December 25, 2006
Pedro (a high school physics teacher who now works as a musician because he earns more money)
Hershey Station, Matanzas

I arrived at 10:30 at the Hershey Station in Matanzas on Christmas Day to catch a train that was supposed to leave at 12:30. The next train wasn’t until after 5 o’clock, and I was on my way to Havana.

The train had electricity problems all the way from Havana, so those of us diehards (I was the only non-Cuban) had to amuse ourselves all afternoon because they cancelled the 12:30 departure altogether — it would never make it to Havana and back before the next scheduled departure of 5:15. The train sat from about 2:00 until after 5:00 with no guarantees to anyone that it would actually run.

Such is life in Cuba, and many other countries where people depend on public transportation but can never count on it. It reminded me a lot of taking the train through Thailand.

I got out my iPod, which no-one had ever seen before, and played some music for people. Some requests:

"Beehees!"
Me: "Beehees…? Ahhhh, BeeGEES… I have Stayin’ Alive…"
"Boys 2 Men!"
Me: "What? Are you kidding me?"
"KC and the Sunshine Band!"
“Do you have Celine Dion?”
Me: “No way!!!”

Pedro was camera shy, so the only way I was able to get his picture was to flip the LCD screen so it was facing him and while he was distracted I pressed the shutter button.

Gotcha!

Technorati tags: Cuba, digital photography, black and white, portrait

I travelled to Cuba on a week’s notice and went to the U.S. in the interim, so I didn’t have as much time to research as I would’ve liked. It’s my first time to the country, and while I find it is always better to research first there are times when I just “wing it”. But there are many aspects of the Cuban culture that are unique, and would confound the tourist without background information.

In the course of my (speed)reading, I was fascinated by the statistics on Cuba — health and economic indices, especially. I went to the World Health Organization’s website today and downloaded some indicators to compare them with Canada and the USA, and made a spreadsheet table.

I’ve read about the Cuban health care system, and when I was there I met a LOT of old people. They’re pretty hardy, healthy people. For one thing, they walk everywhere. According to the 2006 edition of Lonely Planet, there are 23 cars for 1,000 Cubans. By comparison, there are 815 cars for 1,000 Americans.

I find these numbers incredibly interesting, for all three countries. Click on the table and have a look at my (Flash) notes in Flickr.

Technorati tags: World Health Organization, indicators, health, Cuba

Exhibit A:

I bought a latte yesterday at Starbucks in the Sick Kids Hospital (which has a pretty good selection of food vendors, FYI, out of the four big hospitals in that area), as I do from time to time. I looked at the sleeve and noticed some real irony here. Click on the pic to read Flickr comments.

Exhibit B:

Taken last Sunday on my walk around town. Silly, Trix is for kids, not Hooters.

Technorati tags: Starbucks, Hooters, marketing

A rather unusual sight in 2006, but not so in the area around St. Jacobs and Elmira, Ontario, apparently. I took this photo back in August when Berit, Jez, and Justi were visiting from Germany and wanted to get a first-hand look at the Amish/Mennonite way of life. I totally drew the line when Berit told me to follow one buggy because she wanted to see inside a house.

“No way!” I said. “They just want to be left alone. Plus, we haven’t been invited!”

David would’ve chuckled at the anachronism; that they’d come from the motherland to observe the Amish and see a horse-driven buggy that isn’t used solely for tourism.

I stumbled on a page about the Amish lifestyle in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which is quite informative. (I was there last week.) It answers quite a few common questions regarding dress and the significance of social practices, such as why Amish men have beards but no moustaches, or what happens at Amish funerals.

Technorati tags: Amish, Mennonite

What’s in the water in Denmark, anyway?

First, they top out on the world map of happiness, according to a University of Leicester study on national wellbeing.

Is it because they’re designing schools like this? My primary school looked nothing like that!

Melanie, you were so, so right. I never thought I’d see the day when I was faced with so much John Deere memorabilia in the form of fabric, but here it is, at Wal-Mart in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

There’s also NASCAR fabric (bottom right photo) in case you’d like a racing theme for your… erm… dining room?

And look what I found in Flickr: a John Deere-themed WEDDING! More John Deere World in Flickr.

Technorati tags: John Deere, cameraphone, Nokia 6682, Scranton, Wal-Mart, fabric, NASCAR, Americana

Specifically, Neil, Breigh, and the newly-married Tanya. I’m conveniently located near the CBC Shop, purveyors of fine Canadiana for possible Christmas gifts. I’m taking requests!

July 29, 2005

Elder Ellen White Kwulasulwut is an elder of the Nanaimo Nation. Today at 83 she is also a grandmother and a great-grandmother. Ellen has been involved in local politics and continues to be a skilled teacher, author, story-teller, and medicine woman.

She gave a personal greeting during the fam trip I took to Vancouver Island last July, promoting Nanaimo as a tourist destination.

Related post - July 25, 2005:

Woo-hoo! I’m going on a free trip to Nanaimo!

matzoh brei

matzoh ball soup

We had Passover dinner (called “seder”) at David’s mom’s house earlier this evening. As with all Jewish holidays, there’s a great deal of religious significance represented in the food and prayers. David practiced his Hebrew reading from the “Haggadah”, a booklet of instruction and explanation for all the Passover rituals and traditions.

There are very specific objects for this holiday, including a floral centrepiece and lighted candles. A large platter is placed in front of the one conducting the Seder, with the following:

• Three matzohs, placed in the three separate sections of a (a specially designed) Matzoh Cover, or in the folds of a large napkin
• roasted shankbone
• a roasted egg
• bitter herbs, cut into small pieces, or ground horseradish
• charoses, a mixture of nuts, apple and cinnamon, finely chopped and mixed with a little wine
• parsley, lettuce or watercress, cut into small pieces.

The following are placed on the table for the participants:

• one or more dishes of salt water, depending on the number of participants
• a wine goblet in front of each place; a large goblet, filled with wine, at the centre of the table — this is the Cup of Elijah
• if desired, for convenience, extra dishes of bitter-herbs and charoses can be placed on the table.
• a pillow or cushion is placed on the left arm of the chair used by the Leader, or on another chair close to it.

Well, this being 2005, we didn’t follow the instructions of the Haggadah to the letter, but we did indulge in a lot of Kosher DESSERTS!

David’s mom also gave us a Passover card (yes, Hallmark covers Jewish holidays, too), which is that little blue corner of paper sticking out underneath the top layer of matzoh brei in the upper left photo. She mentioned that children are supposed to go look for hidden “gifts”, but that isn’t mentioned in the Haggadah, so it’s probably something someone slipped in to compensate for missing out on chocolate Easter eggs. (Mom edits these traditions as suits her, says David.)

Here’s what’s on the cover of the card:

Passover - then and now

A Seder Plate for the New Millennium
(clockwise from the top)

Egg (Beaters): cholesterol-free alternative
Greens: stir-fried with a little low-sodium soy sauce
(Gourmet Greek) Charoset: apples, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, grape leaves
(Jalapeno) Matzah with sun-dried tomatoes
Bitter Herb: Espresso
(Vegetarian) Shank Bone: tofu-on-a-stick