😊
Continued from yesterday: Inside Cuba in 2016: A lot can happen in 10 days.
MAY 29, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
Walk around downtown Havana, Cuba
On the other side of the Cancun International Airport was the José Martí International Airport in Havana Cuba. Having landed and made our way through customs, KT and I were initially standing in the wrong area. A Cuban gentleman on the same flight stepped in and directed us to the proper claim area where our luggage would actually be arriving. We thought this would be in moments and speculated there was a good possibility, it might not. About an hour in, we were just good with finally seeing the bags coming our way. Simple relief and gratitude. That could have gone a completely different way in any country.
The thought was to travel through several cities and see as much as possible before the “invasion”. Of course, there was nothing overall wrong with the influx of visitors, but I understood the general sentiment for many travelers was to explore before all things became too touristy. How meta or not meta of us. Still, the idea was to get there before the landscape and energy of the island country became all about the visitor and less about learning and enjoying what was to be shared with us. Notably, the tourism invites more economic opportunity in addition to good relations, so there’s also no need to dismiss what it enhances, especially in the fact of it creating safe, organized experiences as well. The struggle for balance is there like many sections of all our lives. We can ultimately do our best, leaning into the good relations and being cognizant of not participating in any exploitative, opportunistic ones. I think the most helpful aspect for me is remembering I am a guest, acting most accordingly while being mindful of my own best interests as well. I dare myself to try to get 100% of my actions right, following intuition, intelligence and curiosity and I also doubt this will ever happen. Still, why not aim high?
Cuba had already been greatly touched by tourism; we could see; hence we met some amazing European travelers. KT was also visiting from Europe. I was a random American in many instances, though I know there were many visiting. However, with me loosely based on 1 of my government’s 12 approved reasons for traveling there, I was not a part of any official group or of a particular profession. I think it proved a bit random because many of my introductions were met with a surprised smile.
When I look at tourism there, you really can’t fault travelers or locals for alternately affecting one another. The overarching takeaway could be the enthusiastic spirit in which we seek to share each other’s spaces and time.
As I wrote previously, I appreciate the organized tourist opportunities along with some spontaneous exploring. KT and I would prove to have some impromptu skills at getting to do both.
Thank you for sharing some time here with me again. I have another post to share later today. First, I would like to especially dedicate my thoughts, love and writing to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubrey and their families and to thousands of others that must be counted. As someone like me who often feels like an ambassador for representing someone like me that doesn’t appear on volunteer stock photos and everyday TV, I would like to represent us in some small way. In a place leaving you afraid for yourself and everyone you care for; I would like to share another chance for us all to overcome together.
“Oh Cuba, I love you. You make me angry.” My travel partner knew exactly what I meant as we sat there on our second to last day trying to determine if we could make it to our last 3 coveted stops. We had accomplished a lot in 8 days. We had some really high ups and a few downs. The downs came from some failures to get off the beaten track and our ups came from accepting the nice foot-worn welcome paths, and intermittently managing to design our own trek. Our smiles also came from the journey as the destination, the destinations, our chance to meet locals and fellow travelers and getting to bond again following the passing of several years since our time meeting and volunteering in South America.
I was nervous when I arrived in Cancun and especially when that video screen outside of my departure gate advised that the next flight would not be to Havana, but rather back to a destination in the US. Even asking the airline agent outside at the kiosk and her reassuring me the next flight was indeed going to Havana didn’t make me feel assured for long. Another confidence breaker: The cell phone data my cell phone company said I would still have in all of North America was nonexistent. (Access to free Wi-Fi has changed since then and more so my personal cell phone data selections have changed as well. I’ve never been one to closely follow the latest mobile trends.) Ultimately, I used the airport Wi-Fi hotspot to purchase internet access and to periodically connect with my friend on an old computer tablet I had for backup. I kept him posted on our flight status, which was becoming increasing delayed.
I will say nothing of travel regulations for US citizens and how (at the time of printing) and then you needed 1 of 12 reasons to travel there as a US citizen. My friend KS was good. He was coming from Europe and was of course not subjected to such restrictions. However, I did have the advantage of my flights being considerably cheaper than his.
Still I will say nothing of how you can go from the States to one city in Cuba before visiting some others by flying through Mexico or Canada or the Caribbean and I will say nothing but everything about how I was particularly glad to figure this out and how important it was for me to move about Cuba fairly freely, loosely based on 1 of the 12 reasons. I will say nothing of these things and technical legalities but if you reach out to me (and please feel free), I will say everything.Additionally, when you have time, there is some additional info in my 2nd spontaneous audio suggestion. Needless to write, I didn’t seem to be considered much of a threat. Maybe I should be offended. 😊
I also feel pretty fortunate in the authenticity of my experience and reactions, among us and everyone, having gone there not long after President Obama’s visit and how interesting it was that we were there during Fidel Castro’s 90th birthday. People have pretty strong reactions for or against the former leader. This trip was also not long before Castro passed away.
I also felt a reminder of how the people of a place, both here and abroad are not to be seen as a homogeneous representation of their country’s administration. The mainstream news will have you unwittingly thinking otherwise, even subconsciously. So many relatives and connections to the US and vice versa. US flags replicated in several forms here and there, traditionally seen and even as a dress. At times, they were next to flags of Cuba. The trip was going to prove welcoming, intriguing and worth some personal fails especially after getting over my bigger worry of being able to go at all.
Downtown Havana
Inside Cuba 2016 continues tomorrow: A lot can happen in 10 days.
Life being too short and precious, experiencing grief and seeing it unfold reminds me how I want to appreciate what we have. I think about how I want to approach each goal and how I want to simply live and share without overthinking it and without dismissing opportunities.
Whether it be future travels, social connections, or our livelihoods, I’m sure we all have unique expressions to continually bring to the world. This is a place you can always share yours.
This has been a sad time for the world collectively, on every imaginable level. This has also been a time of resilience and revelation. We could take the time to reexamine our goals. We could become better at old skills, learn some new ones. We could take a moment, work on reducing stress and getting rest. We could take care of our souls. I think one part of staying healthy and whole is being aware of the right choices for ourselves as often as possible – figuring out what is true for us and void of external influences. Though we are irreplaceable to one another and we need our environment and our community, awareness can go a dangerous way. We may have found this out very early, when we were in school and perhaps became painfully aware of some difference between us and other classmates. We may have felt it and not been able to verbalize it.
When I wrote similarly about this a few days ago, it seemed as easy as “being true to yourself”. The harder part I know is doing that in the context of working not to be judged, trying not to fail and making sure to have all your needs met. For me, that means I equally haven’t taken 100 percent of the risks which I knew weren’t technically dangerous. The biggest threat was to the seeming comfort of not standing out. However, I’m pleased to have grown older and earned my “RiskySafeTravels”, when for seemingly inexplicable reasons, I don’t question my initial good instincts.
Risks seem tiny and large from day to day even in something like sharing an interest, defending someone, or me dancing before the club has officially transitioned from dinner to party hour.
I never want to encourage others or myself to take risks that put their lives or anyone else’s life in danger, nor take any risks that would alter their social or financial ability to live securely. However, I venture to encourage us to pay attention to natural joy. My joy seemed stifled from time to time, conforming in unwelcome circumstances. I see joy as not being secured from anything purchased or some great compliment we can receive. True, we can delight in such pleasure and appreciate it, but in me, it’s those times of being okay or getting to being okay, no matter what. Self-acceptance and acceptance of others, being creative, immersed in a passion project and talent, it’s just there. It’s just there, complementing a sense of well-being, providing peace and welcoming the kind of challenges that help us grow rather than drain us.
With even more time to reflect, I am interested in taking bigger chances on some skills and experiences I’ve played with just a little here and there. I’m playing two roles this week. One is employee and the second is owner. No surprise that the second needs some more focus. 😊 Not that it’s any less commendable to enhance a quality organization’s mission statement, but truly important to remember your own.
Thank you for being here with me again. I’m excited I’ve reached some more subscribers. Sharing my stories here was a bit of a leap of faith. Still is. I appreciate all the encouragement both on this platform and in everyday situations.
I get a message speaking to me every few days and played out in different ways, both verbally and in actions I witness. This is in addition to different overarching and more subtle ones. From some of the influencers I follow, the recurring message is a reminder to be myself in every moment and in case you need the reminder: Also think of what it means to be the real you. Always.
When I was very young, before I knew what a blog was, I wanted to write stories, novels, poems, a book. I loved the play on words. People putting energy and meaning to paper meant the world to me.
I’m fortunate my mom gave me so much encouragement when I would lose myself in what I now know as the source of creativity. Emerging later with a poem, she would be my first audience. She would recall my latest one whenever my aunt was visiting from their home state. “Go and get the poem you wrote.” My heart would be dancing, my feet practically running out from under me. Returning so fast, I would read it proudly, though at the time, I was a shy child developing self-image issues. These are the times I was taller than life.
I got a sense if I could read something, I could learn it. The clarinet naturally aligned with my identity in band and symphony for umpteenth years. I began reading music like the many books I checked out of the local Middletown library. I inhaled them. On one occasion I leaned especially nonfiction, picking up Pelé’s autobiography and a couple of training books, deeming myself officially ready for high school soccer tryouts. There was nothing like the physicality of the conditioning and drills I would endure, and the real world negative and positive experiences. Still, my internalization of words and characters on paper somehow got me to the next and the next, even if that just translated into encouragement and possibilities.
I developed more affinity for the art of language, especially Spanish, as I navigated from junior high to high school. I fancied a vision of some future diplomacy work. Exploring and volunteering would be next. My best-laid plans are in some of my travel stories. Turns out my itinerarieswere best followed and altered after delving into books, guides and forums like Lonely Planet and National Geographic. Seeing it, (and occasionally planning too much) I finally left to play and live in some spaces I once only imagined.
I see it could be easy to forget even just tiny remnants of what piques our interest before hopefully recalling them again. I know just a few of mine are writing, translating, traveling off-beaten tracks, and connecting with the stories everyone has. What intrigues us doesn’t have to be static, but it’s sometimes helpful, at least for me, to recall that feeling. I sense we all have a sense of what makes us feel alive, when we feel most energetic and interested rather than blasé.
Sometimes, we can look outward and not always fully recall what truly matters the most to us and what we truly want to reflect and share with others. It can happen when trying to fulfill certain everyday expectations and obligations. Every one of us is unique so such metrics can be off putting.
The message coming to me recently from a lot of influencers is that it sometimes took them a while to get back to who they have always been. How easy it is to get caught up when seeking some particular permission or acceptance. Funny how the need to evade rejection or judgement sometimes creeps in or even stuns us.
What I gathered from their lessons is that whether the metrics are perceived or real, the quickest way to the fullest life is being true to yourself in all you do. In turn, you’re true to others. The message was encouraging, seemingly simple, though easily forgotten when moving about the world. A simple reminder I sometimes need when making a choice and a reminder to you in case you ever need it.
Your time is always appreciated. Thank you sharing it here with me. 😊
As anxious as I may be to take charge of my own livelihood,
I am quite fortunate to have a job with income and capabilities that allow me
to work from home while there are many who do not.
I will hold space here for the people who are being majorly
set back by the financial, emotional and mortal effects of this virus as it remains
with us. The unfathomable is that people have lost their jobs, that many are
unsheltered – homeless, without the option of self-isolating. The unthinkable
is that many jailed and detained people have limited options for social distancing
and hygienic practices. Still further, depending on what dwelling in which you
stay and in what part of the world you live – not going out and earning a
living and/or securing food means not providing the necessary resources for
yourself and your family, and the conditions don’t lend themselves at all to
staying several feet apart. I understand every person is a part of what helps
the world go around, all of us. There can be no mistake that each path of each
person goes into the framework of all our outcomes.
I take note to appreciate an overarching company leadership who
does not view it as trivial to give us the option to work from home, reevaluating
as the time comes. They let us have the choice to exercise healthy safe
precautions for ourselves and others. With my job, some go into the office, but
many of us are in our respective homes working steadily, reciprocally safeguarding
one another’s health.
With my gratitude, I will hold space for people like me,
working to maintain some regularity, persevering to continue to be a helpful employee
or employer, working to contribute and stay whole as a part of the whole world,
as much as we possibly can right now. I will encourage, especially my entrepreneurial
readers and those looking to grow and be promoted within their companies to
work on some skills they have been meaning to nurture more recently or even for
some time. I’m encouraging myself to go that route as well.
My workout routine has become home-based and another effort
to maintain some normalcy with not only physical healthiness but mental
healthiness as well. Fresh air from time to time and social distancing and much
hand washing, I’m reminding myself to heed the warnings, in the ways I can, as
not to be a danger to others or myself – as far as I know. I guess that’s one of the
things which can cause panic: the not knowing. However, with Eckhart Tolle, in
my studies, who helped guide me, following the loss of my father, I also have
some practices in place for living/honoring the present moment and working on self-improvement.
I highly recommend him and thank you again for stopping by. Stay safe, where
you may be. Know you are loved and a unique part of this world’s beautiful
presence.
My heart is heavy with all the many lives, now lost to Coronavirus
(COVID-19) in China and throughout the world. With my company’s new option, starting
Monday, of being able to work from home for a week, I will do so accordingly.
As someone who takes public transportation for quite some time to get there and
back, I want to diminish the chance of being a harm to others or myself. Not
everyone has options like I do, and I think people are commendable in all the
various situations they are facing.
The gym has been a good healthy outlet for me to visit daily
(save one alternating day). Working on my healthiness has done some work for my
psyche in general and a nice bonus is that it is within walking distance. I
also find it healthy to be able to be out and about and socialize in these
continued smaller ways – being out – getting to the stores and the gym has been
nice.
Ironically, I already imagine I will get more done working
from home. I already know, per the chance we got to do so for about a month
during our renovation. It has been quite the year already, well actually two
years, I would say, starting with the flood that totaled most of my coworkers’
cars in the parking garage. We’ve had many ups and downs as a team.
Cuba. I coincidentally got a loving message from
Dignora yesterday. I recalled her in my spontaneous
audio suggestion on Wednesday as the first casa particular in which we stayedin
2016. She reached out to check on me and let me know they were okay. I think going
through our tasks with extra special precautions is key. I think deeply even
more of my fam in Ohio (where I grew up) and friends everywhere. I thought I
had some gratitude before but I’m really appreciating life and how friendly and
well-intentioned most people can be.
A lady asked me if I found any food as we were leaving the grocery store today😊. I said, “some” and asked her how she did? We’re lucky, in this particular store in DC, in Friendship Heights. I can’t speak to the whole DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia area) but it wasn’t rough at the store just a little up the street. Even when the toilet paper section was starkly bare, next to a lot of other products, there was a considerable number of items left. You only had to reach further back than normal for what you would normally get or settle for brands or items, close enough to what you might desire. Also, there was plenty of food stocked in the perhaps not so healthy areas😊. Then, lo and behold, a smiling Safeway employee rolled out a skid of toilet paper next to the self-checkout line to which I was heading. Even then, people only gingerly started taking one 12 pack two-ply at a time. I don’t know what happens after I leave or what’s going to happen but did I ever really know? We’re just kind of very accustomed to life being a certain way – and that’s okay too. A journey is a journey even when we’re close to home.
