Hello from Cuba (4) - Bureaucracy Galore - The University of Havana
Hotel Havana Libre, Tuesday, April 5, 2005, 7:20 pm
Yesterday I had to sign up for my Spanish course at the University
of Havana. The Campus of the University is an astoundingly
beautiful collection of classical buildings and a Cuban tank
graces the entrance to the library.
My first morning as a student.
At 9 am all the foreign students, about 40 of them, met in
the Edificio Varona and we were shepherded by various professors
into a very antiquated lecture hall. (By the way, of the 5
or 6 washroom stalls in the womenīs bathroom, only 1 or 2
have toilets in them, no toilet seats, and no running water
in the sinks. Again a sign of rather run-down infrastructure...)
Steps leading up to the University of Havana.
There they told us about the program, but only in Spanish,
which was okay for me, since I speak Spanish, but about half
the group was completely lost. We then had to do a quick written
placement test to assess our existing Spanish skills and then
the bureaucracy began.
We found out that we needed the following documents:
- a copy of our passports
- an official copy of the hotel guest card and/or a copy of
the licence of the private Casa Particular
- 200 CUC (Convertible Cuban Pesos) in cash for a 2-week course
or more for other courses
- 40 CUC for changing our tourist visa to an academic visa
(in fiscal stamps which we had to obtain abuot 5 km away)
- 2 passport photos
- 25 CUC in cash to expedite our academic visa if we are in
town for only 2 weeks.
I linked up with a bunch of foreign students and we headed
off together on our quest to fulfill the Cuban desire for
Burocratismo. We first obtained cash at bank at the Hotel
Havana Libre, then got the passport pictures done (to be ready
for pickup 3 hours later), then searched for the other bank
on Calle 23 that would provide us with the 40CUC stamps for
the academic visa. With extremely long lineups everywhere,
this took us about 2 or 3 hours.
Then we got really hungry and we were approached by a local
"Jinetero" (restaurant tout) who promised us a complete meal
with main dish, salad and side dish for 6 or 7 CUC. We walked
with him, only to find out that the wait at the Paladar (private
restaurant) would be about 45 minutes to even sit down, not
including food preparation time.
Tank in front of the University's library.
So we walked up Calle 21 and a private restaurant owner approached
us for a meal and we gave in and came inside. It was a beautiful
colonial villa, except that the guest room with is obligatory
3 tables and 12 seats was in a dark small dingy room completely
without windows.
However, we had a delicious home-cooked meal, I had roasted
chicken with rice & beans, salad and a lemon soft drink,
all for 8 CUC (about 8 US$). 2 of my student colleagues were
from Germany and the other fellow is from Toronto as well,
but originally from Poland. We had some great conversations
and it was interesting linking up with a bunch of Europeans
in Havana.
After a brief rest in the hotel, my friend Pedro again picked
me up in the evening and I couldnīt help but tell him about
my experience with the Cocotaxi driver yesterday, who had
tried to pick me up, despite my clarifications and statements
that I was married and not interested in any amorous activities.
Pedro explained that sexual relations in Cuba are a relatively
common, easy-going thing and that it is very common for people
to link up for quick "meaningful overnight relationships".
He referred to the Cuban people as very "passionate and hot-blooded",
I guess that explains a couple of the advances that I have
been receiving so far, particularly since there is also quite
a lot of sex tourism
where men (and even women) come to Cuba to engage in easily
available erotic experiences.
Pedro and I walked through the old town and of course along
the Malecon (the seafront boulevard) and saw the beautiful
Plaza Vieja and the Plaza de la Catedral where a mass was
being held for the passing of Pope John Paul II.
This was very interesting, since Cuba is a Communist / official
atheist country and there are much fewer Catholics today than
before the Revolution. Actually much of Cubaīs religion is
a mixture of Catholicism and Santeria (religious practices
of the African slaves). Regardless of religiousness, Cuba
has declared a 3-day "duelo nacional" (a national mourning
period for the Pope) and the mass was attended by hundreds
of people.
Pedro and I then had a nice meal in the "Barrio Chino" (Havana's
Chinatown) for 5.60 CUC (less than US$6) for 2 people and
2 vegetarian meals and soft drinks. After a nice dinner he
again flagged down a local private car driver and gave him
about 1 CUC for picking us up and dropping us off at my Hotel.
At midnight I dropped into bed, exhausted.
The Alma Mater in front of a concert stage.
However, at 4 am this morning I awoke with major intestinal
problems. Apparently my Chinese meal had not become me so
well and I had serious digestive issues emanating from both
sides of my body. This morning I realy felt rotten and I ended
up using my own medical kit for the first time and took some
Immodium.
I was unable to eat breakfast, but I made my way to the university
where at 9 am our classes started. Surprisingly the placement
test had put me into the level of "perfeccionamiento", the
highest level and the level of Spanish in my class was indeed
very high. The class consists of 7 students, a young woman
from England, a young female medical student from Denmark,
a middle-aged female doctor from Finland, a young male law
student from Sweden, a young woman and man from Norway and
myself from Austria/Canada.
Obviuosly there is a very heavy Scandinavian slant in my class
and it seems everyone in the class is a hobby sociologist,
political scientist, environmentalist and historian. We asked
some rather tough questions about Cuban life, the political
system, the economic hardships, the double economy, the situation
of women and blacks in Cuba, machismo and the situation of
the environment.
Some of these questions made our female professor feel extremely
uncomfortable and it seemed like she was squirming under the
barrage of probing political and sociological questions. She
got very defensive a few times about the Cuban system and
only after we discussed the good and bad aspects of European
and Canadian societies did she loosen up a bit and become
a bit more open and frank about the real Cuban life. It seems
that to this day Cubans have to be very careful about what
they say in public.
For example, she frankly admitted that racism still exists
in Cuba and to this day it is still a country with a lot of
machismo. However, she did not admit that Internet access
and access to non-Communist media is forbidden for Cubans,
she simply explained it as an economic issue. (Several of
my colleagues had heard otherwise in their travels in Cuba,
simply that a Cuban is not allowed to have access to the Internet).
She also admitted that it is not allowed for Cubans to visit
the tourist areas of the Cayos (e.g. Cayo Coco) which is exclusively
reserved for tourists and Cubans have no access to that area
whatsoever, a definite point of contention among the locals.
Class ended about 1:20 and my upset stomach did not allow
me to intake any food. I headed back to my hotel, slept a
little and have been on the Internet for the past 2 or so
hours (racking up a bill of about $US 20.00 or s0), documenting
my trip.
Itī'll be a quiet evening tonight since I am trying to settle
down my stomach. But I am sure the adventures and the learning
will continue tomorrow.
Interesting and useful books about Cuba:
Related Articles:
"My
Post-Cuba Reflections: Appreciation and Balance"
"Cuba
is Calling - Why I selected Cuba as my language study destination"
Hello from Cuba (1) -
First Impressions"
"Hello from Cuba (2) - Rain
in Vinales"
"Hello from Cuba (3) - Hiking
Vinales and Exploring Nature"
"Hello from Cuba (4) - Bureaucracy
Galore - The University of Havana"
"Hello from Cuba (5) - Another
Mind-Twisting Experience"
"Hello from Cuba (6) - The
Student Experience and Political Insights"
"Hello from Cuba (7) - Fun
and Recreation"
"Hello from Cuba (8) - Bicycle
Rides, Camellos and Cannon Shots"
"Hello from Cuba (9) - Havana
Neighbourhoods"
"Hello from Cuba (10) - A
Country Excursion"
"Hello from Cuba (11) - Inside
a Cuban Home"
"Hello from Cuba (12) - Contrasts
and Contradictions"
"Hello from Cuba (13) - Exploring
Downtown Havana"
"Hello from Cuba (14) - Field
Trips and Interviews"
"Hello from Cuba (15) - Getting
ready to say 'Goodbye, Havana'..."
"Hello from Cuba (16) - The
final day"