Cuba Pt. 1

Hello all!

I'm back!! I survived the plane rides and the heat and came back! This trip was off the chain! I couldn't stop buzzing. My mom must be like "ugh! Stop already!"

But *flails* ok let's start at the beginning.  My parents woke me up at 5AM to get to the airport. I didn't have to be there till 7AM. The kicker? We didn't get to leave the house until 6AM--we were supposed to leave at 5:30AM.  We finally found each other and went into the line to check in.  Then one of our leaders, Shawn started passing out hats and tshirts.  The conversation in this line was all over the place but eventually we got through checking in, sat around for a little bit before boarding.  The flight there was okay, not too much turbulance until the ending of the actual flight. Getting through customs in Cuba was so fast, I think I still have whiplash. But we got through and then Ron, our wonderful guide from The Urban Famer, was right there with us, coralling us, making sure we got to our magic Yellow School Bus and that no one was left at the airport.

The drive to our place of stay was slow but I enjoyed every minute of it.  Most of it was along the ocean so who cared, right?  Anyways, we drove from the airport and pulled up in front of The CERESE house.   The locals call it Casa Del Carino. It was amazing! The house is beautiful outside and the people inside are even better. 

This is a picture of the guys in the house, including Ron and our driver Yoel

Whenever we left our rooms to leave for the day or go partying or for a length of time, even though they have security, when we come back the doors are all locked to our rooms.  But not only is the door locked, but our rooms are cleaned, beds changed, towels folded into swans--it was like a hotel but better. We had ladies in our kitchen who understood we spoke no Spanish, well I do speak some Spanish but I haven't been the most confident with it and they respected that. Sure they giggle when I asked for scissors in Spanish and Yoel, our driver, had to repeat it just the way they say it down there. Which then led to me blushing and hanging my head saying, "that's what I said!" lol


Now, this post is going to have some of the bad things that happen--which weren't many because I was on cloud nine the whole time I was there. The first thing is was this one girl who tried her best to irritate me the whole time. I was quite proud of myself because I didn't freak and lay a smack down on her. I have no idea what her issue was, or who peed in her coffee but this chick was just irritating as all hell. 

The second bad thing was I develop a heat rash on my neck and in the crook of both my arms, along my shoulders and shoulders.  I freaked out, went tearing for Donald, flailing. "Donald!!!!!" He looked at me and go "now what's wrong sweetheart?" I couldn't speak, I simply point with one hand and flailed with the other hand.  He looked at it, disappeared into his room and came back with a bottle of aloe. He told me not to worry because it was just from the heat and my skin is no longer used to being in such heat.  I was not prepared to get heat rashes. I mean, shit I was born in Jamaica! Hell, I don't get even get this crap when I go back to Jamaica! So every day, I wake up praying it would go away because I know what was going to happen once they started drying up. They would turn white, flake, peel, start itching and then scar. That's just what I needed, more scars. The ones on my neck are almost gone without any much flaking or peeling. The ones on my arms are not so merciful. They are itching, flaking, peeling and going away Slllllooooowwwwlllyyy...ugh.


Hugs,
Kato

A Dose of my new Addiction

The Lights

The lights are beautiful to welcome you from the dark. It smiles and shed some clarity.  Take some time for the brightness. Stand in it and let it surround you.

Love,

Kato

Night Falls!

There's a special allure about the night as it wraps its arms around you. Close your eyes, lift your face to the night and allow the moon's glow to ravish you.....Take the mystery, let it seep through your skin and tickle your bones. Smile in the face of the night, embrace the dark. 

Love,

Kato

Cuba in the Rain

Cuba in the rain.... There is something special about running through the rain with not a care in the world.  We should do that more often.... I shall add that to my list.

Love,

Kato 

Why are Older women so rude?

So today after my exam I'm coming home. I was so exhausted I fell asleep on one bus and barely work up in time to get on the next bus. Anyways I was standing, leaning against the bus post, just waiting for the bus.  It finally came and stopped in front of me. I was waiting for people to get off the front door, even though they should get off through the BACK door. Anyways, I am waiting, and felt like someone was pushing my back from behind. I turned around to see this older woman trying to shove between me, my bag and the bus. I figured she would look around and see that people were still coming off the bus.

No, no, she shoved by me and was climbing onto the bus so I said to her, "Do you think I'm just standing here because I wanted to?"

She gave me this luck and shoved pass this woman coming off the bus and into the bus.

I could not believe the gall on this woman. I mean if someone my age had done that to her you would never hear the end of it. You would hear how rude I was and how disrespectful. I mean damn--Older people demand respect from young people but they absolutely refuse to show us any. I am so tired of older people pushing us around because they think because they're older they can treat us like dirt.

I'm sorry but the next time one of them disrespect me I'm going to say something. Why get walked over by anyone?

You can't get respect unless you give it. As corny as that is, it is true...but I'M GOING TO CUBA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Kato

What a day!

Let me preface by saying the following: Nothing makes me angrier--well I probably shouldn't say nothing but one of the things that make me ANGRY is when people are late; Especially rude people!

This morning I was set to do crazy lady's exam. Oh wait, I probably should explain the name. So I went back to school as you all can probably tell by now and I swear one of my professors is out to get me. There is no other explanations for it.  We're taking this class which will remain nameless for obvious reasons and the woman is the teacher from hell. She doesn't really teach as read from the book, gives us examples from the eighteen hundreds that we cannot use. Then when test time rolls around, there is about five to six chapters, fifteen questions worth one hundred and fifty marks...yes, you heard right ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY! As in 150...as in...well you get the picture....So after a whole bunch of students from both her sections failed or were close to failing, a bunch of them dropped the class and others wrote a letter to our department complaining about her.

I wasn't failing but I was not pleased.  Anyways, I figure, live and let live. I was going to do her class, get my C and get it over with. Then after our second test, she was taking up the answers in class and I read my answer and saw that what she said was precisely what I wrote to answer to the question, only she wanted us to write more. I was furious. I answered what she asked and she wanted us to read her mind, know exactly what else to add and add it.  I put my hand up and state quite emphatically, that I couldn't read her mind and if she wanted us to write all of that she should have asked up to write all of that. I told her she needs to be more precise in her questions if she wants an long, drag out answers with additions that she never asked for.

She looked at me, her eyes kind of glazed over before she walked away. Other students were like "no. you can't walk away, she is trying to get something clear," so now she walks back and started to argue with me me. I blinked at her with a blank stare and explain to her that I didn't want an argument and if she couldn't understand what I was trying to do or say I'll go to my department head and perhaps they'll be able to help me.  So I left and went to see my department head.

Anyways, long story short, I had to do my exam early because of the thing to Cuba and after I had to let my Cuba adviser talk to her because she refused to accommodate me, I finally got today, at 8:30 to do my exam.  So I spent the last few days freaking out, ripping out my hair and just breaking out into cold sweats because of this damn exam.  Finally, this morning arrived and I got to school at 8AM, stopped for a snack because I needed the sugar then reached the assigned room for 8:15AM.

No one's there.

What in the hell?

I sat down, read over my HORDE of notes a few times then looked up at the clock.

Still no one.

A few teachers went in and out of the office but the lady I was waiting for hadn't gotten there yet. Finally two other students in the same boat as me for different classes arrived, we chatted for a bit.

Still no one.

Finally, I stopped one of the female professors and asked if she knew what was happening. What a surprise? She had no clue. She told us to wait a  bit longer.  By this time it was almost 9AM so I'd been waiting for close to forty five minutes. At around 9:05AM this woman walked into the office and by us. She headed into the back so I figured she was just another professor coming and going. Eventually she came back at about 9:10 and asked if we were being helped.

I was furious by now.

I told her no and that I was supposed to have started my exam half an hour ago. She asked who I was and who my teacher was and went into the back again. When she came back, it was with a folder and told me to meet her down a corridor by a door so she can lead me to the exam room.

FINALLY

I got to do my exam. One more down, one to go.

But what struck me as inconsiderate and inexcusable about this was, she was half an hour late and she never once said she was sorry for the inconvenience. She walked in as if nothing in the world was wrong.

What am I trying to say? In today's day and age of technology--texts, emails, phones, cell phones all that jazz, there is no excuse to be late and not inform someone. None what-so-ever. And if I am making an effort to be there on time like I'm supposed to, the least you can do is say you're sorry for being late. It's just common--honest to goodness--courtesy.  My friends know if they are more than 15 minutes late to meet me somewhere and they don't call or text to let me know they're coming I go home. Make an effort to be a good person. If you're going to be late, tell someone and if you can't, apologize because there were tons of shit I could have been doing in that wasted half an hour.

so a stressful day calls for a nice breakfast...well its not breakfast since its like 2:30PM EST now but oh well...

Love,
Kato