Ruminations of an Expatriate

Archive for the ‘Cuba’ Category

My Visit to the Cuban Consulate

Saturday, September 22nd, 2007

While in the D. C. area recently I paid a visit to the Cuban Consulate to have some documents “legalized”.

When I arrived at the consulate, after a short walk following my trip on the Metro train system from South of Alexandria to the Columbia Heights station in NW D. C., there was a line of folks out front on the sidewalk. I took my place. Soon an older gentleman arrived and indicated there was a staff meeting in progress and that normally there is no line.

While we awaited the opening of the gate a gentleman from the consulate approached and provided applications for “letters of invitation”, used to invite family members from Cuba for a visit. The husband and wife behind me, I could see, did not have a pen so I offered mine. A fascinating conversation ensued which was joined by others in line. Those with whom I spoke offered many uncomplimentary things to say about USA government Cuban policy (travel and remittance restrictions in particular), and about Incurious George.

Being somewhat slow it had never occurred to me that one result of the lack of USA/Cuban diplomatic relations is that Cuban-Americans must travel to Washington D. C. to conduct business with the Cuban government. Whereas, for instance, Cuba maintains consulates in Veracruz and Cancun, Mexico to serve the significant Cuban populations. Likewise, there is a USA consulate in Merida to serve the significant gringo population.

So the nice couple behind me, she of Puerto Rico and he of Cuba, had to drive fifteen hours from Florida to process a letter of invitation to the husband’s mother. Likewise the couple behind them. A number of others had flown in.

When it came my turn at the service window I was having trouble understandig what the very fast talking lady behind the glass was saying. I apologized, she told not to worry, and immediately the two couples from Florida moved toward the window and translated for me.

As it turned out the person with whom I needed to talk was not there, so I would return the next morning. I heartily thanked those who had helped me and received smiles from everyone in the room, perhaps they were amused by the crazy gringo, though I prefer to believe otherwise.

The next day, sitting while awaiting paperwork, I struck up a conversation with Roberto sitting next to me. He had swam from Cuba into the Guantanamo naval base in 1993 and was kept at Guantanamo for almost a year before he was permitted to immigrate. He indicated that he wants to go to Cancun.

I received my paperwork, said my “mucho gustos” (pleasure to meet you) to Roberto and others I’d met, and left the building. I had just closed the gate and stepped onto the sidewalk when I heard someone holler “Christopher”. I turned to see Roberto approaching. He asked for a phone number so he could contact me when he comes to Mexico.

I gave him a card and headed on my walk to the National Mall, grinning to thoughts of another uplifting travel experience.

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Posted in D.C., Travel, Cuba | 3 Comments »

Church of Saint Lazarus

Monday, August 13th, 2007

Not far from Playa Baracoa, about fifteen minutes by car, lies the small town of Santiago de Vega and the opulent Church of Saint Lazarus, which draws hundreds of visitors each day.

The day I visited there was one person who drug herself along the floor, through the door and down the aisle to one of the seven or eight elaborate alters at which lots of folks knelt, praying and offering flowers and candles. Some folks removed their shoes before entering.

There is a spring that emerges in the rear yard of the church, the waters of which are considered by many as having special qualities, though I never did determine what the special quality is. There is also an enormous tree, perhaps twelve to fifteen feet in circumference.

Adjacent to the church is a hospital that provided refuge to and treatment for those afflicted with leprosy. Today leprosy has essentially been eradicated in Cuba.
According to Biblical accounts, contained in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus offered a parable of a poor man named Lazarus and a rich man. A poor leper, Lazarus, had come to lie at the door of a rich man who refused Lazarus succor, though the man had plenty.

Lazarus died and was transported by angels to the side of Abraham. The rich man died and was dispatched to the eternal torment of the netherworld, from where he espied Abraham with Lazarus at his side. The rich man pleaded, “Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.”

Abraham responded to the man “My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.”

It seems that around the twelfth century western crusaders founded a leper hospital in Jerusalem which was operated by monks of the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. Given the Western powers’ interest in its part of the world at the time, during the Middle Ages the hospital received financial assistance from every European country and many of their royalty and other rich citizens. Many of the kings of Europe endowed the hospital with vast tracts of European land.

Leper hospitals were quite numerous in Europe during the Middle Ages, numbering in the thousands. Though many of the hospitals carried the name of St. Lazarus, the European “houses” were not dependencies of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem fell to the Moslems in the mid-13th century and the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem gave up the hospital and morphed into a military order to defend the remaining Christian possessions.

The Order gave up its military pursuits in the 14th century, except for a brief stint chasing pirates in the Mediterranean during the 17th century. Today the Order has priories throughout the world and is still associated with administering to those with leprosy.

The Church of Saint Lazarus in Santiago de Vega is an out post of the Order as was the leprosy hospital next door.

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A Little Friend

Wednesday, August 8th, 2007

This little guy apparently thought that Life Long Harborite and I would be fun company and hung out with us for a couple of hours.

He showed us his skating prowess and LLH showed him how to do armpit farts.

I have had to repost this as something with the video player screwed up the formatting.

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Boats of Playa Baracoa

Monday, August 6th, 2007

Each morning during my stay in Playa Baroaca, while enjoying my morning coffee on the terrace, I would bask in the early morning serenity and watch the boats coming and go.

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