My initial impressions of Havana were off, after all. Perhaps it was because my first few days here I felt like a fish out of water, and wasn't used to being hailed from all angles by strangers. However, after several days in Havana, and after meeting several locals as well as several fellow tourists, a nice, much brighter image of Havana has emerged.
For one thing, only a very small group of those people who hail you are out to swindle you. My paranoia got the better of me in my first few days here. Many others were simply curious about where I was from and what I thought of their country, and were eager to help if I was lost. Some people even offered to share with me their food and drink, which I thought was very generous in a country where no one has enough to eat.
The vast majority of people, however, fall in between. They are friendly and curious, and enjoy chatting with you, but they also would like to make a buck by selling you something or providing some service in some way. As I wrote in my previous email, everyone here is searching for an angle in the fight to survive. This can take different forms. For example, one common way seems to be sketching you or drawing a caricature of you as you walk by, then offering to sell it to you. The sketches are usually terrible, but at least they try and they leave you alone if you give them a firm 'no'. Other people dress up in traditional Cuban costumes and offer to let you take photos of, or with, them, for a tip. Still others will offer to act as your guide, and direct you to whatever you are looking for- but they will take a commission as their fee. Sometimes this can be quite excessive. And of course, they will only take you to places which do give a commission.
Either way, a pleasant chat usually reveals a person who is quite proud of their country and will leave you alone if you politely decline whatever they are selling. It seems to me that Cubans have a very ambivalent relationship with the USA. They see themselves as David to the USA's Goliath, and are quite defiant in their struggle against the US, but they also acknowledge the US as a land of opportunity, where many of them have relatives sending back money to help them out.
Havana itself is actually a very pleasant city to stroll about in, or to relax at a bar and sip a mojito while watching the world go by. Life definitely moves a lot slower here, and can be very idyllic. In the evenings, in particular, when it's not so hot, everyone's favourite preoccupation appears to be to sit out on their balconies and chat while watching the world go by. The lack of modernity also extends to the lifestyle- you don't see many of the distractions, the rush and the pressure of modern life. It's very relaxing to be here.
Posted by pj at September 4, 2004 10:36 AM