Santiago de Cuba Diary 3: Teacher Computers

Profs Marta y Jose Luis from the Jose Marti Society/ Pedagogical Institute

The days are hot, short and have begun to run one into another to become a travel blur. A week is not very long to be away, especially here in Santiago de Cuba. Life moves in slow motion even considering the cooler winter heat. Also under the crippling weight of the US economic embargo.

The everyday amenities of city life, work and school are still often in short supply here, resulting in long waits for even the most simplest of things we usually take for granted. The telephone Internet is of course low tech and land based, dependent on a slow old fashioned wire electrical grid that often crashes in bad weather, or due to worn lines and increased use. There are still sporadic rolling light and energy blackouts as well across this Caribbean city of one million throughout the night and day.

Gone are the days when the economy collapsed and consumer goods dried up to a trickle in the "Special Period" after the sudden demise of the Soviet Block in 1992. South American, Canadian and European business and distributors have long since moved in to fill the opportunity gap left in the US and Soviet absence.

The move to a mixed socialist and market based economy has been slow, but would probably be heralded in Vietnam, China or even Russia had they experienced a similar evenly and fairly spread out post Communist economic development and growth. However the lingering cold war antagonisms are still an especially touchy sore point for the US in it's relations or lack thereof towards this small independent island nation located in the backwaters of the Americas. Having once caused such a post colonial stir with the 1959 Revolution, Cuba remains an ostracized political and economic pariah.

The impact seems most notable in medicine, food and consumer goods. For purposes of the Cuban School Project in providing educational aid, the need is most felt in the lack of new technology, especially cheap, reliable and easily accessed computers, software and peripherals at the schools. Forget paper, printing and hard copy classroom and office work materials and teaching learning supplies. These have long been difficult to supply or purchase here in sufficient quantities to meet the everyday needs of the Santiago de Cuba School Project's recipients' needs. On the other hand both Apple and MS are US based products which remain hard to import or if so they are unlikely to be very up to date. In Apples case, there seems to be no presence at all.

On this trip I am focusing on providing some computers for the teachers use. Just think of how much you depend on them today. Ultimately the focus is on providing an improved platform for better developing our long running locally Cuban and Canadian teacher "Ingles Para Ti" Spanish English workbook and teaching guide initiative and capabilities. The first few paper editions quickly fell in short supply, unable to keep up with demand. With the shortage of paper and printing capacity the hard copy version was hardly cost effective to continue to develop update and upgrade as it would be in an electronically interactive and paperless computer version.

So far we have managed to produce a few editions of a simple CDR based version. On this visit I am hoping to help my colleagues take the next step in further setting up a better computer based teaching and learning system. In specific, I have brought an Apple Ipad and an MS netbook for the teachers to learn how to use as we put together a system for their grassroot use in developing the next step of our project. Progress in the small Cuban Schools Project educational aid program I have set up and run since 1992 is often measured in little but very important first steps. This Novembers trip provides a case in point.

 Tuesday night our small group met in the wireless internet access area of the Melia Santiago de Cuba hotel. I handed out the two devices and began familiarizing my colleagues with their use. The internet was so incredibly slow that we did not get very far with the on line component, but familiarity with the operating systems is a time consuming process in itself, so the time was not wasted. I will be around until next Monday to assist and answer their questions. We will also be meeting to develop a plan for the new edition everyone is eager to create on this new if not rather small technology and software platform I am providing for them through the project.

 
Today they have taken the computers home to share as they explore further and use them on their own. Once again my day seemed short and amazingly similar. The morning sunny is especially vibrant out by the pool. As the afternoon heat builds the dark clouds again rolled in exploding in a mad burst of torrential rain that lasted for a few hours. However the heat continued to build.

It is now evening and the dark is settling in along with a cooler drop in the temperature. After dinner at the buffet tonight Maryanne and I are going to enjoy a traditional evening of Cuban music, culture and dance, a part of the special itinerary Marta has put together for us. Each cultural strand is supported by the government in jobs and funding organized around a little casa or house dedicated to preserving, continuing and representing each in the local communities across Cuba wherever they are popular or originated.

Santiago de Cuba is especially steeped in culture. It has continued to thrive, perhaps even more so having been cut off from the outside world for so long after the revolution. There is popular contemporary music and culture in the clubs and all that too, but we are looking forward to the real thing, rumbas, afrocuban and traditional music without the commercial influences. Over coffee and rinks I afterwards also informally catch up with the teachers progress and difficulties working on the new computers today.

A Letter from Santiago de Cuba

Dear Mr. David Chiarelli.

Greetings to all our friends in Canada.

During the sad night of October 24 and the morning of the 25th, the city of Santiago de Cuba has seen one of the biggest natural disasters in the history of the city.  Hurricane Sandy has brought much pain, suffering and loss of life in the city. 

I am sorry to say that the community school "Friends of Toronto", has suffered property damage. The last class was on the 23th. The students were told to go home to prepare for the arrival of Sandy on the night of the 24th. The school took all necessary measures to preserve materials, school furniture, as well as electrical equipment, but the wind forced caused some problems. 

Sandy entered the city as a Category 2 hurricane, with winds of 175 kilometers per hour. The wind broke the doors. The entry of the strong wind and rain has created serious problems. During Oct. 26, 27, and 28, we have been working to try to repair the damage so we can make the school run again, while we  recover economically and try to repair the rest of the damage. 

Currently, the entire city is without electricity, so we need to await the return of electrical service or get a generator. In future posts I will try to send you some pictures of how the city has been devastated.

I take this opportunidad to express our highest consideration and respect to you and your organization. 

   

Lic. Guillermo Guardiola

Founder of the Community School
"Friends of Toronto"

[For a useful news link and updates on the post hurricane situation in Cuba see: http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=81060 ]

Cuba: Hurricane Sandy Hits Toronto Friendship School!

SCROLL BELOW FOR TODAY'S UPDATED NEWS LINKS

Hurricane Sandy delivered a devastating full frontal blow on Thursday to Santiago de Cuba. I talked to Prof. Guardiola from the Toronto Friendship School last night. The school was hit, and the barrio neighbourhood around it suffered severe damage. A lot of the homes and buildings are flimsy and very old with stone tile roofs. You can imagine what happened when even the huge palm trees where ripped right out of the ground!

Here is the main plaza in the city centre near the Casagrande Hotel + the Cathedral. The community based non denominational Toronto Friendship School is located nearby, in this 500 year old city which was one of the very first Spanish settlements in the Americas.

Pappy Guardiola is okay, as are Madelena and Cari. They are still at the school. I have not been able to confirm with Prof Jose Luis or Aurelio how they and their families are though they also live in the neighbourhood. The roof was ripped off the Casa de Estudiente [student's house]. A curfew is in effect as the army tries to dig out the city. The Bucannero Resort was completely destroyed, wiped right off the coastline, read "gone". The Melia Santiago City Hotel suffered extensive damage. Telephone service is of course down, but the cellphones still work.

Here I am at the Toronto Friendship School in Santiago de Cuba last summer. I regularly visit to help  with donations + to provide direct assistance in developing the English language program etc. at the school.

You may be aware of my work as director of the CSP [Cuban Schools Project] in Santiago, especially if you were a regular on the ENO teacher internet site during the Harris years, or read my blog during the summer when I go down there. We helped the Cuban teachers build the Toronto Friendship School with direct volunteer assistance, and educational developmental aid and solidarity grants from OTF and OECTA. Teachers have helped from OSSTF and ETFO too. Over the years teachers from all the different affiliates have sometimes been interested in going to visit and help out at the school.

Before Hurricane Sandy: The Toronto Friendship School is on the 2nd floor. It was built and funded by teacher educational aid + solidarity grants through the Cuban School Project which I founded back in 1992 after a class trip to Santiago de Cuba.

Santiago de Cuba is located in "Hurricane Alley". This swath of the Caribbean is a bulls eye target during hurricane season, though it often receives very little news coverage from US media sources. When a hurricane strikes, the city evacuates into the huge cave shelters which the governnment carved into the side of the Sierra Maestra Mountains overlooking the city, so that civilian casualties are usually very light. However the city was apparently hit extremely hard this week. As the locals says it is devastated. They've seen many hurricanes in their time.  If they say it is devastated, believe me it is devastated. Not a very good situation under the crippling US embargo!

A news photo of the damage on a typical street in the barrios where the school is located.

As before the Cuban School Project will be seeking donations to help the students, teachers, their families, and for rebuilding the damaged sections of the Toronto Friendship School. It's an especially well built reinforced concrete rooftop structure but it has still suffered bad roof and water damage in years past. I am still waiting to ascertain the full damages from last week.

Here is the Student House, near the city centre. You can see the stone tile roof strewn on the ground.

If you can direct me, as the Cuban School's Project director, to any sources of educational or solidarity grants that might be helpful under the circumstances, please let me know. I can be reached at the email address on the top of my blog screen, or via the "Comment" button at the bottom of this blog, for more information on the CSP.

As teachers we can make a difference, not only here at home, but also in the less fortunate places around the world. We are one.

Here is last summers dance class. The students are hoping to put on a show where they can help support their families by playing at the nearby resorts.

More news to follow. In the meantime:

For a good news report see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/25/hurricane-sandy-cuba_n_2019099.html?utm_hp_ref=canada&ir=Canada

For more background info on Santiago de Cuba also see my blog: http://tsu3rdvp.blogspot.ca/2011/08/santiago-de-cuba-faded-glory-lost-in.html

For more info on the Cuban School Project please see: http://tsu3rdvp.blogspot.ca/2011/08/csp-cuba-school-project-story.html

For a report on last summers trip to visit the Cuban schools see: http://tsu3rdvp.blogspot.ca/2012/08/santiago-de-cuba-school-diary-2012.html

There area also photos on the right lower side column of my blog.

The civil defence authorities ae seen here distributing much needed emergency relief supplies.

Santiago de Cuba School Diary [2012]

[My PDT news links continue below this blog. It was time for a bit of editing, so you will find all the entries for my Cuban School Project trip to Santiago de Cuba here.]

Monday August 13: A blistering 40 degrees in the shade as we arrive in Santiago de Cuba. Settling in and visiting my teacher colleagues and friends at home in the city centre near Cespedes Park, the Cathedral, Casagranda Terrace, the Casa de Trova etc.etc.etc. It's been a year. Everyone welcomes my sister like a new family member. You can't beat the Cubans for genuineness and hospitality!

Tuesday August 14: Another day day spent in the Santiago de Cuba city centre visiting friends and experiencing the downtown sights. Excellent traditional Cuban music along Heredia Calle. The Casa de Trova/ House of Music has two stages and an upstairs dance floor now! Dropped by the Toronto Friendship English School, where all is well. I need to get up early for tomorrow's 8am class.

Wednesday August 15: Visited beginning students and their teacher at Toronto Friendship English School. Student numbers up to 150 for this fall when day round classes resume. All ages. Only 1 teacher though. Teachers earn 500 to 1000 local pesos a month in Cuba now. 24 pesos are worth 1 Canadian dollar. Do the math! Ouch! Afterwards we had lunch with my teacher colleagues from the pedagogical institute to discuss plans for the made in Cuba"Ingles Para Ti" workbook we have been developing. Uses local Cuban references, stories,and examples instead of America, British or Canadian ones. Will develop three more levels in hard print for the English schools, and of course, the interactive DVD version for at the university. I will definitely need to do a lot more Cuban School Project fund raising in Canada when I get back to make it work. Still the progress to date is quite extraordinary, definitely a community labour of love by the teachers.

Thursday August 16:  50 degrees Centigrade! Too hot to do much of anything in Santiago de Cuba today. Invited the teachers to the hotel pool. We stood in the water up to our necks talking school plans, had a good swim, then worked on our tans in the sun. It's of course summer holidays here too. Am baked golden brown. Making plans to go snorkeling down the coast this weekend before we leave.

Friday August 17: Visited Moro Castillo, the towering 15th centre Spanish fortress built at the entrance to the bay. Protected Santiago from pirates, invaders from 16 to 19th century until they let the US navy in. Santiago is the 7th settlement in the new world, and the original capital of Cuba. Also birthplace of the 1959 revolution. Teachers have asked us out to dinner tonight at a friend's casa/ home. A youth dance troupe came over to make a presentation for some educational aid. Those kids sure could dance! Sill talking school business despite the overwhelming heat. Everything always moves in slow motion here. Surreal. Go with the flow. Just too hot to do otherwise....

Saturday August 18: Day spent finishing Cuban School Project business in meeting at hotel. Will try to get teachers a good computer in Canada with software, printer and burner, so they can better continue developing our English-Cuban workbook, basic through advanced editions. Laptop probably easiest to bring into the country. Maybe go Apple? Provided current donations for the Toronto Friendship school and the university professors to continue work on the project for next school year. We'll probably just go sit and relax with my colleagues at Cespedes Park in the city centro tonight. A typical everyday Cuban night out for the locals. An orchestra, minstrels, lively discussions and all sorts of other entertainment, a real carnival of Cuban life! Then Sunday to the beach!

Sunday August 19: My sister and I snorkeled in the grotto at the Buccaneero Hotel outside Santiago, while the staff from the Toronto Friendship School enjoyed the all you can drink-all/ you can drink amenities. It was a windy if not hot day and the water was very choppy with big swells. The grotto is like a huge natural tropical fish and coral aquarium. Lots of Brain and Long Horn coral. Schools of Blue Tang. Swimming out along the coast we got caught in a strong current but swam safely back to the grotto and finished our snorkeling adventure there. Big iguanas all over the rocks, came up to our table at the BBQ/bar looking for scraps. All in all a great day, driving there, and back in a 1955 Chevy for $25 a day.

Monday August 20: Departed the hotel for the airport by lunch after much hugs and kisses for our send off. Riding in a 1957 Ford which kept breaking down, couldn't make it over the steep foothills outside town. Pretty funny actually but we were running late for our 2 o'clock flight. When my sister went to get out the door handle fell off in her hand! Fortunately got rescued by a jeep which raced us there fast. Only one flight out of Santiago today, ours, so not much of a line up, to say the least. Sad to see the city and the mountain tops disappear below the clouds as we flew out back to Toronto.

Also see last year's Cuban School Santiago Diary in my August 2011 Blog Archives below. Possible sources for education aid donations for the Cuban Schools also being sought. Please write if you can help. Cheers!

Santiago de Cuba Diary 3

Saturday Friday August 13^th:  Guadalavaca Beach Cuba [Followed by Sunday August 14th]

6am Saturday morning, it’s still dark here in the shadow of the Sierra Maestra mountains, but our group of eight is gathered on time at the hotel for the mini bus I got to take us to Guadalavaca Beach.  It’s about a three hour drive on a very bumpy pot holed road up through the mountains and across Holguin Province to the seashore. We each had a day pass at the Breezes Guadalavaca Hotel so we had full run of the place including the snack bar, buffet and bars. There was Josefa and Luis, I’ve mentioned them before. I have often stayed at their home and they are like an extended family to me. Of course I invited the big three professors working with me now on the Cuban School Project [CSP] initiatives through Oriente University; Jose Luis, Marta, and Guillermo. Guillermo’s wife was invited along and we brought José’s eight year old grandson Ernesto [he’s named after Che] too.

I paid for the trip, just to thank them for all they have done and to build upon our team spirit as part of the CSP. They wouldn’t be able to afford it themselves, which is ironic because if they taught in Canada, they would be earning a lot more than me. It was a real pleasure, and they seemed quite happy. I think they liked the buffet best. It was quite excellent even by Canadian standards and the endless helpings quite enticing when like them you are depending on rations a lot of the time. It was too hot on the beach for Josefa and Luis, who are getting on in years, but they enjoyed the breeze up in the shaded area by the snack and drinks bar. The rest came down to the far end of the beach with me where we found some lounge chairs under a sprawling tree. I took off snorkelling for about two hours, and then rendezvoused with them back with Josefa and Luis imbibing and having fun.

It was a vigorous dive. I had to swim out about 200 meters past an underwater field of sea grass to reach a very nice coral garden. It was quite magnificent and I counted up to six different types, plus scores of colourful sea fans gently swaying with the light current. The water was warm and quite still. The sun was beating down overhead, making for a perfect summer day. I swam down along the coastline a ways until making landfall on a deserted white sand beach where I just lay a bit and rested, basking in the sun, the water lapping up against me. I was in sheer bliss.

On my way back I swam along a rock escarpment for awhile. There were millions of minnows, little tiny silver streaks everywhere, I’ve never seen so many before. It was quite incredible! Other fish were swimming in to feed on them; nature was just taking its course. Back further out to sea I followed a school of Blue Tang and saw a fair number of smaller very colourful tropical fish. The Mexican Mayan Riviera really outdid Guadalavaca in the fish department, but the coral and sea fans here were very well worth the snorkel dive!

I landed near the main section of the resort beach and joined up with the others. We visited a statue of John Lennon in the resort garden and took pictures. Apparently it’s a mecca now where once a week folks meet to sing and read poems. There is another such Beatle shrine in Habana too. Now in Cuba there are also many Beatle themed bars where Cuban musicians come to play Beatle music and the Castro brothers have even given the band the official stamp of approval.  Beatlemania is in full swing here!

There’s a rumour Paul McCartney has been invited to come play a concert in Cuba and has so far been non-committal, perhaps because of the US embargo?  It’s a little known fact that he has visited Santiago de Cuba unofficially and unannounced some time ago. He visited Moro Castillo and had dinner at the restaurant looking out to sea. His chair is now also much honoured and has an autographed plaque on it. I’ve got pictures of Jose, Guillermo and myself at the Santiago and in Guadalavaca sites which I will post.

Paul McCartney also attended an afternoon performance at the Casa de Trova. He didn’t play and didn’t want his picture taken either though a few enterprising Cubanos hiding in the clothes racks at the Trova gift shop, managed to get them anyway. I believe there is also another of him outside the Casa de Trova walking down Heredia Calle/ street.

Anyway, we relaxed in the shade for an hour or two until five pm rolled around and it was time to drive back to Santiago de Cuba. The gang sat in the back of the bus singing Beatle songs. I joined in then got lost in the splendour of sitting up front in the bus and just watching the majestic countryside roll by. The rolling farm fields and roadside stands selling vegetables and fresh fruit are very picturesque.  The Cuban Campaneros [farm people] were riding along the highway on horseback and in, bikes, the odd motorcycle and old beaten up vintage American car from the 1950’s. Many of their simple country homes still have thatched roofs. It was incredibly rustic, an era gone by back home in Canada where farming is more so big business I fear than anything else.

So here I am back at the hotel ready for a good nights sleep.

Sunday August 14^th

I slept in a bit after doing my packing last night. I usually leave a lot of stuff here if my colleagues and friends can use it; toiletries, clothes and medicine. Before breakfast I did the last of my banking. The teachers will come over tonight. Jose Luis is the CSP’s managing director here. He will have costed a few of the projects we’ve discussed. Then I will leave the current donations with him to distribute as planned. I’m keen to get as much up and running, and to keep building on our success, so it takes some careful planning, and of course accountability. I am very satisfied and pleased with our results to date.

This afternoon I invited the Guardiolas to the hotel for the pool and lunch. The Toronto Friendship School is on the roof of their house and they manage it for us, aside from the teaching part. I have stayed many times at their home or in the little teacher’s room behind the classroom since the 1990’s. They long ago welcomed me into their family and I wanted to thank them on a personal note.  From a CSP perspective.  I am getting the new set of workbooks and some other materials to enhance the school programs as per my discussions with the teacher and students. A computer would be very useful. Of course a lot will depend on getting on funding for this and any future projects and I will really have to get working on that early this school year.

The Guardiolas have never been inside the Melia Santiago Hotel before, even though they have lived in Santiago all their lives. The ten CUC cover charge for the pool, not to mention the price of lunch and drinks would be way beyond their means, even though overall it’s a pretty good deal if you are a tourist. Grand Papa Guardiola was hesitant to come. He was adamant he couldn’t because of his heart and the heat, but I think he’s enjoyed it the most.

Little Cari, who I knew as a small child, has grown up to be a beautiful senorita and is here now as a young adult with her mama. It is cute how they hold hands as they walked in, Cari trying to look very international, a real Cuban beauty. Her mama is just happy to be here and make sure nothing happens to her. You hear lot’s of stories about young Cuban jinetera [prostitutes] but there is another side to life here in Cuba. It is also a very Catholic country, with strong family values.

Grand Papa is in and out of the pool, the sun, and the shade; he’s got more energy than any of us. You won’t meet more natural, genuine, and warmer people than the Cubans. It makes me happy just to see them happy, I don’t think I could want for much more than to just be here and share some good times with them, and help out with the schools

I fly back to Toronto tomorrow, and will no doubt have more pictures and photos to share.

Santiago de Cuba Diary 1

My posts now appear here in descnding chronological order. I posted about August 11 today, and it now appears at the bottom of this post as it should. I also began posting my Santiago De Cuba Diary 2 above. I'm afraid I've been a little late in keeping up with posting my blogs but life is happening here faster than I can do so and I'm pretty much always doing something or other all the time! I hope the new chronological order makes it easier to read.

Tuesday August 9

Day two in Santiago de Cuba. I arrived at lunch and had to wait about an hour for my room which was okay. I got an internet card and made sure the Wi-Fi works here in the lobby of the Melia Santiago Hotel. It does, but it is pretty slow. This is still something new down here, two years ago when I visited nada.

So I unpacked and had a wonderful siesta in my 8^th floor room. What a view! I can look out my window at the Sierra Madre mountain range surrounding the city. Below is Reparto Sueno, the neighbourhood of dreams. It's a sleepy older part of town that dates back centuries with its stone houses, tiled rooftops and sprawling tropical vegetation; quite a few varieties of palm trees, ferns and more.

There is a buzz in the air, barking dogs, honking car horns, the rumble of traffic and voices. A chorus of roosters greets the dawn in the morning across the city, and it still not uncommon to see a goat tethered out front many homes. In the back they may even have a chicken coup, or even raise a pig, for the meat. Besides providing milk and cheese, the goats also serve as a lawnmower keeping the grass short and trimmed. Pretty neat.

Of course I can close my window and just enjoy the air-conditioning. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t. I quite love the natural charm of this city.

That first evening Professor Jose Luis joined me here at the hotel for a café and to begin discussing our business, and planning an itinerary. He too is a music aficionado, so I brought him an IPod Classic packed with Beatles tunes. He also especially likes Paul Anka, many of the Cubans do, I don`t quite understand the fixation but I am happy to load all his albums on too. I brought a small portable dvd player and a stack of movies. He will share these at school with the English students. It creates great interest in his classes.

I slept in this morning before going to the breakfast buffet. The food has been good. Later I made my way over to his home in the centre of the city, a leisurely half hour walk at most. His wife Marta served us a home cooked meal for lunch, very Cuban style; rice and beans, pork, avocado. I`ve been drinking gallons of fresh tropical juice; orange, mango etc. It is so good and natural, nothing like we get at home. The taste literally explodes in your mouth. It`s indescribable.

I returned to my hotel room late afternoon, walking back through the busy streets during rush hour just enjoying being there and tasting everyday life. There are more vehicles, especially motorcycles, less horse drawn carts. There is a lot of new construction and family run shops, usually a street side table with an awning selling their services or wares.  Lots of fruit markets and carts. I stopped in Delores Park to listen to the street musicians play some musica Cubano traditional style. Everybody sitting about listening was very nice, and even wanted their picture taken. I tipped the band a peso and waved good bye to everyone as I made my way home for my siesta.

I had a great swim in the pool, then enjoyed the dinner buffet. Afterwards I made some business calls to set up my meetings. Jose and I will be visiting a few places tomorrow and I am planning a small conference with the group working on the Ingles Para Ti workbook at the rooftop café here at the hotel later in the evening. The workbook is now in its fifth edition, the last three on dvd, with a sixth in the planning and they would also like to use it to set up an E course in English.

August 10

I was up till midnight in the hotel lobby uploading photos and a post for my blog site. It is very slow. I hope everything posted, especially the photographs. I have taken so many. Today I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast buffet, toast, eggs, tropical fruit, coffee and juice. I happily sat alone reading a book and just enjoying my unhurried solitude. I am reading Pepys Diaries, always a pleasant diversion. His personal reflections and insights on 16^th century life in London England are quite enjoyable and not without their comical asides about many of the cultural and political intrigues  of the day. I quite like his style.

Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice walk downtown to the city centre taking lots of photos along the way. I’ve been here a dozen times at least so I pretty much know what to look out for. The amount of new construction, the busy stores, and multitude of street side merchants stands is a pleasant surprise. This is definitely the best I’ve seen it since 1992.

Jose’s nephew Ernesto was watching the local t.v. channel when I arrived at Jose’s house. In the morning are the children’s shows.  All very upbeat with positive messaging on safety, manners, the history and culture of the island with lots of dancing, singing and animation. There was none of the sex or violence or blatant commerciality we see at home, and it is all very well done.  I’ve noticed the young people seem very polite, respectful and quite frankly a delight to have around. We could learn something here from the Cubans.

Jose and I went down the street to visit Josefa and Luis. I have stayed many times at their bed and breakfast, and they too are like family to me. We were asking them about their part in the 1959 revolution. Their home was a safe house for the rebels when they came down from the mountains and were hiding in the city. They stored guns there too, and had a police radio so they could let the rebels know when there was a raid, capture or an attack pending. Many of the locals can tell such stories; it was a very local affair. Cold War history blew the revolution up into some catastrophic event but one could well argue that at the local level it was not a communist plot but rather a nationalist struggle, and most everybody I’ve met takes great pride in having done their part. We recorded some of the discussion using my iPhone movie camera. Jose would like to record everyone’s stories before they get too old and they are lost forever. Josefa and Luis are in their seventies and eighties now and quite established and respected in their own little community. Hardly communist rebels. It is amazing to consider.

Jose and I went to the travel office to look into arranging a trip to the beach, possibly for this weekend, then took a walk downtown and back towards my hotel, stopping at the Moncado barracks. A yellow fortress and armoury of sorts it is considered the birthplace of the revolution. Fidel lead an unsuccessful attack on the barracks in 1953, while still just a law student. Most of the force was killed or tortured to death. He went on trial and gave his famous “History will absolve me” speech. It is now like a shrine. You can see the bullet holes on the façade of the main building, and inside are many displays telling the history of the revolution, especially the attack on Moncado. There are guns and artillery. You see the bloodied uniforms, torture tools, graphic photos, historical documents  and the like. I’ve been here before, but wanted to take some photos and just wander around awhile. Quite interesting, and they spare no punches with the graphic details.

Afterwards Jose and I parted ways. I’m back at the hotel for my siesta, a swim in the pool and then dinner. The pool is as warm as a bathtub but compared to the outdoor sun and heat it is still very refreshing.  I cannot emphasize too much how hot it is here especially during the day, when even the tar on the street gets soft.

A group of the teachers are meeting with me tonight about Ingles Para Ti. I am entertaining them here. The hotel is air conditioned and it is still blistering hot outside, hot even for Santiago de Cuba, plus we have internet access in case we need to use it.

Later Tuesday August 10

Our meeting on the rooftop deck of the Melia Santiago Hotel last night was fantastic. We watched a very traditional, if not rather risque group of Cuban dancers put on a show over a cold drink in the cabaret then stepped outside to sit and talk business.

Ingles Para Ti has been very successful and is being used for teacher instruction at the Oriente Pedagogical Institute, and in the Hospitality training schools. The workbook is now in it's 3rd edition on dvd with about 200 of them making the rounds, to be shared at the schools. Another more interactive version is in the planning stages, and I will be seeking funding for it when I return to Canada. I have asked for a full acounting of how the previous donations from OECTA/TSU and the OTF has been used, and a proposal for the next edition. I will use that, along with a dvd copy of the program to make the case.

The teachers are also keen on setting up an E program for conversational English to help Cubans better understand foreigners and exchange simple greetings and engage in simple conversations with us. There is still a lot of logistics to work out on this, and I have asked for their proposal, perhaps for a prototype version first, before I leave on Monday. It's a very interesting and exciting possibility.

It was a productive evening, sitting 15 stories up, looking out at the city lights. Nothing like Toronto, there's fewer street lights and few brightly lit commercial establishments, no business towers, mostly just some apartments and house lights. Still it was quite magical, like stars in the pitch black night and there was a very pleasant sea breeze, as pleasant as my discussions with our Cuban colleagues. And with that I will go to bed.

Wednesday August 11

I had a busy morning at the hotel doing some banking and booking an air conditioned  bus trip for myself, the teachers, and a few other locals who have just been very helpful to me over the years. We will go across the mountains to Guadalavca on Saturday. There is a beautiful white sand beach which is excellent for snorkelling, and of course we can sun, talk, and I am sure they will enjoy the buffet.

Guillermo is new to our Ingles Para Ti writing team. He teaches English to a government hospitality class for students seeking employment with an English company or to work in tourism and at the resorts. His good command of the language and strong pedagogical skills will be a big help. Jose Luis’ wife Marta is helping now too. She teaches art and culture at the university and is very well versed in the history of the island. The work so far has been beyond my wildest expectations. I’m pleased to take them out to the beach for a little mini holiday to celebrate theirs commitment to the project and all their hard work. It’s not something they could afford on their own but it’s pretty cheap by our standards.

After I booked the trip I took a taxi downtown to Cespedes Parque, and walked from there to the Toronto Friendship Community School out in the barrios. I relaxed over a glass or two of ice cold Guava juice with the Guardiola family who run the school for us; it’s on the rooftop of their casa, and by all accounts doing quite well. I decided I will come back tonight and sit in on a few classes and have a talk with the teacher and students about what they need for their studies.

Coming back to the hotel mid afternoon was incredibly hot. There was live music in every doorway, and in the parks. I stopped to enjoy a woman’s group which sang very beautiful and with great rhythm and also a children’s group which is learning the traditional musical styles of Santiago de Cuba. I also bought a very nice hand made straw hat for three convertible pesos from a street vendor.

The CUC acronym for the convertible peso, which is artificially pegged to the dollar, at about par with our own right now, has become pronounced and known as the “kook”. In Canada we have “loonies” and “toonies”, and now in Cuba they have the “kook”. Fitting in that its real value is very questionable. The National Peso used by most citizens here is worth about 25 pesos to the dollar. Still there isn’t a whole lot to buy with a “kook”. Most of the services, restaraunts and trips are so reasonably priced it really doesn’t matter much.  It’s an interesting footnote, as the Cubans seem to be weaning themselves off dependency on the US dollar. Their mixed economy has pretty much recovered from the Soviet collapse, and even seem poised to be take off now on their own  accord, with the recent reforms, petrol  from Venezula and tourism from most everywhere it seems but the US.

Later August 11

This evening I sat in on the classes at the Toronto Friendship Community School. It is still going strong! They are on reduced summer hours with four beginner classes a day until September, then they will once again offer all four levels required for the diploma. The fans we bought for the school and installed two years ago help when the doors are also left open. The school can’t afford to use the air conditioners we also provided long ago. Although they work fine the cost of electricity is too high! In the small single room concrete class we built the teacher and students are still using the old spectrum workbooks, which surprised me. They don’t have any computers but perhaps another paperbound edition might be in order. They could also use a new white board and markers. As a sign of the new prosperity, the students now can afford their own pencils and notebooks unlike in years past where these were very hard to come by indeed. I can even recall bring down suitcases full of these.

The teacher will be visiting me tomorrow night at the Melia, where it is much cooler and we will narrow down the schools needs for my next funding request in Canada, from OECTA and OTF. He has been providing ten years of hard work and dedicated service and is making excellent progress with the English language program. I can recall in 1992 when the Toronto Friendship School began as a small loose brick, wood plank and sheet metal roof shanty. I am glad he has helped us carry on so well in establishing and maintaining the schools good name, so invited he and his wife to come visit the cabaret here tomorrow night for the floor show. Then we can sit outside on the 15^th floor deck to enjoy the breeze and talk business. It’s a small price for me but a pretty big deal for the teachers to visit the hotel or go anywhere on their 3-400 National Peso salary which is worth about $12 to $16.. I want to find out how much we are paying him because this just isn’t right.

Please see my blogs below for more info on Santiago de Cuba and the Cuban Schools Project.

The CSP: Cuba School Project Story

My flight left early Monday morning without incident, as did my arrival. I'm waiting to check into my room after having slept most of the trip. Good news: The Melia Santiago Hotel has Wi-fi. Not so good news: it's slow and kind of expensive, but no matter. Posts will be forthcoming once I settle in! In the meantime....

 

The last day or two before any trip is always a nail bitter for me. The first day is usually spent settling in. With a ittle luck I will be posting shortly from Santiago de Cuba. This posting and the last two, along with the slideshow of photos from my previous trips will hopefully hold you for now, and provide some good background info until I am back up and running again from down there.

This will be at least my fifteenth or so visit to Santiago de Cuba, there may be a lot more, I lost count long ago. In 1992 I first visited on a class trip with my politics students. It was fascinating that all the band members a the hotel were teachers like myself, probably earning more in tips than the approximately ten to twenty dollars a month they would've earned in pesos teaching at school. On the sly they would slip in the odd Beatles song, much to my delight. They had to be careful. Beatles music was still illegal in Cuba! One night I sat in on a jam with them at their school, helping them out with the lyrics. The window shutters were closed tight. Nobody knew we were there in case they got caught. I instantly fell in love with the place.

Since then there have been many changes. Beatles music is quite legal now and perhaps more popular in Cuba than anywhere else. At anyrate, it sure has caught on, and also sparked a lot of interest in the English language and the outside world. It is strange and a lot of fun to go into a local Cuban night club for folks our age and live the sixties all over again as they now enjoy what was long denied to them.

Over the years the Cubans have also been able to go into business for themselves. Some of the teachers opened an independent community English instruction school under one such reform in the early nineties, as Cuba re-opened it's doors in earnest to tourists and foreign trade, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and it's satellite states. Everybody wanted to learn English now to take advantage of the new opportunities this presented.
 

In Santiago few people at the schools I visited had ever met a foreigner. I was quite a celebrity of sorts on my many visits back then, often staying in the teacher's room at the back of the school, where I would teach and help out with developing the English instruction program. Back home in Canada I would solicit educational aid grants from both OECTA; the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, and OTF; the Ontario Teachers Federation to help pay for the school supplies and construction of the new rooftop Toronto Friendship School English Community School in the innercity barrios of Santiago de Cuba.
 

Later I worked with my Cuban colleagues at the Oriente University Pedagocal Institute and the Jose Marti Society to develop the "Ingles Para Ti/ English for You" teacher and student instruction workbook. Recently a more practicable DVD interactive version has also proven quite useful and popular at the local schools. The project still continues, with an updated version being planned, and will indeed be a main focus of my trip.

There's a saying that you can give someone a fish and they won't be hungry for a day. Or you can give him a fishing rod and they don't need to ever be hungry again. I like to think the CSP is more a case of the later. Good jobs are opening up in Cuba if one can speak English, in tourism and business with many of the western countries besides the US. Their economic embargo still remains in place since shortly after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. It seems ironic that there is little consternation about trade with other previous Cold War foe in Russia, China, and Vietnam, with Cuba still being the exception. It is not important to beleager the politics of commerce here now except to say it's home grown Revolution with a salsa beat, despite whatever mistakes have been made, remains a relatively innoculous Utopian brand of mixed socialist and open market ideologies, in no way comparable to what we see in North Korea or any of the other few remaing Communist hold out states. It is only through education and interaction with the outside world that I believe any real change can continue to take hold in Cuba today.

My international readers might be interested to know that Canada has never been a part of the US embargo. Cuba remains a trade partner but mostly a very popular tourist destination, as it is for many other European  and Latin and South American countries. It is well known for it's friendly people, great pristine beaches and incredible vistas. It is a very safe country to travel about unlike most every other Caribbean destinations. It also has universal medicare and education up to and including university, with one of the highest literacy rates in the Americas, even surpassing the US. It can be a very pleasant and interesting place to go!

I was once puzzled while teaching a conversational English lesson with the students blank stares as I tried to have them practice a telephone conversation in English. When I asked them if they had a phone at home only one or two put up their hand! I was also struck by the awkwardness of the class while we read  a story about a man who found a nice apartment for the reasonable price of $800. Then I realized most of them earned the equivalent of $10-20 a month! They right to housing, and monthly food rations is guaranteed, but of course a lot more than that is needed. However to make use of another phrase, the educational materials available were as useful to them as giving a bicycle to a fish, and one out of water at that!

With "Ingles Para Te" we began including local contexts, references and life styles to come up with something more useful and recognizable to somebody living in Cuba in a "Made in and for Cuba" workbook. It seemed a far cry better than the outside Spectrum Series or the government provided program of learning how to translate Che's speechs to entice visitors to socialism. While these have long since fallen by the wayside, "Ingles Para Ti" continues to grow. I look very foward to both discussing with Professor Jose Luis his plans for the next edition and revisiting the Toronto Friendship school to help the teachers and see what they need to continue their good work during my visit there this week!

 

PS: See my postings below for more information on Santiago de Cuba and my CSP trip.....

Santiago de Cuba: Faded Glory, Lost in Time!

Ahh -the anticipation of travel! This weekend I finish packing. My flight leaves Monday, and with a little luck I'll be in Santiago de Cuba by lunch for this summer's Cuban Schools Project trip. Professor Jose Luis and I plan to meet later on in the day to catch up on old times. He can update me on the situation at the Cuban schools. We will make the rounds for a week.Then I hop a jet back to Toronto. It's a short three to four hour ride each way. I can hardly wait!

The whole world seems to slow down under the hot tropical sun beating down on Santiago de Cuba. From the Sierra Madre mountain tops towering over the city you can see Jamaica on a clear day. Santiago was one of the first Spanish settlements and sea ports in the Americas. Over the last five hundred years or so it has evolved into a mad backwash of history, a city time seemingly forgot. The Spanish, French, American and Soviets have come and gone, the cities mix of architectural styles reflecting the decaying and faded glory of it's colonial past. It is also considered the birthplace of the Cuban Revolution where Fidel Castro and the Heroes of the Revolution waged guerrilla war against all odds and won. Far to the south of Habana, Cuba's political capital, Cuba's second largest city is a curious world of it's own most tourists to Cuba never see.

There are a few resorts doting the coast a distance from the city, which itself has few of the modern amenities we might expect, usually making it a day trip at best to view it's historical buildings. That would include the Cathedral outside Cespedes Parque, the architypical Spanish church and central park or "plaza" to be found at the heart of every great Spanish city. There's the Casagrande Hotel from Graham Greene's "Our Man In Habana", as comically mysterious and insane as ever. The crumbling five hundred year old Castillo and Spanish battlements, all but empty now, still guard the harbour entrance to the sea.

At the site of San Juan Hill the ghosts of Teddy Roosevelt and Antonio Maceo still duke it out over the victory claim for the decisive battle in the War of Spanish Independence, amongst the aging cannon placements and overgrown trenches. The bustling Casa De Trova is where generations of musicians preserve and pass on the  traditional "son montano" musica as it evolves over the centuries, strumming their tres guitars during the busy matinees. The timeless and constant beat of AfroCuban drums in the city doorways and streets bang an irresistible hypnotic beat rising and falling with the sun and the heat, and every so often erupting into a mad dance of conga lines snaking up and down the hilly streets.

Thick lush tropic vegetation, huge sprawling ferns and towering palms surround and interweave some of the oldest stone European buildings in the Americas. There are still cigar factories where they are rolled by hand. Cafe counters on the street corners serve endless cups of steaming hot expresso. Late 1950's classic American cars from before the revolution still drive the city streets. The dilapidated though still busy downtown shopping street is without any brand name stores or restaurants. Whatever overpriced goods slip through the US embargo sell for local and convertible pesos though there's a good music store. The local ceramics and abstract paintings are quite cheap, very artistic and well made.

 

Huge rooftop tiled barrios of rickety home built atop home upon home spread out endlessly down the foothills of the city.Smoking old industrial factories and rundown warehouses can be seen along the harbour front in which ancient rusted tramp steamers lazily sleep at anchor under the intense tropical sun and heat against a majestic mountain backdrop.

Santiago de Cuba has many very reasonably priced bed and breakfasts and small family run "palladar" restaurants, or on occasion I have just stayed in the teacher room at the Toronto Friendship Community School  atop the Guardiola's home, who have become like family to me. Other times I have stayed in an air conditioned room at Josefa y Louis's huge grandly tiled downtown casa where I have always been likewise welcomed. Then there's the towering Santiago Melia hotel, one of the few newer buildings in the city, in this case an oddly placed post modern construct, and perhaps monument to Santiago's late, in fact not way too late twentieth century period. Last visit it had a truly 5 star buffet and accommodations. Since it is only a short walk or cheap taxi ride from the city centre, it is near to all my teacher friends, the school and places I wish to visit. In my graying middle age, I've booked a room there for this short one week trip, unlike in years past.

If any of you are familiar with my CSP postings on the ENO/REO website in the 1990's you will be familiar with my many adventures "going local", so to speak, when I never would've even considered this, but times change, and the Melia also has a wonderful outdoor swimming pool. I look forward to some sun and water sport during my off times, maybe also to just lie there and read a good book under the palm trees, as this is both a work and vacation trip. The Internet service should also be a big plus if it's working, the dial-up service elsewhere is tenuous at best. With a little luck I will also arrange a day trip with a group from the school to go out snorkeling on one of the beaches further down along the coast. All work and no play can makes for sad boys and girls when September once again rolls around!

Well, I should get back to packing and so on for my trip. Busy, busy, busy. I know I said I don't work summers, but I think this is different. Despite the tasks I wish to accomplish, and it would be great to also teach class a bit, this work, if we can call it that, is very pleasurable. I can't quite consider it work as such. It's more so service perhaps. I believe that as a Catholic teacher we do have a duty to provide service to others. It's especially important here in Santiago de Cuba.

On my next posting I will explain more about my Cuban Schools Project, and what we do. Please stay tuned.

 

Off To Cuba!

It's official! I've booked a trip to Santiago de Cuba. I will be staying at the Melia Santago Hotel. I will be visiting my teacher friends at the Cuban schools as a part of my Cuban Schools Project [CSP], in particular at the Toronto Friendship School, the Oriente Pedagical and the Jose Marti Institutes. Professor Jose Luis Tejaro and I will make the rounds. I began the CSP in 1992 to provide direct educational aid to the Cuban schools for developing the English programs at the schools, and the work continues!

Some of you will be familiar with my project, but mostly not. I hope to post live blogs from Cuba, as well as photos, and will bring my camcorder as I take this trip on the road, more details to follow. Stay tuned! This trip should be very interesting and a lot of fun!

Funding for the CSP comes from OECTA/ TSU [Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association/ Toronto Secondary Unit] and the OTF [Ontario Teachers Federation].

Back To Toronto!

Here I am back in Toronto from my Mexican trip, sitting on the balcony with my morning coffee. It's an overcast day. I brought all my house plants out for some sun and rain when I got back. It's pleasant. I'm surrounded with greenery, looking out at the city, feeling relaxed and very happy with our trip.

I didn't go outside for the first three days back. Nope. I stayed in my man-cave, the music room, listening to my stereo, reading, napping, kind of in free fall. All that vacationing tired me out! Whew! Life is tough and then you die! My niece Katrina finally convinced me that it's nice out and I shouldn't miss it. She's not working this summer either. In the fall she goes to teacher college. I think it is a good idea, as long as she can pay the bills, she should rest up and enjoy herself, the school year ahead can often be very stressful and draining come summer. Practice now! I always like to take the summer off. Time is worth more to me than money. We only live once. She's saying she`s not working to protest stress and wrinkles to ward off any static. I love the cause. Go grrrrl go! Would be nice to be twenty something again eh?

So I walked about downtown Toronto. I was born here, and a Yonge Street walk is just one of those very Torontonian things I still do. As teens we`d always go on Friday or Saturday to Sam the Record Man`s store; Beatle albums were always on sale for $4. There were a lot of really great clubs and local bands back in the sixties and seventies; Ronnie Hawkins and the Band at the Hawks Nest, jazz at the Colonial, Carole Pope at the Chimney, Triumph at the Piccadilly Tube, to name but a few.We`d party, or sometimes just walk around checking out the action and well known characters on the street, never bothering anybody.

Yonge St. has always had it`s ``Toronto the Bad`` side to it with the massage parlours, porn shops, strip clubs and hookers, but that was pretty much shut down long ago. Later it was a punk rock hang out. The Viletones would play Yonge Station while the big bad bouncers would sell the kids bad drugs at the door, and then beat them up and kick them back out onto the sidewalk once they got stoned. The Dog would spit out the words and chew on glass as the band blasted away at their three chord hit `Screaming Fist`. 

My style was more the Talking Heads, the Ramones and the Dead Boys at the New Yorker, a tawdry old movie house that`s now been converted into the Panasonic Theatre. Toronto Punk and New Wave were always first and foremost about the music and fashion. I think so. Yonge St was pretty much just an ugly version of the Queen St West scene where I lived at the time. We had the new wave bands like the Diodes and Dishes at the Ontario College of Art, and the Talking Heads at the Horseshoe Tavern if I remember correctly. There were umpteen local bands playing at the Beverely Hotel, the Shock Theatre and the Crash and Burn Club, or we`d go dancing all night at the Twilight Zone. It was always a very local scene mostly centred around Queen St West Soho.

Did you know Toronto was one of the big three Punk and New Wave Rock epicentres during the mid to late seventies, along with New York,and London. There was a very good book written about it recently `Treat Me Like Dirt: An Oral History of Punk in Toronto and Beyond` by Liz Worth on Ralph Alfonzo`s Bongo Beat Press. It`s a good and very insightful read, but I ramble....

So now here I was post twentieth century, quite middle aged and respectable, just sitting at a window seat in the Second Cup Cafe at Yonge and College, with my coffee and iPhone, people watching. I walked about for a few hours. I won`t belabour this, I`ve done at least one Yonge St blog before. Suffice to say it was hot and sunny. Nice but not as nice as Mexico mind you. I think it`s the humidity from the lake which makes Toronto feel like a sauna during the dog days of summer. The Mayan Riviera had a great Caribbean breeze, not like here.

I bought a bunch of seconds and reminder art books at BMV on Bloor St. West just north of the University of Toronto. This store is amazing! Very cheap and incredibly diverse and well stocked with everything from books to CD`s and DVD`s in the basement. I could spend hours in there. Anyway, I found a stack of books about album cover art from the 1950`s to the 90`s, with info and full colour plates. I collect music and was a disc jockey and radio program director when I was at U of T. It`s been my hobby as long as I can remember, and I have a pretty decent collection of six thousand or so CD`s and box sets, maybe a thousand original LP albums, boxes of old 45`s and cassette tapes etc.

The only problem was I had to trudge home on the subway to my car at Yorkdale Mall carrying this very heavy stack of hard cover books but folk were nice and made way for me, even opening doors and so on. ``Toronto the Good!`` Once home I stayed up late listening to tunes and pouring over my new books matching the cover art with my albums and CD`s until the wee hours.

Long and short of it is I finally got back outside! It had felt so good just to stay home and do nothing after all my adventures in Mexico. Janet and I have been putting a lot into fixing up our condo so it is just the way we like it. 1200 square feet, an ideal place for empty nesters with good security, nice neighbours, a good location. All of our favourite things are here and we are slowly but surely getting it set up just so for when we retire. The irony is that far too often during the year it is like a pit stop between all the things we have to do. I really like just being here and enjoying it, and that`s exactly what I have been doing. Feels great! Now I`m going outside again too. Well done, eh!

I`m trying to set up my Cuba trip to Santiago de Cuba but my Cuban teacher friends are off to Habana and I`ve been there enough for now. Also most of my Cuban Schools Project work is in Santiago, so outside of having a very good time in Habana, which I without doubt would have, it kind of defeats my purpose unless we can co-ordinate our schedules which I am trying to do now. Communications with the Cuban Schools is dicey at best but I am plugging away at it, with no doubt a great story post to follow once I get that rolling, details forthcoming.

My sister Mary Ann is coming to visit from Sudbury for the weekend. We were going to go see the tall ships down at the harbour front but there are no tall ships at the harbour front, so much for that! We`ve got a bunch of other stuff to do too. I can`t quite recall what but Janet is my social director, she`ll know what we`re doing and where we go. Should be fun!

I could go for groceries but it`s lunch and I am sill in my pyjamas. Anyway I hate pushing around the cart with people bumping into me, and then lining up forever at the check-out counter. That`s not to mention having to bring my own grocery bags to help the environment and so on, and then carrying it all upstairs in a buggy cart to our condo. Blech! I think I`ll tidy up the place and we can eat at restaurants while she is here. There`s enough food and drinks in the fridge to get by. Sounds like a plan. ;-)

Bye for now!