October 14, 2002

Dear Mom: ...My visits to Cuba have validated what I once read: ‘traveling to Cuba is a real-time history lesson’. While in Cuba, Alexander became my own private ‘tour guide’. In the company of Alex, my visits took on a whole new shape. Hanging with the locals offered adventures that one never reads about in the guidebooks. There are many separations between the Cubans and the tourists. The Cubans are not allowed to stay in the government operated hotels. The tourists are not allowed to ride in the ‘collective taxis’, though Alex and I used these as our primary form of transportation. I, of course, was not to reveal my American accent during these rides. Sometimes as many as 8 people would pile into a car. Most of these vehicles were from the sixties – frozen in time after the fall of Communism. The streets were full of these colorful, somewhat surreal, classic cars. While they no longer purr, they still function well – some with over 200,000 miles!... Love, Anne

January 5, 2003

Dear Mom:

...The Cubans take great care with their craft, be it cigars or perfume or fine art. Check out this perfume store – it had a decadent apothecary-like appeal; the walls were lined with rich dark wood shelving where bottles upon bottles of perfume were on display. The magic was performed in a primitive chemistry lab hidden behind the scenes.

Perhaps my most poignant memory in Cuba was New Years’ Eve. We spent the night in Cuban-style, at home with Alex’s close friends and family. Packed like happy sardines in a small living room (about 125 sf), 11 adults and 2 children danced the night away. We ate the traditional Cuban fare of pork rice & beans, and salad. At midnight, we toasted with faux champagne. We mocked the propaganda on the Cuban television that honored the Revolution. We talked of dreams and hopes. And when we departed with the other guests that evening, what remained was a family spanning three generations - all of whom lived in this tiny and typical Cuban dwelling. A group of people, that - despite their tough circumstances - chose to find simple joy among family and friends...

Love, Anne