Tuesday, March 28
We started the day with breakfast as usual, which consisted of scrambled eggs, ham, guava juice, freshly brewed Cuban coffee, bread, butter, and peanut butter. They also provided a native fruit spread that included juicy mango, succulent pineapple, and tangy guava. As usual, they set out pots of hot milk and authentic Cuban sugar for our coffee and a unique hot chocolate blend that is, though less sweet, thicker and creamier than the American knock-off.
After breakfast, we returned to our activities at the church: the shoveling of sand from the ground floor into a bucket, which is pulleyed to the second floor where it is transported by wheelbarrows to a growing pile near the front. We are glad to say that after two days, the pile of sand is over halfway transported, a feat rather impressive for a group of inexperienced teens new to the contracting business (if you need something moved, let us know).
Our wood pile, where we share one crowbar and one hammer to remove nails from wood planks, has been dwindling from the initial roomful. At around noon, the hosts called us down to eat ice cream, which was delicious and certainly welcome after hours of hot work. Honestly, it’s a lot better than what we have, which is something we’ve been noticing here. The food is healthier, but the flavor is just as good, if not better. For example, Coca Cola is too expensive to import so only the rich population can buy it, but the rest of Cuba created tuKola. It doesn’t taste like you’re getting diabetes because they managed to make it taste like Coca Cola without high fructose corn syrup. After our break, they made us burgers, french fries, rice and beans, and a type of slaw for lunch before we headed out for an excursión to the plaza.
The plaza was colorful, another common characteristic here in Cuba, with its bright yellow and blue and pink and green buildings. It was teeming with people and vendors; despite the busy walkways, we were able to get much shopping done. Many bought keychains and decorations for rooms. Though many vendors had the same items (hand-carved dominoes, figurines, keychains, bracelets, etc.), we noticed that they didn’t fight over customers and they traded money and items if one vendor needed something. They were very inviting and we talked to a lot of them about where we came from. Many Cubans are curious about us as foreigners. As we walked back to la Iglesia de los Amigos, there was a huge thud and we realized that a student wasn’t paying attention and tripped, her foot falling into a muddy pit. Despite it looking like feces, the locals reassured us that it was just mud from the drain. Another student fished out the dirty flip flop as a nearby restaurant guided the poor student into the bathroom to clean herself. No one was hurt, things are ok. It was just funny.
A small group of four, accompanied by Señor Nasatir went to a Catholic mass across the street while the others played a card game. After dinner, which was pork, rice, vegetables and a salad, we began to prepare for a trek up the nearby mountain. Hard for some, we all eventually arrived at the top of the 921 ft (according to our Snapchat filter) la Loma de la Cruz. The 9 flights of steep stairs proved difficult going up and down, but the view was worth it. The night breeze alleviated some of our sweat as we took in the sight of the city’s lights, a mix of white and orange against a completely black backdrop.
But that’s not all. Maria and the others had prepared a surprise for Mr. And Mrs. Washington’s 37th anniversary. Dressed in a purple gown, Mrs. Washington held her bouquet of violet flowers as she met her husband, who donned a suit jacket above his t-shirt and cargo shorts, in front of a purple backdrop and a big cake. A famous Cuban singer and her daughter both solo’d a song for the couple and another singer, David, sang a few songs for the two as well. There was dancing and more singing, specifically “Siyahamba” from members of the MFS choirs, and a congo line and call and response and cake and ice cream before we ended the party at midnight with group pictures, urgent showers because we were all sweaty, and much-needed sleep.
Han & Siani =)