1. Adrianna Suarez
Due 10/30/14
90 miles off the Coast of America
Part 1: The Pilgrimage.
“Sueño con los Angelitos” translated as “Sleep with the Angels”. When I was younger,
my dad would always say this to me before bedtime. It was the first Spanish saying I heard
repeatedly from a young age and from then on, it just stuck with me. What is your heritage? I
know when thinking about such a simple question, it can get complicated quickly. All the
extended family and relatives who you are related to can become an exhaustive list. It was easy
to forget about where my dad came from- off the coast of America about 90 miles is the island of
Cuba where he grew up; specifically in Havana. I would like to take my pilgrimage back to my
dad’s hometown and to visit places that he grew up around. While traveling, I would want to see
the change through the current locals’ lifestyles and to make relationships with them. Although it
is characterized as an island, it has evolved into a country that is not associated with typical
islands experiences. It has undergone many hardships. It has been influenced by a dictator and
had political turmoil, including the Cuban Independence War. Cuba, although characterized by
its past diplomacy, it is also known for many other aspects. One being its unique type of music
with which consists “a mixture of Caribbean, African, and European sounds” (Cuban Culture).
Cubans have a cultural identity with two types of dances. The most traditional Cuban style is the
Habanera which is a type of Tango dance. The other, which is more indicative of the night life, is
a Congo style of dance. The Congo is “a popular festival dance in which members of the
audience would join in line with the performing musicians and dancers” (Conga). These dances

2. are a type of communication that Cubans share for cultural unity. The people in Cuba usually
speak Spanish, but Cubans have “a Caribbean dialect that shares many characteristics with
Dominican and Puerto Rican Spanish, such as the aspiration of “S’s” (e.g. in ‘mosca’ they drop
the s and pronounce it as ‘mo[h]ca’) and the shortening of words (generally by eliminating a
consonant)” (Cuba–Spanish Language). Cubans tend to speak relatively fast, have a slurred
sound, and when communicating use hand motions to help explain what they are saying. Another
aspect that characterizes Cuba as a nation is their passion for sports, especially in boxing and
baseball which I hope to see while traveling on my pilgrimage. Contrasting, Cuba reflects a
sense of balance with the growth in literature. Jose Marti was “a Cuban patriot, freedom fighter
and poet, and although he never lived to see Cuba free, he is considered a national hero” (Learn
About). Cuba is also known for some of their goods being sugar and the Cuban cigar. Cuba is
culturally unique for the varied aspects that played a role in developing the country and still hold
an influential part for the community Cubans have today.
Part 2: The Call.
If talking to someone with no real background in Cuba, a commonality among most is the
name Fidel Castro. During Castro’s reign in the years 1959 to 1976, he made Cuba a communist
nation which is crazy to think about because my grandparents lived there during this time. When
over at my Abuelos’ (grandparents) house for family dinners, they would tell my siblings and I
stories about their life growing up. It was interesting hearing first-hand accounts from those who
I love that have experienced it. My grandparents had mention a book called Cuba: A New
History by Richard Gott, and over the summer, I saw my brother Alexander reading it which
made me more curious about my background. I ended up talking to my Dad for a while, and soon
realized the struggles my grandparents and Dad went through to get to America. It is a blessing

3. that I take for granite. Although both my grandparents and dad lived through it, I would want to
travel with my siblings to walk in the footprints of my lineage. Although dramatically different
today, I would want to explore the history behind Cuba itself and gain a greater understand of
my heritage and what my family had to go through in order have freedom-rights that many think
are guaranteed. I would hope to gain a new perspective of the differences between my dad
growing up and what I had. As I grew up, my dad was very hardworking and did everything to
provide for my family. He always wanted to give my siblings and I something he could not have
as a child.
My Abuelo is even writing a Memoir of his experiences growing up in Cuba. I realized
after talking to him that he never had a journal as a child, and now at the age of 76, he has
decided to memoir his experiences in a book for my dad, my siblings, and I. My grandparents
actually lived with my family for a few years which fostered a close relationship. As a child, I
remember my Abuela trying to teach me Spanish. Although I am not fluent, I can pick out things
from conversations. By taking this pilgrimage, I would hope to be exposed to more Spanish, and
be able to actually communicate more with my dad. After returning, I would hope to practice
Spanish more with my dad and grandparents to ultimately solidify a second language. I would
take my Abuelo’s Memoir as a guidebook to visit places where some of his stories took place
and to go see places that impacted both them and my dad. I plan on visiting similar locations to
compare the atmosphere to what the Memoir explains it as. It would almost be a documentation
of the change and similarity of the world they use to be completely apart of, and the idea that me,
an outsider, can come embrace and respect the culture.
Only after leaving Cuba did my Abuelos say they truly understand the meaning of the
community Cubans had for one another. For example, it ended up being that one of my Abuela’s

4. childhood acquaintances from Cuba moved to Miami. Since they have stayed in contact with
each other, my Abuelos recent move to Florida has brought them closer together. They began as
two little girls who passed each other on the streets in Cuba on the way to school to now lifelong
friends in America. Even after all of these years just being acquaintances, it has led them to
actually growing a deep friendship by both moving to America and having that commonality in
background and lifestyle growing up. I would love to have a fraction of this relationship while
traveling by meeting locals in the town of Havana and hopefully making a connection with them.
Finally, my Abuelos always talked about tough times, but that Cuba was there home. I would
like to find a sense of national pride after leaving and knowing that part of my home is Cuba too.
Part 3: The Things They Carried.
While considering when to take my pilgrimage, there are two main options. There is the
peak time to travel from mid-November to mid-March, in addition to July and August (When to
Visit). At the peak times for traveling to Cuba the prices for hotels, flights, and other expenses
are generally higher. While the actual expense of the trip would be higher, some say “the resorts
and cities have an energy and pulse that is lacking in the off-season" (When to Visit). I have
decided that I would travel for the last two weeks of June which is not necessarily in peak
season, but still at a time that many people will be filled in the town during summer to give the
full flavor of the Cuban culture. Since I will be traveling with my siblings, my sister who works
full time would only be able to take off about two weeks over summer, and my brother in
medical school will have time off in June. When preparing for this trip, my siblings and I will
need a passport and a visa. In addition, each have to “obtain a license from the US Treasury
department” approving our application to travel to Cuba (Transportation to Cuba). We will be
departing from Miami, Florida to Havana, Cuba with the round trip totaling $449 per person

5. through the well know Cuba travel agency, Marazul (Marazul). While traveling in Cuba, we plan
on renting a room from a host family. The rent for the room is “$33 dollars a night [with added
discounts]” (Homestay). This includes the bare minimum with a lamp, mirror, air conditioning,
desk, chair, and most importantly a bed. The total for the two week period would be $440.22.
Although will be a bit tight in space, it will work and is a place for us to sleep with a roof over
our head-more than some can say.
Once in Havana, the public transportation will be the main source of getting around
besides walking. Most of my travels if not in walking distance will be by bus. There are three
main buses: Astro bus, Viazul bus, and just the regular bus. In order to distinguish them, they
each have different purposes. For instance, the Astro bus is “the regular National public
transportation [which] travels all over the island, and is cheaper than the Viazul Bus but has less
seats for foreigners” (Havana). The most visitor friendly would be the Viazul Bus because it is
“most easy to drive around Cuba [with] air condition, a video, and a toilet” (Havana). Finally, the
regular bus for Cubans who live in Havana is called “Gua Gua” (Havana). According to others
who have traveled to Cuba, they say the Gua Gua is “the real Cuban experience, that you must
try at least once” (Havana). A downfall to this method of travel is that pickpockers are common
and you really have to be cautious of your belongings (Havana). Another thing to take into
account with the regular bus is the language barrier due to the majority of locals traveling on it.
In that case, my brother who knows Spanish pretty well would help navigate us around town to
different destinations.
Part 4: The Rituals.
One of the greatest traditions in my eyes would have to be the Cuban food and beverages.
First, the food including a “diverse mix of cultures resulted in vibrant flavors with distinctive

6. seasoning and spices. Chicken, pork and fish combined with sugar-cane, rice, beans, pumpkin,
yucca, and coconut just to name a few are all central ingredients that are enjoyed on a regular
basis” (Cuban Culture). I know my Abuela makes Vaca Frita, Arroz con Pollo, and Picadio just a
few of my favorite dishes. Traveling abroad, I would like to learn how to prepare some of these
delicious meals that have so many steps and rarely have specific recipes anymore. The most
prominent beverage that is widely known in Cuba is the coffee. Cuban coffee is traced back to
“African influences from the plantations, a touch of the French from Haiti, a little Italian and
even some Chinese traits” (Cuban Culture). On my pilgrimage, I would love to visit the church
my dad and Abuelos went to if it were still there. I cannot image trying to see life through my
dad’s eyes growing up. Staying with the host family would help compare traditions with the
stories he has told me. My Abuelos told me, “Once you’re a Cuban, you are always a Cuban”
with the sense of community and cultural identity that I will forever cherish.

7. Works Cited
"Conga." American Sabor Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
"Cuba Culture - Music, Food, Dance, People and Life." Cuba Culture. Dance, Music, Food,
People and Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
"Cuba – Spanish Language and Culture." Learn Spanish Online for Free with VeinteMundos
RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"HAVANA." Havana Transportation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
Homestay Havana. Homestay.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
"Learn About the Heroic Life of Jose Marti." About. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Marazul. Your Travel Agency to Cuba." Marazul. Your Travel Agency to Cuba. N.p., n.d. Web.
28 Oct. 2014.
"Transportation to Cuba." : Airline Tickets and Cheap Flights to Cuba. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct.
2014.
"When to Visit Cuba?" When to Visit Cuba: A Travelers Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014.