Day 2 in Trinidad began in the early morning with a walk through an old, and very poor section of the city. With Carlos as our guide, another member of the group and I wandered up a hill and spotted a girl in the window of her house. It was a great photo op! Naturally, with Carlos leading the way we went into the house and met the mother and girl and spent time talking to them. The interior of the house was sectioned off with just curtains for the most part and the walls were in a state of decay. Some of the stories we heard were quite sad – one woman lost her son at age 39 from a heart attack. Another’s son died at the same age after returning to Cuba from other parts of the world to see his mother. Life is not easy for many here in Trinidad, medicine is scarce and so bottles of Tylenol and tubes of antiseptic like Neosporin are most welcome gifts. They can’t simply go to the pharmacy, even if they have money, because the shelves are empty. Visiting with the kind and heartwarming people of Cuba should make us count our blessings every day. In spite of their adversity the Cuban people are warm and engaging. and seem to take life in stride.
