Sunday, February 13, 2011

Nuestras Apartamento

We’re staying in Miramar, a generally quiet section of Havana filled with foreign embassies and only a short bus or taxi ride from downtown.

These apartments are meant for 2 people, but there are 3 girls, so the cot is wheeled in and guess who gets to sleep on it. I actually volunteered to take it as opposed the full size beds because I am a sweet, self-sacrificing person. Oh wait, no. I just liked the freedom of mobility that a cot has to offer in case one of the girls snores or dare I say even breathes loudly in the middle of the night and my earplugs aren’t thick enough to deter the sound. I really am going to be a joy to marry one day.

There’s my cot in the corner:

The Montehabana is a fusion between an apartment and a hotel….and cleverly called an aparthotel. Our maid, Yadira, is probably not much older than us and has taken us under her wing to help us learn Spanish. We’re also helping her with her English, quizzing her on how to say things like “pillow” and “fork” so that she can accommodate to other English-speaking guests. I gave her some perfume last week that I had brought with me (it’s very expensive here) and she lit up. She does cute things like make our towels look like swans and hearts.

Our kitchen:

We went out to eat a lot the first week, but now that classes have started, it’s much easier and cheaper to cook in our apartments – complete with 2 ghetto stove eyes, a mini fridge, no oven, a broken coffee maker, and everything in 3’s: spoons, knives, forks, plates, and cups. It’s wonderful. In line with the minimalist lifestyle Cubans live by necessity, everything has a place and purpose. And if food is left uncovered for more than 10 minutes, the fruit flies will make sure to remind you to keep things tidy. We cook rice and beans, also known as “moros y cristianos,” frequently. None of the menus here say “arroz y frijoles,” but instead, moros y cristianos. Moors being the beans and Christians being the rice….get it?

We’ve paid back our dues to our friends back at home who started school in the beginning of January. We got an entire month delay on classes, but alas, the mental exertion has begun. We realized this on Friday night, as the three of us scoured through our Spanish dictionaries, reading literally every single word for a nearly impossible assignment from our conversation professor. A through Z took us a couple of hours and almost an international incident (as Shelby threatened to launch herself off our balcony) to accomplish. This Friday night excitement also included about 100+ pages of political readings and corresponded with my 48-hour bout of food poisoning. I’m just thankful I had some quality entertainment as Shelby continuously electrocuted herself in many failed attempts to dry her shorts with a hair dryer. Estamos en Cuba.

1 comment:

  1. Love the picture and descriptions and yes, you will make a delightful "bride" one day. By the way, please do not get in trouble while there-not much I can do for you!!!

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