Made in the Shade

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We are having a wonderful time so far in Cuba. It is truly full of wonder. An interesting language note: there is not a literal Spanish translation for our word “wonderful.” The closest word I have found is “asombroso”, which literally means “shadowy.” That is perfect for Cuba. When you are experiencing mid-summer weather that approaches 100 degrees and 100% humidity, the shadows, i.e., the shade, is a premium. This is quite evident during the day as you see all the pedestrians jostling for space on the sidewalk on one side of the street – the shaded side – while the sunny side is empty, except maybe for a visiting gringo or two who are in a hurry or who have not yet learned to get out of the sun.

Cuba is a shadowy place in other ways, too. La sombra reminds me of how much I don’t know, how much I am in the dark about Cuban reality (another language note: the word for “darkness” is “oscuridad,” which is to say, obscure). The contradictions of daily life are indeed obscure to me. How is it that the stores can be stocked with all sorts of exotic spices, but salt is nowhere to be found? (The shelves are also full of a wide range of bed and bath items, but no toilet paper, so we may soon need to start subscribing to the Granma, the daily newspaper).

Other more profound contradictions: We rode from Matanzas to Habana with our friends Paco and Lila, in their beloved old bucket of Russian bolts known as El Burrito. Paco, like most Cubans, has learned by necessity to be an auto mechanic; when El Burrito couldn’t muster the juice to climb a steep hill, he simply got out and popped the hood to mess with a few wires, and we were back on our way. He soon shifted gears from talking about the challenges of car maintenance to a fascinating discourse about an article he had published about the theological challenges posed by the movie “Suite Habana.” One thing we could learn from the Cubans is how to integrate the value of manual labor and mental labor. How many auto-mechanic/theologians do we have in our country?

We hitched a ride back from Habana to Matanzas in a “particular”, their word for a privately-owned micro-business. Among the many options of “particular” taxis, we landed a ’58 Cadillac, big tail-fins and all. We might have been the envy of classic car lovers in our culture, but with the combinations of bad shocks and bumpy roads, blazing heat and windows that would not roll down, no one should envy that two-hour tour along the coastal highway.

One thing has not been the least bit shadowy or obscure: the love of the Cuban people. Their warm welcome has been as clear and transparent as you can imagine. Kim immediately got an invitation to preach our first Sunday at First Baptist Matanzas (she did a great job, with a timely message of comfort and hope for a congregation that has experienced a lot of recent loss), and I got to play music and take part in the liturgy. Kim also got roped in to help lead a theatre workshop during our second week, and is having a blast. We are traveling to the center of the island this weekend to participate in the anniversary of one of the Fraternity churches, and to spend time with our sister church in La Vallita. When we get back, we have been invited to help lead the national youth camp for the Fraternity of Baptists at the end of the month. So we are staying busy, and even though we don’t understand all that is going on, in all the ways that matter we can truly say that we have it made in the shade.

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Comments

[Tim Moore]

Manual labor
Stan & Kim, Thanks for the update. Blessings upon you in all that you are doing this year. I loved your mental / manual labor comment. I believe one possible cause for the spiritual weakness of middle and upper class Christians in the US is the lack of manual labor in their/our lives. One of my spiritual disciplines during my Sabbath time is to make sure I get what I call "monastic" labor -- physical labor that accomplishes something, but maybe not as efficiently as modern tools make possible; rake instead of using a gas blower, paint by brush rather than by sprayer, etc. White collar jobs take the living of life out of people's hands. Manual labor puts their hands back in touch with the physical world. American churches could use a lot of auto-mechanic theologians. Peace, Tim

[Jackie Lalor]

Hooray!
Glad to see the blog post, been thinking about you. Many blessings to you lovely friends!

[Jeanine]

Hey Kim and Stan! So glad to experience some of your first days as you settle in and reconnect with your beloved Cuba. Keep the vivid blogs coming (imagining riding in the "particular" made me start sweating!) Holding you both in my heart, Jeanine

[Holli]

Hey Stan--I love your observations on the language--keep it coming. I also love your use of the phrase "mess with" as in "mess with a few wires." Sounds like something Gomer would say. What's the Cuban equivalent of that, by the way? : ) I love the picture of Kim proclaiming amidst bright colors and butterflies--beautiful!

[Susan Metz]

Looking forward to seeing you in December
when I will return to the island for the Fest of New LatinAm Cinema and then visit the playbaqueros. I plan to arrive at the very beginning of Dec to finish research about the Casa de Cultura movement. They are planning un Encuentro de Teatro Playback y Teatro Espontaeo gathering at the end of January. I wonder whether you will be there. Teatro de los Elementos is home in Cumunayagua. provincia de Cienfuegos. They will host at their centro cultural en el campo, El Jovero. Maybe you've already met Isnoel and Oriol and the company. Let's email with more.