… We played musical broom and when we finished dancing, the house was spotless and clean! …
Postcard from Cuba – You guys should all try it! I dont think I’ve ever had so much fun in my life. During the course of 6 weeks, my Swiss friends and I probably drank as much rum as drunken scoundrel pirates would’ve back in the day, or if we didn’t then we definitely gave it a good shot – drinking at least one bottle a day. Havana Club, Ron Mulata, Pati Cruzado, Guayabita del Pilar, Ron Negrita, homemade Ron, Chispa (makes you go blind!) – you name it, we drank it. I know we had gone way over the limit because when I flew back to Mexico city, not even Tequila affected me. My sweat pores had a fragrant odour of fermented sugarcane and I was pennyless. That’s right, pennyless – but extremely happy. Happy to have learnt what it feels like to be alive and to live.
You see, living in a developed country, we take many things for granted, like electricity, shelter, and food. Don’t get me started on telecommunications. One vivid recollection I have is the constant electricity blackouts (due to coal rations at the electrical powerplant). We would be partying with friends and family, dancing salsa (in Cuba they call it casino), eating pork crackling, drinking rum, smoking excellent homemade cigars. When the power went out, the Cubans didn’t cry or whinge about it, instead they took out instruments and started to play music. We played musical broom and when we finished dancing, the house was spotless and clean! There was little concern for the food in the fridge as there wasn’t much anyway, and what was left would’ve been eaten during the party!
I’ve been meaning to put words to this blog post for quite some time, but haven’t had the courage to muster the right words. I’m afraid that anything I write in this blog about my experiences in this magnificent country will not do it justice. You must try it for yourself. I don’t think one fully understands the meaning of generosity until he sees poor people giving. In my eyes, that is the true meaning of wealth – its not about the car you drive, or how much money you make – it is about your values as a person, that is true wealth. And from my experiences in Cuba, there is plenty of wealth to go around.
The Cuba trip