First Impressions: Cuba

Everyone has been saying going to Cuba would be like time traveling:
We'd step off the plane right into the 1950s. If this is the case, the
50s weren't so bad. We're living better at our Cuban home than we do
at Princeton, except for the fact that we don't have access to high
speed internet. I may be going through a bit of email withdrawal, but
beyond that I am completely enamored with Cuba. After months in the
miserable New Jersey winter, I prefer *this* side of Paradise. Word to
Fitzgerald.
The city of Havana is organized very well; the city is set up like a
grid and streets are in an order that makes it very easy to figure out
how to get around. This morning I ran down to the beach and did
experience quite a bit of air pollution caused by the exhaust from all
the old cars and buses, but it just means I'll have to run before rush
hour. There's a gym about 50 feet away from our front gate, though, so
I don't see exercise as a problem.
We met for our first class today at the Center for Demographic
Studies. The professor does a great job of explaining everything and
the class is very intimate as there are only four of us. On Monday,
we'll go to learn more about classes offered at the University of
Havana this semester. It's sure to be very different from Princeton
because there is no course catalog or 7:30am sign up, but we'll all be
shopping classes to feel out our favorites. I'm hoping to be able to
keep up with the professors and make conversation without sounding
like a fifth grader, but only time will tell!

Later that day....
We went to a live rumba performance. It's something unlike anything
found in the US. The singer takes the mic and begins by singing a few
ad libs, just a few words of gibberish to throw off the listener. The
drumming begins and the singer starts to tell his or her story, with
themes very similar to American Country music (I lost my dog, my wife
doesn't love me, etc etc.) and as the music picks up, dancers enter
the floor. The dancers (a male and female) then engage in a play in
which he tries to 'vacunar' the woman (vaccinate-- a metaphor). The
woman tries to elude the man as much as possible, often teasing him
with shimmies and winks. The performance has an element of
spirituality, as many of the performers practice Santeria and use
music to invoke a heightened spirituality, but each song and dance is
a special experience with dancers responding to the drummers'
improvisation. I LOVE IT! I want to go back! After the performance one
of the drummers tried to say something to me, but I didn't understand
what he was saying. Next time, though. Yo voy a RRRRUMMMBAAA!