[Vimeo 773588]

The Cuban people have the capacity to be creative in ways I’ve never thought possible. They keep cars from the 1950’s running and can, as it seems, solve any minor mechanical or structural problem with whatever raw materials are available to them. It’s astounding. I think it’s a social phenomenon that’s both being missed by the u.s. AND at the same time being perpetuated by it’s trade embargo because millions upon millions upon millions of dollars are being lost because of the trade embargo. That means an absence of resources. Cubans call the U.S. trade embargo “The Blockade” rather than ‘embargo.’

After talking with people in Venezuela and now in Cuba, I’ve come to the conclusion that despite being on the so-called “U.S. axis of evil list”, the general populations of these two countries, poor people and rich people alike, are more than willing to open their arms in a gesture of friendship and acceptance of American people — yet the open acceptance of neoliberal policy and the political agenda of the US government is a different matter entirely.

At times I think that all the hospitality I’ve been receiving thus far is rooted in the fact that when people ask me, “Donde eres? (Where are you from)” I respond “Estados Unidos (United States).”

Their faces immediately light up and they say, “Ohhhhh Estados Unido! United States! … My Friend!!” Just like that. Haha. It happens usually at least 3 times a day. Each person I say that to will usually explain to me that they have a family member who lives in Maimi or New York or somewhere like that. When I say I’m from New Jersey they usually give me a pound or high-five and say, in scattered English, I like New Jersey very much.”

But at other times, I am utterly convinced that these people are naturally just that friendly. I’ve observed how they relate with each other and it’s really no different.

The first aspect of Cuba I needed to get adjusted to was its dual currency system and how to navigate within it.

There are two types of currency here, they are: Convertible Cuban Pesos (CUC) and the Peso Cubano (Moneda Nacional).

1 USD is equal to .92 CUC but there’s an additional 10% fee on top of that (because the Cuban government took aggressive action towards international banks that are used to process its US Dollar currency – the 10% extra commission is a security measure. This is why I brought all my cash down in Canadian currency – its about the same without the 10% comission)

I can exchange my money for CUC at any major Hotel. Only CUC’s and Peso Cubano are accepted in Cuba’s economy.

Once I have CUC I can exchange them for Peso Cubano. The exchange rate is 1 CUC = 24 Peso Cubano. That means that 10 CUC gets me 240 peso Cubano. Essentially, because I have a temporary resident Card, I can comfortably live on only 15 – 20 peso Cubano’s a day; that’s less then a dollar a day.

Down the street I can get a small personal pizza for lunch for 6 peso cubano and a taxi ride (only in those trademark ‘cuban’ old 1950 antique cars, called ‘Maquina(s)) to anywhere along major streets in Havana for only 10 peso cubano. The old cars are illegal for tourists to travel in – essentially they’re all taxis. It’s a very efficient system of travel.

It was hard to figure out which places accepted Peso Cubano and which places accepted CUC. At first, I wanted to pay for everything in Peso Cubano, naturally, but it just doesn’t work like that. Now that I’ve been here for over a month and a half I know which places solely except CUC and which places only pretend they do in an attempt to hustle you. Because I have blonde hair and blue eyes people know I’m not Cuban and therefore assume that I am a tourist instead of a student – that resulted in me getting constantly hustled for the first few weeks. However, that was in the time before I became a familiar face around town. The hustling has toned down now.

O.F.A.C (Office of Foreign Assets Control)

http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/

I am very fortunate that I attend a school with such an expansive well organized abroad program. I believe that American University is one out of the 12 schools in the country who have a license to operate a program in Cuba.

In my application for the program I needed to submit:

• Responses to 5 short answer questions

• A long-essay (500 words or less about my plans)

• Recommendations from 2 professors

• 5 pictures of my face. The pictures were to be 5 cm by 5 cm, I needed to wear a colored shirt, and I wasn’t allowed to smile. Those pictures were used for my University of Havana Id card, my library card, and my Temporary Citizen Carnet – which gives me all the rights as a typical Cuban citizen.

With the help of AU professor Phil Brenner (one of the foremost experts on Cuba, the AU Abroad office worked tirelessly to get me the OFAC license. This is the third year the program has been in operation. From what I understand, Each year it’s been a new and equally difficult struggle to acquire such licenses. I can’t tell you much more about that process, but I can tell you what my license actually stipulates, everyone in my group is mandated to get a copy, the following was taken from a document I received from the U.S Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

New U.S. restrictions went into effect on June 30, 2004 – Currently there are 5 ways to get into Cuba, they are:

• Official Government Travelers

• Persons regularly employed as journalists

• Full Time Professional – academic research in his/her respected area

• Full Time Professional – someone who will attend a professional meeting or conference in Cuba organized by an international professional organization (not headquarted in the U.S) that regularly sponsors meetings or conferences in other countries.

• Persons who have received a specific license by OFAC prior to traveling. (That’s what I did)

My “Office of Foreign Assets Control” (OFAC) license reads:

• It is a condition of the license that the educational activities described in 515.565(a)(1) and (a)(4) authorized by the license shall be no shorter then 10 weeks.
  

• All students must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. This license ‘only authorizes travel-related transactions consistent with a full time schedule of activities authorized.’

• ‘Travel-related transactions not involving academic study pursuant to a degree program, i.e., noncredit educational activities, are NOT authorized and travel-related transactions related to such activities are prohibited.’

• The licensee shall keep a list of the individuals who engaged in travel-related transactions under this license. This list shall be available for examination upon demand for at least five years from the date of each transaction.

Once we got the license from OFAC, as described above, we booked a flight to Havana via Miami through Marazul Charters Inc. – They are one of the few travel agencies that book flights to Cuba from the U.S. – their office is located in Weehawken, NJ.

The people at Marazul were the ones who physically got me into Cuba.

Marazul Charters Inc

4100 Park Avenue

Weehawken, NJ

07086

Phone: (800) 223- 5334 or (201) 319- 1054

Fax: (201) 319 – 8970

Email: info@marazul.com

Web Site: www.marazul.com

Marazul sent us packets of information that I was required to read for the Pre-Departure Process. I was only allowed to bring 44 lbs into Cuba for my entire four months here .

Aside from a wide array of pictures, this video features: Martin’s impressive driving skills, horseback riding, cave swimming in Vinales, and hospilitity given to us by total strangers.

[Vimeo 773569]

Sometimes men dressed in shiny and out-of-date clothes, which is normal, would grab my arm and not let go until I persisted I was not interested in whatever it was they were trying to sell me. Everywhere I went for the first few weeks I expected a different face inviting me to the “best restaurant in Havana” or telling me about “the most crazy dance club” I should go to later that night. BUT, the thing is, from what I experienced so far, those people are by no means trying to harm me. The few times my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to follow these people, it became clear that in most instances they were just trying to help out a friend. I would usually end up buying a beer, having a conversation and leaving on good terms. Whereas back in the US, in New York City for example, I would be legitimately freaked out if something like that happened to me.

I share a room with a fellow AU Student on the second floor with two windows that pour hot and bright sunlight into our room all day long. The building has two porches and a guard that protects the entrance 24/7. We (the American university group) are sharing the building with another abroad program from the U.S that hails from Burlington College in Vermont.

It’s been amazing as to how fast the Cubans caught on to the fact that actual Americans, what they call Yuma(s,) are living here. Sometimes, on my way to class, which is a 25 minute walk away from my residence, people will yell my address out to me like it’s my name. I have no idea how they know. This is just another reason I need to keep my wits about me. Word of mouth spreads fast and we are constantly be-friended by curious Cubans who just want to talk with us or maybe play their Cello all night long on the porch – it’s not unusual for this to happen.

Every day when I return home I expect a different character to be waiting on my porch. – the guard however, makes sure that their not allowed inside. It’s a nice transition from the crowded, busy, and pollution filled walk home from school.

Dozens of single stared black flags cover an anti-castro, pro U.S. ticker that displays on the U.S. interests section’s building – the only official U.S. presence on the island