We're going to CUBA

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NARRATIVE:

Cuba: Annette, Kevin, and Missael finally got to Cuba January 19, 2015 at 6:25pm. They played baseball with the local team called “The Cigars” when they passed by the neighborhoods park. Baseball we found out is their favorite and most popular sport at that. Kevin was extremely excited to see them play a sport he is so passionate about that he dragged us into the game. We meet the team who was preparing to start the game, fortunately they were in need of more players to even out the teams so we happily (Kevin more so) joined “The Cigars”. Kevin has played in many baseball teams in school and his neighborhood team. He is in his high school’s varsity team, and considers himself a professional (not really). But it was nice to see that it was a centripetal force (an attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state.)between the Cuban teams and Kevin- when language(system of communication through the use of speech, collection of sounds and understood by a group of people to have the same meaning) was a barrier although a centrifugal force(a force that divides people and countries)when it comes to the opposing team. Annette and Missael both spoke fluent Spanish so it was no problem trying to communicate. It was a fun game everyone was so accepting and eager to show us how to play. It is a very uniting game if you are on the same team at least, but fun. Soon after the game started people would gather around to watch the game, everyone laughing having fun, eating, supporting us all the way through even though the only one from our group who knew what he was doing was Kevin and was having a blast. Later on they invited us to their little camp where there was a cook out waiting for the players with music and dance we had to accepted.

They had said that after every game they would do this, the opposing team even tagged along- even though we beat them by 12 to 5, because of Kevin trying to show off. At one point it looked like he would injure himself- luckily that didn’t happen. But they explained that baseball is for everyone, no matter who you are or what team you support, if you loved baseball you were family. We stayed for about an hour and a half more with them until it was time to go, to go catch our airplane at 10:25pm that same day. They didn’t want us to go, they wanted to recruit Kevin, but we had to go, they kindly gave us a ride to the airport and accepted no money from us. They were very cool people, we enjoyed the game, the food, the music, and dance. But it was time for a new adventure!

Total Costs in Cuba: $1,340 out of $16,513 spent on the entire trip.

FACT-SHEET:

Race Destination #:1

Country Visited: Cuba

Country Shape Classification: Elongated

Country Development Classification: Developing

Specific Places Within Country Visited: Havana

Country Capital City: Havana

Capital City Population: 2.1 Million

Country Population (most current available): 11.3 Million

Country Population (in 1990): 10.6 Million

Country Government Type: Communist

Current Leader(s) / Party(s): Fidel Castro

Ethnicities (%!b(MISSING)reakdown): 65.1%!W(MISSING)hite, Mulatto and Mestizo 24.8%!,(MISSING) Black 10.1%!<(MISSING)br>
National Language(s): Spanish

Religion(s) practiced (%!p(MISSING)racticed): Roman Catholic intermingled with Santeria

Traditional Cuisine Descriptions: Cuban Sandwiches

Traditional Dress Descriptions:Guayabera, light and bright color clothing.

Famous sites of country: Bayamo

Average Life Expectancy Males: 68.5 years old

Average Life Expectancy Females: 73.5 years old

National Unemployment Rate: 3.3 %

Country Literacy Rate: 15 and older can read and write

Country Murder Rate: 5.5%

Crude Birth Rate: 9.7%

Crude Death Rate: 7.53%

National Infant Mortality Rate: 4.7

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