Document text
`Rich Americans' take walk to discover the real Cuba LETTER FROM CUBA By POPPY ALEXANDER EDITOR'S NOTE: Poppy Alexander, a senior at Ashland High School, filed this letter for the Mail Tribune on her impressions of Cuba. She and nine other Ashland students are among the 27 Americans involved in a historic debate with Cuban students this week in Havana. Cuba is the perfect cross between a tropical paradise physically and a third-world nation socially to being absolutely individual and proud of it. Our first day (starting at midnight Oregon time) took us from Miami to Old Town Havana in one swoop. Landing at the airport, our group looked out of place. Most people there were meeting returning family with eager eyes and nervous hearts; nothing seems certain in U.S.-Cuba relations, including visits. We, confident and hiding behind our Americanism to separate and protect ourselves, were a distraction to ogle and laugh at. We were led through the gates to our bus, where impatient men waited for tips for bringing our bags. The one dollar or less we gave was their livelihood. At one point, someone dropped some small change; the men rushed to pick it up and divided it, penny by penny, among themselves. It hurt me to play the part of a rich American, yet there is no choice because the Cubans' hospitality, while wonderful and generous, singles us out as different. One afternoon eight of us took a walk through a neighborhood. Every person with whom we attempted to speak was kind and eager to tell us what they were doing. One man was working a commercial garden, taking great pride in his melons and corn. Another was an herb farmer who took us behind the pigpen and proudly showed us his herb garden. He explained he believed everything used as medicine came from plants. The gentleman kindly gave us a free cure for stomach sickness from the recesses of his dark and airless wooden shed. We do not need it yet, but fresh water is hard to come by, and we have observed that vegetables and animals mix often. The police presence is very real. On almost every street corner is a uniformed policeman and sometimes a green-clad soldier. They do not seem to be there to hassle the populace but rather to make their presence known. Military jeeps frequently drive around, but most contain civilians or soldiers who wave and smile. Overall however, I get the impression that the Cubans are a people who refuse to let politics destroy their joy in life, which they live moment to moment, without certainty of the future. All of us have been astounded at their eagerness to communicate and get to know us. One man told a member of our group that the embargo should be ended just so more Cubans and Americans could talk to each other. We are trying to do just that and meet every Cuban we can. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA