Class today was going by very slowly again until Arturo, one of the Angolan guys, announced that it was his birthday. We sang to him, but in English because apparently it's easier to sing "Happy Birthday" than "Felicidades". Then he and a German girl (Anna, I think) went to the store and came back with beer. I drank some of one but it was a Cristal and so not very good. I think Mayabe and Bucanero, the other two big ones here, are better. The class was more fun after the beers. ;) We listened to a song by Zona de Gente called "Si fueras mia" and then we practiced the grammatical structures that are in the song.
Madison didn't go to class or the conference today, which was unfortunate because we had had plans. The other girls ate at a restaurant together today but I needed some alone time. I changed money at the CADECA and then went to a bookstore on Avenida 23 that I'd been meaning to visit. The book selection was pretty impressive. They had a wide range--Proust, Kafka, Hemingway, Mark Twain, Jules Verne, Charlotte Bronte, Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende, and, of course, Che and Fidel Castro. I bought Cien años de soledad by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Aura by Carlos Fuentes, and a book of writings by Che. When I was checking out the lady let me have a free book from a box and I chose Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. The three books (plus the free one) only costed 235 pesos moneda nacional, or about $10 USD. Later I saw some of the same books in Old Havana but they were much more expensive (the equivalent of $8-10 USD each). I think I'll probably go back and buy more. I thought it was really interesting that I've seen so many copies of Winesburg, Ohio around. It's a great book, and I read it last summer based on the recommendation of my awesome high school lit teacher (shout out to Doc Miller!) but I don't think it's actually that well-known in the US.
After the bookstore I had pizza at a place called Habano Pizza. It was only 12 pesos moneda nacional for a cheese one, and it was quick and tasty. I'll have to eat there again. I actually saw Anna, a German student in my class, there and we chatted a bit. She has been here, studying Spanish, since February, and leaves around the same time we do. She's here because she wants to learn Spanish and her boyfriend is here studying at the University.
The conferencia today was really interesting (luckily). It was about homosexuality ("sexual diversity in Cuba") and other similar subjects. We also discussed the piropos and aspects of the machista culture in Cuba. I really liked the guy who was presenting and we asked him a lot of questions. For example, today when we were walking to class a guy asked us "Are we going to have sex now?" It's definitely a culture shock and we are getting really tired of the piropos, weird hissing noises they make, kissy noises, and comments. We also discussed that these (unacceptable) things keep women feeling uncomfortable and like they can't be a part of the public sphere. I enjoyed the presentation and the discussion a lot today, and I think I'll have to follow the speaker's blog.
Madison and I were going to visit Plaza de la Revolucion but she wasn't there so I went to Old Havana by myself. I visited the Museo de Bellas Artes Universal. The first floor had one interesting exhibition--one from the Bronx in NYC about racism, poverty, etc.--and a not-so-interesting one from an artist with some very strange work. The second floor had art from Spain. I liked the most recent ones on that floor, which had some impressionist influences. Then the third floor had pottery and sculptures from ancient Greece, but I didn't have much time to look because the museum was closing. There's a fourth floor as well so now I have two art museums I need to go back to. :( I bought two paintings and two CD's from stores on Calle Obispo. I had seen the paintings two Saturdays ago, so I bought them, although I haven't decided if I'm going to keep them or give them as gifts. A man in ArtEx recommended the CD's because I told him I liked bachata and cumbia. I was going to buy some cheap CDs but he told me that nobody listens to those artists. It's possible that he just wanted me to buy 10CUC CD's instead of the cheap (3-4CUC) ones. Oh well, I figured--I can always buy some cheap ones later if I want. We'll have to see how the CDs are, because the guy kept suggesting jazz ones to me and I had to put my foot down and tell him that I hate jazz.
I also stopped at the Museo de Chocolate. I was passing by so I had a glass of cold chocolate before walking on to the Mercado Almacenes San Jose. I found it, but it was closed. I also found a beautiful old church and the guard let me go inside and take pictures of the inside. I also found another lion sculpture, so I would say the excursion was successful.
I took a taxi to my house and talked quite a bit with the chofer. He recommended the Cañonazo ceremony and told me that the works of art along the Malecon are part of the Bienal and won't be there after June 22. I need to walk the Malecon so I can see them better. He was also impressed with my knowledge of Spanish and moneda nacional. :)
After dinner we had a "fiesta" in Lauren and Rachel's room again. I brought rum and my new CD's to listen to on Lauren's laptop and it was a lot of fun. We talked about all kinds of things--including my single engineer friends!--and made a lot of jokes. We also decided that I need to write a book called "The Plight of the Beavers" about how those top hats almost made them go extinct, but luckily went out of fashion before they could. Obviously, we had a lot of fun. :)
Time to sleep now! Buenas noches!
xoxo, xenophile
After the bookstore I had pizza at a place called Habano Pizza. It was only 12 pesos moneda nacional for a cheese one, and it was quick and tasty. I'll have to eat there again. I actually saw Anna, a German student in my class, there and we chatted a bit. She has been here, studying Spanish, since February, and leaves around the same time we do. She's here because she wants to learn Spanish and her boyfriend is here studying at the University.
The conferencia today was really interesting (luckily). It was about homosexuality ("sexual diversity in Cuba") and other similar subjects. We also discussed the piropos and aspects of the machista culture in Cuba. I really liked the guy who was presenting and we asked him a lot of questions. For example, today when we were walking to class a guy asked us "Are we going to have sex now?" It's definitely a culture shock and we are getting really tired of the piropos, weird hissing noises they make, kissy noises, and comments. We also discussed that these (unacceptable) things keep women feeling uncomfortable and like they can't be a part of the public sphere. I enjoyed the presentation and the discussion a lot today, and I think I'll have to follow the speaker's blog.
Madison and I were going to visit Plaza de la Revolucion but she wasn't there so I went to Old Havana by myself. I visited the Museo de Bellas Artes Universal. The first floor had one interesting exhibition--one from the Bronx in NYC about racism, poverty, etc.--and a not-so-interesting one from an artist with some very strange work. The second floor had art from Spain. I liked the most recent ones on that floor, which had some impressionist influences. Then the third floor had pottery and sculptures from ancient Greece, but I didn't have much time to look because the museum was closing. There's a fourth floor as well so now I have two art museums I need to go back to. :( I bought two paintings and two CD's from stores on Calle Obispo. I had seen the paintings two Saturdays ago, so I bought them, although I haven't decided if I'm going to keep them or give them as gifts. A man in ArtEx recommended the CD's because I told him I liked bachata and cumbia. I was going to buy some cheap CDs but he told me that nobody listens to those artists. It's possible that he just wanted me to buy 10CUC CD's instead of the cheap (3-4CUC) ones. Oh well, I figured--I can always buy some cheap ones later if I want. We'll have to see how the CDs are, because the guy kept suggesting jazz ones to me and I had to put my foot down and tell him that I hate jazz.
I also stopped at the Museo de Chocolate. I was passing by so I had a glass of cold chocolate before walking on to the Mercado Almacenes San Jose. I found it, but it was closed. I also found a beautiful old church and the guard let me go inside and take pictures of the inside. I also found another lion sculpture, so I would say the excursion was successful.
I took a taxi to my house and talked quite a bit with the chofer. He recommended the Cañonazo ceremony and told me that the works of art along the Malecon are part of the Bienal and won't be there after June 22. I need to walk the Malecon so I can see them better. He was also impressed with my knowledge of Spanish and moneda nacional. :)
After dinner we had a "fiesta" in Lauren and Rachel's room again. I brought rum and my new CD's to listen to on Lauren's laptop and it was a lot of fun. We talked about all kinds of things--including my single engineer friends!--and made a lot of jokes. We also decided that I need to write a book called "The Plight of the Beavers" about how those top hats almost made them go extinct, but luckily went out of fashion before they could. Obviously, we had a lot of fun. :)
Time to sleep now! Buenas noches!
xoxo, xenophile