This Blog is about living abroad and feeling local and at home. I just moved to Malta and my home before coming here was Havana, Cuba´s beautiful capital.
Over years that city became my home, slightly, without me even realizing it really until I moved there and it just felt natural. I was showing the beauty of Havana to others. I captured it in my pictures and writing and I was breathing it every day. And, I was providing people with great experiences and help them to get to know the real Havana like and not the tacky version of it. Doing that, I always felt a deep connection to this place.
You can imagine why I write this now. Of course, it is because of Irma. I do not want to write a sad post about the damage etc.. However, it is still something that affects a lot of people including my family. This is mostly about the city and less about damage help. But if you feel like you want to help somehow send me a message and I will put you in touch with people who can point you in the right direction.
Damaged Beauty
Havana is beautiful! It still is even though it is flooded now. Irma has not been the first hurricane to hit Cuba but that does not make it any different. Some things in Havana were destroyed because of Irma, some were because of other circumstances. Of course, some of the houses were already damaged and Irma just helped to destroy them. Some places were recently restored like the Gran Teatro de La Habana, that lost one of its statues, due to the storm. That hit me hard because it is one of my favorite buildings in Havana. It felt like the beauty of this wonderful city is cracking, more than already.
I send all my regards to the people playing Domino on the flooded streets and to those who pick up trees and to those who report about what’s really going on in the city, like periodismo de bario. Also to my family that keeps moving between their houses to get electricity in order to keep going with their everyday life. Because that is what Cubans do, they rock “la lucha”( the fight, that’s how they call everyday life in Cuba)!
So don’t stop going to Havana, it is still beautiful and worth a trip. If you need some ideas for a trip let me know or read here.
And let me tell you one thing about the people there:
They kick ass and they will get the city back on track!
The Gran Teatro de La Habana some months ago
