Letters from Cuba, June 2009 (7) Trinidad encounters

Trinidad de Cuba, Hostel Vivien y Pablo

Our most interesting walks in Trinidad de Cuba were away from the historic centre. On our first day, we were lingering outside a peso stall when a young man wearing a crisp white shirt, and accompanied by his small son on a bicycle, offered to give me 20 pesos in national currency for one of my CUCs. We accepted his offer, and spent the next hour walking slowly back to the centre of town, chatting all the way. 
Giuseppe is a Jehovah’s Witness, and he taught himself to read English by comparing English and Spanish versions of the Bible, and reading Watchtower and Wake magazines sent to him by American Jehovah’s Witnesses. He then learned to speak English by chatting to tourists.

Giuseppe said the American Jehovah’s Witnesses taught him not to beg tourists for money, and so he doesn’t do this any more. He forgot himself briefly when I asked permission to photograph him and his son, and I was so startled – we had been chatting as friends – that I abandoned all thought of doing so.

Giuseppe applied to emigrate to America and has been waiting four years to get approval. To raise money, he will need to sell his house, which he has not yet finished building; but he will need to keep this transaction hidden, as he did not get permission to build the house in the first place. The only way to get building materials is through bribery. Cuba runs on bribery, and Giuseppe's sister lost her job to someone who bribed her employer. 

Giuseppe is a baker by trade. He lost his job, but in any event he earns more when not officially employed, as he sells baking from his home – except that he can’t get flour at present. The New Zealand minimum wage is riches beyond imagination to him.

We gave Guiseppe soap for his family, and a tennis ball for his little boy. We hope he achieves his dreams.

Later we walked down Simon Bolivar. The houses all open onto the street, and people sell crafts, embroidery, new plastic bags and other small items. They are not licensed (unlike Trinidad's stallholders, who are licensed).  We got chatting to a young woman called Lara Yamicet Trocones, and I photographed the Santeria religious shines in the room. Lara asked if I would give her my cotton lawn shirt in return for some embroidery. I said I needed the shirt for myself, but I gave her some soaps. She showed me the scar on her abdomen from a recent operation, and wrote out her address so I could send her some items from New Zealand. (I later did so, and I hope she received them.)

Young woman in Trinidad de Cuba with Santeria shines in her living room. Photo: Ann Barrie, 2009

We saw houses under construction on the outskirts of town. These were brick or concrete, with shutters and no glass. We also saw a few raised gardens. 

Ann Barrie exploring in Trinidad de Cuba, June 2009.

On our second day in Trinidad, we walked in a different direction and saw many interesting sights in rooms opening off the street:

·      a ‘school of chess’ – older men teaching youngsters the rules of chess

·      small enterprises such as shoe repairers

·      a public library with a card catalogue, old book stock arranged by the Dewey system, and people studying at small tables.

Shoe repairer with song bird in his doorway, Trinidad de Cuba, 2009. Photo: Ann Barrie

Public library in Trinidad de Cuba, 2009. Photo: Ann Barrie

On a more modern note, we came across:

·      a smart shopping arcade, Galeria Comercial Universo, with a well-stocked (for Cuba) grocery store. We saw wine from Chile, Europe and California – this was much dearer than rum

·      a beautiful boutique hotel on the Parque Central (also called the Parque Céspides)

Pablo, host of our casa particulara in Trinidad de Cuba, 2009. Photo: Ann Barrie

Blog by Ann Barrie