We had been going nonstop since arriving in Cuba, so this morning we decided to take it easy. We slept a little late, ate breakfast and enjoyed our beautiful rooftop. The weather had been very nice during our stay, so spending a little time relaxing outside was just what the doctor ordered.
If you have followed any of my other blogs you probably know about our friend Ira, a wonderful photographer out of NYC that contributes to National Geographic and also leads tours around the world for budding photographers. He's spent a great deal of time in Cuba researching a back he hopes will be published in 2017 on Cuban baseball. He connected us with one of his Havana friends that is a sportswriter for Granma, the state run newspaper. We had made arrangements to meet him for lunch today.
Siegfredo Barros, or Siggy for short, has been a sports writer for 45 years and is a devoted fan of baseball. I asked him during lunch if he's well known around the country and he responded with an eye roll. "I get stopped all the time asking my opinion of a play or a team. I have to stay neutral because I write for the paper." The waiters at Los Nardos, our restaurant for today's meeting, obviously knew who he was because several stopped by our table to pay their respects. This 70 year old is still in his writing prime it appears.
But like most of us, he's most proud of his two children, a grown boy and girl. She's an attorney and he works as a translator. Siggy's been married twice and is currently single. "In this line of work, I am gone from home a lot of the time. Women don't always like being alone." He seems happy though that his work has been his life. It has allowed him to travel all over the world for work. He loves Italy, the people and the food. He's visited several cities in the US and is a closeted Yankee's fan.
We spent some time discussing Cuba and how it has changed. "The young people don't know how to communicate. They spend all their time on their phones and don't even know how to answer it properly." Sounds like the complaints I hear at home. The youth in Cuba also seems much more comfortable with having babies out of wedlock and living together before marriage. Like many 70 year olds, he's not entirely comfortable with it.
We asked about his life. He shared that he makes $30/month but the state provides his housing and a coupon book for basic food. When we offered for him to take our leftovers home, he was thrilled. "I eat beans and rice every meal." Having something different was a welcomed change. He walks to work even though he has bad knees. Ira had asked us to take him some pain reliever, so we fixed him up with two large bottles of ibuprofen.
We also discussed the Cubs win in the World Series. "The curse of the goat is finally over!" He has access to a sports channel through his work that allowed to watch the games live. He questioned some of the pitcher choices just like we did during the series. He also talked about all the famous Cubans that had played Major League Baseball. He obviously has a lot of pride in Cuban players and Cuban baseball. "It's a religion. We talk about it all year long."
Politics came up in the conversation like other conversations we'd had since arriving. He, too, was concerned about our new President rolling back US - Cuban relations to pre-Obama restrictions. He reiterated the need for American business in Cuba. I guess time will tell.
Saying our goodbyes in front of the restaurant, we gave him a few more souvenirs we'd brought with us in anticipation of meeting up with him. He now has two Cubs hats and a World Series championship t-shirt. He seemed truly touched. We watched him head off with his bag of leftovers and baseball gear. What a special opportunity we had to meet Siggy and hear a little about his life in Cuba.
Next: Our family arrives.
If you have followed any of my other blogs you probably know about our friend Ira, a wonderful photographer out of NYC that contributes to National Geographic and also leads tours around the world for budding photographers. He's spent a great deal of time in Cuba researching a back he hopes will be published in 2017 on Cuban baseball. He connected us with one of his Havana friends that is a sportswriter for Granma, the state run newspaper. We had made arrangements to meet him for lunch today.
Siegfredo Barros, or Siggy for short, has been a sports writer for 45 years and is a devoted fan of baseball. I asked him during lunch if he's well known around the country and he responded with an eye roll. "I get stopped all the time asking my opinion of a play or a team. I have to stay neutral because I write for the paper." The waiters at Los Nardos, our restaurant for today's meeting, obviously knew who he was because several stopped by our table to pay their respects. This 70 year old is still in his writing prime it appears.
But like most of us, he's most proud of his two children, a grown boy and girl. She's an attorney and he works as a translator. Siggy's been married twice and is currently single. "In this line of work, I am gone from home a lot of the time. Women don't always like being alone." He seems happy though that his work has been his life. It has allowed him to travel all over the world for work. He loves Italy, the people and the food. He's visited several cities in the US and is a closeted Yankee's fan.
We spent some time discussing Cuba and how it has changed. "The young people don't know how to communicate. They spend all their time on their phones and don't even know how to answer it properly." Sounds like the complaints I hear at home. The youth in Cuba also seems much more comfortable with having babies out of wedlock and living together before marriage. Like many 70 year olds, he's not entirely comfortable with it.
We asked about his life. He shared that he makes $30/month but the state provides his housing and a coupon book for basic food. When we offered for him to take our leftovers home, he was thrilled. "I eat beans and rice every meal." Having something different was a welcomed change. He walks to work even though he has bad knees. Ira had asked us to take him some pain reliever, so we fixed him up with two large bottles of ibuprofen.
We also discussed the Cubs win in the World Series. "The curse of the goat is finally over!" He has access to a sports channel through his work that allowed to watch the games live. He questioned some of the pitcher choices just like we did during the series. He also talked about all the famous Cubans that had played Major League Baseball. He obviously has a lot of pride in Cuban players and Cuban baseball. "It's a religion. We talk about it all year long."
Politics came up in the conversation like other conversations we'd had since arriving. He, too, was concerned about our new President rolling back US - Cuban relations to pre-Obama restrictions. He reiterated the need for American business in Cuba. I guess time will tell.
Saying our goodbyes in front of the restaurant, we gave him a few more souvenirs we'd brought with us in anticipation of meeting up with him. He now has two Cubs hats and a World Series championship t-shirt. He seemed truly touched. We watched him head off with his bag of leftovers and baseball gear. What a special opportunity we had to meet Siggy and hear a little about his life in Cuba.
Next: Our family arrives.
SO KIND of you two to bring the goodies for Siggy! What a wonderful adventure you had after the group departed! THANKS for the blog-really enjoy reading!
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