Blogs from Matanzas, Cuba, Central America Caribbean - page 2

Here we are in Playa Larga, Matanzas, Cuba and all is well. In fact all is great. We spent 2 nights in Havana and since then have so far put in about 200km on our bikes. This will not be a long post and sadly it may be one of the only and even worse, there may be no photos documenting this trip. It turns out our phones don't really like the humid, rainy tropics, so yeah, neither device is working and those were the only cameras we brought. To make things more complicated, for this purpose, access to leisure goods (like cameras) is quite limited here, so no photos past Havana. Immediate thoughts: -people are amazing here and the lifestyle simple -somehow all 200km so far have been flat or slightly up hill and against ... read more

My return to the United States has been a bit of an adjustment, like riding a roller coaster, driving bumper cars and floating on a kiddie boat ride. Stan and I were a bit in shock at returning to constant electronics, screens everywhere and a pace of life that demands speed and convenience. Not only did I feel overwhelmed, but nauseous, like I was at the top of a roller coaster ready to go down the huge drop. After the loop-the-loops and more speeding up and down, I staggered off the car and began to get my bearings. I didn’t have much time to get my bearings as I began to crash into the abundance and ease of life. Just going in a grocery store was overwhelming. Even at gas station markets the variety of peanuts ... read more

Kim and I began winding down our final couple of weeks in Cuba with the expected mixture of intense emotions— anticipation of reunions with family and friends, sadness and grief at separating from our newfound family, and deep gratitude for such a blessed year. Another emotion, unexpected, crept into the mixture: rage. It took over, at least for a while, raining on the parade of celebrations and blessings we experienced from so many people. Here’s the background of the infuriation: We had high hopes of easing the transition back into American culture by hosting a group of four seminary students during the month of July. These four had become some of our closest friends, part of our second family for sure. Maricela, Idael, Elaine and Margot were all invited by the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North ... read more

Salud: To Your Health (blog by Stan) In my daily walks through the city of Matanzas, I pass by lots of make-shift gyms where young people are pumping iron and doing aerobics. Kim and I have our make-shift gym as well, two yoga mats in our little apartment. We’re finishing up our 11th month here in Cuba, and for both of us, it has been the healthiest stretch we’ve had in many years (with only the very occasional water-born digestive challenges). Strike it up to the yoga, or the daily doses of coffee and fresh fruits, or the 2 to 3 miles a day we walk to get from here to there, or the flood of prayers from people back home; whatever the cause, we are glad to raise a toast to our buen salud and ... read more

My Favorite Martian (blog by Stan) Despite the amazing breadth of diversity that exists in Cuba, despite the very different cultures of east and west, country and city, Christianity and African religions, revolutionary and dissenting politics, there also exists a unity, something essentially Cuban that runs the course of the whole island. One of the uniting factors binding all these cultures together is the universal adoration for a historical figure affectionately known as “The Apostle,” José Martí. His presence permeates everything; you’ll see his bust in front of every school and full statues in most public squares, such as Matanzas’ Parque de la Libertad. You’ll hear quotes and citations in every imaginable public setting, in political speeches, eulogies, festivals, sporting events, sermons (where I sometimes get the feeling ... read more