Hello everybody!
here I am and here are the first vicissitudes:
- They didn't know I was supposed to arrive right now
- My supervisor is on holyday
- I have an official visa so I cannot live in normal people houses, only in those managed by the State for diplomats… I let you the pleasure to guess the price. For the moment I am a semi regular host in a “casa particular” located in what seems to be not one of the best neighbourhoods of la Havana. If I stay in an official house I can have guests, while if I am in a private one in theory I couldn’t… the dilemma is getting worse!
- They gave me the stipend only today. As the PNUD official say it seems that up to date I had a “mala suerte particular”… and don’t tell me you don’t speak Spanish!
- My visa is 1 entry
- My credit cards are useless (if you’re coming to Cuba bring cash or visa)
- Opening a bank account is not recommended; apparently its only function is to take a pretty commission when you finally decide to close it. Anyhow everything works with cash; cards are to play games on the street!
- The right to a mobile is 110 USD!
But I am chronically optimistic and this would seem too much of a “cahier de doléances” while I am pretty happy and excited about this experience. So:
- You can see Ocean waves breaking up against Malecon :-)
- If this is winter I don’t dare to think about summer!
- My supervisor arrives on Monday and yesterday evening we had a New Year cocktail at his highest Director’s house (it’s not honorific, this flying Dutchman is really one of the tallest person I’ve ever met, and I already have a very good impression about him).
- These are wonderful, kind and very respectable people.
- If I wasn’t in this “particular” (=private) house I couldn’t get to know real Havana! Anyhow criminality is very low and the worst I could get through in these streets full of running kids is a dirty ball on my white trousers! Moreover the landlady and the family are very honest and kind (and they cook well!)
- Well, I’ve been paid isn’t it?
- I’m trying to get a multiple entries visa
- Even if they steal me all the credit cards I don’t loose a coin! Lololol
- I will rediscover the pleasure of cash under the mattress or the touchable reality of UNESCO’s safe
- I surrendered and bought a mobile line, here it is: 00 53 52 94 38 07
Everything is very fine!!!
Kisses from surreal socialism,
Debora
1 comment:
Ben arrivata!!!
Le tue vicessitudini mi ricordano tanto le mie... anche qui in Siria, tra un piano quinquennale e l'altro, le carte di credito sono state introdotte solo da poco...
Io sto ancora aspettando che la Commissione Europea mi paghi lo stipendio e intanto lavoro gratis... per altro, la mia banca belga aderisce all'embargo USA contro la Siria e quindi non posso fare nessun versamento (per esempio, per pagarmi l'affitto...)
Insomma, la vita è bella, non lamentiamoci e andiamo avanti fiduciose.
Appena mi pagano e saldo i debiti con i vari colleghi damasceni iniziero' a pensare a venirti a trovare. Che voglia di mare con tutto questo deserto!!!
SUERTE y hasta la victoria siempre (è proprio il caso di dirlo)
Sara
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