As I live in Florida, I feel as if I my 2013 journey to Cuba with Global Volunteers was an homage to my Cuban American friends and colleagues. Cuba is beautiful, deteriorating, and complex. The people are warm and welcoming. Everyone dances, sings, and/or plays instruments. The old are survivors and resourceful. The young are […]
Community Partner since 2007.
As a Global Volunteers “veteran, ” I was eager to join the Cuba Program right after the first of the year. Even though we saw many historical sights in Havana, the highlights were the conversations with the young English teachers who strolled the streets with us, and we shared our thoughts on similarities and differences in our […]
Cuba has a magnetic pull for me….I just returned from my 6th (or maybe 7th) trip to Cuba. Our Cuban friends say: “We’ve never met a stranger, “ and that is exactly how you feel the moment you arrive in the country. They greet us with hugs and smiles and immediately make us feel “at home.” The […]
In Cuba restored American classic cars – Chevy convertibles from the 50s and 60s – are taxi cabs. Most are relics of the U.S. businesses on the island in the 1950s under the Fulgencio Batista regime before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Now in the capital city of Havana friendly men put these […]
Christmas in Cuba is very much a family-oriented holiday and gifts are not as important as spending time together. Roasted suckling pig is the traditional dish served for Christmas lunch. Parrandas – parties in the street with fireworks, floats, and dancing – are a common part of Christmas celebrations in Cuba. Christmas in Cuba – and everything […]
Google Makes Internet Freedom Visit to Cuba By Tom Risen June 30, 2014 | 10:52 a.m. EDT Only 2.6 million of 11.2 million living in Cuba have Internet access, with many of the access points run by the government or hotels for wealthy foreigners. Google wants to change that, so top executive Eric Schmidt is […]
Broadcast on NPR April 13, 2014 Summary: Since Fidel Castro ceded authority to his brother Raul in 2006, life in Cuba has slowly been changing. Young Cubans are more comfortable talking about their government, and cellphones have begun to open up the island more, connecting it in a small way to the outside world. Julia […]
Our last day in Ciego de Avila – Thursday – was spent in the heart of the city. We met Eduardo at his church where we gave all the donations we carried with us – toys, fabric, toothpaste and brushes. Zoe led us on a short walking tour of the shopping area of Ciego. When […]
Our morning began with a stop at the US Interest Section. It operates under the Swiss Embassy, with the purpose of protecting US citizens while they are in Cuba. They also issue visas (both immigration and visitor). The line for visa appointments was very long this morning. We had a nice visit with our Cuban […]
Tangible poetry: That is what the artists who work there call Muraleando. Our morning began at the “neighborhood of art”. The community was there – the neighbors, the residents – filled the streets as they were enjoying a street fair. Children were dancing, musicians performing. This was a first for me to see this artist […]