Haiku: Stepping into the fray
Sweetness in the air
Currents of change approaching
The phoenix will rise
Being in Cuba was a magical, devastating, exhilarating, fun, frustrating and beautiful experience all wrapped into one. The divide in the different generations outlook on life presented a very wide delta that could be seen throughout Havana, the main Capital. Despite this, the feeling of hope and possibility could be felt all around. The juxtaposition of newness and vibrance present in large pockets of the city to the ruins of what was a long, Colonial reign followed by an even longer period post Revolution of communism, a very aggressive and successful propaganda campaign by the victors, and subsequently a very poor, oppressed, failed state, shed light on the power of human resilience and capability. I struck a conversation with someone who appeared to be in his mid-20’s who was on the street promoting a second floor restaurant tucked back in the middle of a busy street through a courtyard. I was feeling adventurous and very hungry and the thought of local food and pina coladas with some Cuban rum sounded way to good to pass up. Walking up the narrow stairs into the beautiful, relatively empty restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice that not only were all the staff around my age, but the design, menu and even music playing were similar to any restaurant in the entire Western hemisphere. On my way out after a few drinks over a nice book and some small plates, one of the staff approached me and asked me what I thought about his country. ‘America is so much better’ he stated in the small amount of English that he knew. I thought this was incredibly interesting and I replied with ‘It’s not better, just different’. He went on to confirm my feeling that the tide of change was coming and it would be his generation who brought opportunity and change to this beautiful, resilient place. I told him I knew they could, and I couldn’t wait to come back and bear witness to the amazing things they would accomplish. It is truly remarkable what a little restored hope can do, the glimmer of opportunity seized even by one person or a small group of motivated people. Maybe life doesn’t have to be the way we’ve always known it to be. After all, humans have made these rules and brought life to the way things are, so therefore, they are changeable. I can’t wait to return to Cuba and see the change take form, the people find their stride and Cuba begin to flourish once again. I went for perspective and I came back with that and so much more.