Cuba Visit | Part 3 National Pride

by Jim and Melanie

So much imagery we experience of Cuba stems from immigrants washing up on the shores of Florida on rafts or tiny boats. The Mariel boatlifts of 1980 and other stories of refugees can make us think everyone is trying to escape the small island. On the contrary, Cubans are incredibly proud of their country as it is, as well as its past and burgeoning future.

Their literacy rate and education system, and high-quality free healthcare, stem directly from the revolution of the 1950s. But we found some points of pride that cross a longer history. There is a sweet and odd fixation on Ernest Hemingway and the decades of his prominence there. Baseball, the national sport, holds fascination for most. Below we share a few pictures and thoughts on these areas of national pride.

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Cuba Visit | Links to Parts 1-6

by Jim and Melanie

Between 21-26 October 2015, we were in Cuba under the auspices of People-to-People. Local jazz stations KCCK and WVIK organized the trip with the assistance of a travel agency.

Much happened during those few days. Our impressions and photographs of the beautiful people and things we experienced are described in the six posts linked below.

One thing is certain, Cuba is complicated as reflected by this typical utility pole in a Havana neighborhood. We have tried to make the experience more meaningful by breaking up the posts into themes instead of a day-by-day sequence of events. We hope this is helpful.

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Part 1 | Arrival

Part 2| Architecture

Part 3 | National Pride

Part 4 | Daily Life

Part 5 | Viñales Valley

Part 6 | Final Impressions

 

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