Hello Kuba, hello Havana!

Hello Kuba, hello Havana, this is how my next adventure begins. And adventure is the perfect word to describe it. I can already say that what you see and experience here cannot be properly put into words. You have to see and experience it for yourself to know what it feels like in Havana and probably all of Cuba.

But first, let me tell you about my last few days. I arrived in Havana on Saturday evening around 9:30 PM. Of course, I was lucky again that my backpack was the last one on the baggage carousel, and after what felt like an eternity, I finally got my luggage. Unlike a group of twenty bewildered French people who apparently had no luck today.

Beforehand, I booked accommodation in Havana through AirBnB. This has only been possible for a very short time, but more on that later. I had arranged for a taxi transfer from the airport with my host, so there was already a taxi driver with my name on a sign in the airport waiting area. After a short ride, I reached my apartment and received a brief introduction from the host. Then I took a quick shower, and finally, around midnight, I was able to go to bed, completely exhausted due to the time difference.

I spent Sunday getting settled and exploring the nearby area. My plan was to find an internet hotspot, yes, you heard it right, in Cuba there is no internet outside of certain government-controlled hotspots, so there is no way to book anything online. After a short search, I found one and bought some access cards. One card allows you to access the internet for one hour and costs about 1€. The hotspots are always crowded, and the internet is not really fast, but it's enough for WhatsApp. And if there are not many people, it's also enough for uploading my blog. In the afternoon, I met Kizito at one of these hotspots. He is a student from Zambia who is studying Spanish in Havana for several months. He showed me around the area in the afternoon and gave me a lot of tips about public transportation and the general situation in Havana. We plan to do some activities together in the next few days. On Sunday evening, a tornado passed through Havana, but I only found out about it the next day from my Spanish teacher. It was very stormy in my neighborhood, and it was pouring rain, and unfortunately, there were also casualties in Havana. The windows in my apartment are not really tight, so I was just standing in water in the evening. But that's also nothing to complain about when you see how other Cubans live.

My first impression of Cuba is as if I didn't get on a plane in Paris, but in a time travel machine. It must have felt like this here in the 80s, at least according to my cinematographic memory. There are hardly any new cars. In general, there are very few cars compared to other cities, and if there are any, they are old vintage cars or clunky Ladas. The houses are all very run-down and dilapidated, but they still have a lot of charm. Everything is very old, and every undertaking becomes an adventure. Here's a little example: My AirBnB apartment has a small kitchen where I planned to cook for myself. But in Cuba, there are no supermarkets as we know them. In the supermarkets here, you have to wait outside first because only a certain number of people are allowed in at a time. Once you're inside, the selection is very small. There may be 10 items to buy in the supermarket. So you have to look in many supermarkets/private apartments with window sales/public markets to see if the products you need are available. So the grocery shopping on Sunday took me several hours. A good indication of the availability of goods is the length of the line in front of the store :D So if you see a long line of people somewhere, there must be something special there, or just an ATM machine. In Cuba, there are lines everywhere, no matter what you need, you have to join a line first. Often, you feel like there is really the rule of the truck here. What has fallen off the truck is available until it's all gone. So I saw many butchers where there was only a large bologna sausage, nothing else. Apparently, the bologna truck was in town. Sometimes you see people with something or the products through the plastic bag and wonder where they bought it - I want that too. No, just kidding! Unfortunately, this is the daily reality for Cubans, and there is still the so-called "Libreta," the rationing of food through a ration book, similar to the GDR. So in the end, I was happy and grateful to get anything at all. Due to the two currencies, shopping becomes even more complicated, but as I said, you have to see and experience it for yourself to understand it.

On Monday, my Spanish course started. Because I will be traveling in South America for a slightly longer period of time, I decided to take a language course in Havana already in Berlin and booked it in advance. This is also a great adventure because my language course takes place in the children's room of my teacher's children's room. So I'm standing next to the children's beds, and I'm sitting at the desk with my language teacher - crazy and funny at the same time. Every now and then, his wife brings us a small cup of coffee, how wonderfully simple! I enjoy these unexpected and crazy twists and find my language teacher Ernesto absolutely fantastic. On Tuesday, I arrived at the lesson a little early, and he showed me pictures of bodybuilders because he seems to be a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and co. In addition, I am learning a lot and quickly from him, really great! In total, I will be learning Spanish for one week and staying in Havana as long. The course takes place daily from 09:00 AM to 12:30 PM and demands a lot from me. The first two days were already very challenging, and I receive a lot of input. In the evening or afternoon, I need another 1-2 hours for review and homework. So, my days are already busy with the Spanish course alone.

Yesterday afternoon, I managed to visit the old town, Habana Vieja, for the first time, and I want to show you some pictures from there. This neighborhood is already very touristy, and due to the huge cruise ships, there are also a lot of tourists, especially Americans, wandering around the streets. But this doesn't diminish the rustic beauty of Havana. The neighborhood where I live looks completely different from the old town, so I felt like I was in a different city. The old town looks more like an old Caribbean town with cobblestone paths and antique buildings. All in all, despite the circumstances, I feel very comfortable here and have decided to stay in Havana for two more days after my language course to have more time to explore the city. One thing is very important here, you shouldn't take everything too seriously, and then you will have a great time. As long as you have something to eat and a roof over your head, that's enough.