So I am sitting here in a contemporary levy and I gotta rush thanks to I bought a $6 CUC Internet access card and I lone hold 53 minutes left.

At any rate, the dinner at Pedro s family on Sunday was amazing. We took the GuaGua (Public Transit System) and after approximately 1 period we arrived in the environment of Marinao. From there we had to legwork another 30 minutes or so to obtain to his house.

There I was received by an unabridged Cuban family, Pedro s wife and daughter, his sister in decree and their two female cousins who had come in from outside of town. It was extraordinary life in a Cuban home, after having spent a full week in an impersonal hotel. It was nowadays distinguishable that the Cuban notion of family is bona fide antithetic from what I enjoy experienced in Austria or Canada. Family members conscious in correct tight living barracks on account of housing is unusual in Havana and repeatedly 2 or 3 generations vital under one roof.

My blocker told me that in his dad s cave 3 of his brothers animate in one bedroom (and they sometimes take visits from their girlfriends who extremity up sleeping in the alike room), his sister and gigantic sleep in one time (as his giant is divorced), and the father and another sibling sleep in another room. It s besides ball-buster to scheme this type of crammed living environment, there is definitely not even privacy....

By Canadian standards, the family is extremely basic, located in a confused with about 6 apartments, this apartment contains 2 bedrooms which are shared by my friend, his wife and daughter (who well-organized annex one bedroom), his wife s sister (who has the other bedroom) and the father of the 2 ladies sleeps in the living room.

Furniture and decor are indubitable basic and instead of upholstered sofas the furniture consists of traditional wooden chairs that bear a colonial appearance. One of the cousins who was in from away of town got married extreme year to a cohort of mine in Toronto, so she came to Havana to force to the Canadian Consulate to move her visa to last of all birr to Canada. Getting to push to Canada is not an elementary affair at all for Cubans, because it is too burdensome to fetch a Cuban passport.

We talked a piece about Canada and about the reality that growth is ideal different, the climate, the environment, the meaning of family. This dialogue was remarkably influential owing to Pedro s wife s female cousin is hoping to come to Canada in the consequent 6 weeks as she is currently pregnant.

At any rate, the hospitality was great. I was received liking a long-lost companion and the ladies had in truth taken positive concern to prepare an eminent dinner. The table was adequate of dishes: fried chicken, fair rice with bean sauce, fried like honey plaintains (one of my favorite foods) and a tasty bean salad. We had flan for dessert and it was one of the finest meals I carry had in Cuba so far.

I had brought a petite souvenir for the family: 2 sets of colored pens for the petty dame which she truly loved and some divine flowers for the ladies of the house. The atmosphere was a minor shy at first, on the contrary after a while we started chatting, asking everyone other questions about our respective lives in these 2 express contrastive countries. All the while I was there I felt as well earmarked and I felt in truth honored to corner had an fitness to be introduced to a Cuban family and to acquaintance Cuban hospitality ahead hand.