Blogs from Santiago de Cuba, Este, Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 4

Today we had a practical lesson and was really enjoyable. On Monday I told Clara how much I enjoyed a soup I tried in Colombia called 'Ajiaco'. She said they had a version of that soup in Cuba and we'd go to the markets and make the soup together. We went to the local markets where Cubans get their ration of vegetables from and found what we needed. Then the three of us sat around Raquel's dining table peeling corn, potatoes, plantains, etc. The process took three hours before we actually sat down for the meal. Of course the two male dance teachers turned up in time to eat with us. I asked them if they were going to wash up the dishes as part of their contribution to the meal. Clara and Raquel gave me ... read more

No class today as Clara has a medical appointment. I spent the afternoon at the Hotel Santiago swimming pool. Paula wanted to go to the beach but it would've taken forty minutes to get there and then only one of us could go swimming at a time so there would be one of us watching the bags at all times. Where's the fun in that? Instead I swam, drank lemon daiquiris and talked to another student, Melissa, and her Cuban 'boyfriend', Pedro. Melissa is 28yo and from Switzerland. She's in Santiago for four weeks Spanish college and then two weeks in Havana. I asked her about the setup with Pedro. She said it's only a holiday fling because he's only 21yo and she's already tired of having to pay for everything. She's already met his family ... read more

I had my first dive in Cuba! Two reef dives lasting an hour each. The water was saltier than I've experienced and stung the hell out of my eyes. Some the fish I saw were amazing, one looked like it was made of mother of pearl and another looked like an RHI lightshow. I've never seen so many lizards as I have in Cuba. Bucanero had large iguanas walking around the dining tables, like how you'd see cats and dogs wandering around in Balinese and Thai restaurants. Some were quite big. Tiny lizards often scatter up the walls in my bedroom like you'd see a cockaroach or spider do back home. Driving to Bucanero I saw another sign referring to the five Cubans in US jails. Reference to these men can be seen throughout Cuba. Essentially, ... read more

I survived my first week as a student in Cuba! I've had a good time but I'm ready to leave after one more week. I received an email from Flight Centre telling me they couldn't change my Havana to Mexico City flight so I'll have to change it at Cubana Air on Monday. He said there are vacancies so there shouldn't be any problems. I saw Julia preparing food today and noticed the plantain fritters I like so much are slathered in butter before she fries them. There's no hope in hell of me losing weight in Cuba. I'm enjoying my Salsa lessons with Ramon. The first couple of classes we spent just dancing but now we spend 30 minutes dancing and the other half talking about his life here in Cuba. He tells the students ... read more

My Spanish class is made up for three students - me, Paula (who is Swedish) and Amelia (who is also Swedish). Amelia's father is Chilean. She said when she was growing up, her father spoke to her in Spanish but she replied to him in Swedish so while she can understand Spanish, she can't speak it properly. The other student, Paula, can speak some Spanish so that just leaves me, the idiot, sitting there scratching my head and asking the girls what it means in English. There is a rule that no English is to be spoken during the lesson so when I ask for a translation, I get a dirty look from the teacher. So I find I'm reciting the answers she wants from memory as opposed to actually understanding what I'm saying. There are ... read more