Spending time with moms in East NY has been dope. She and I are both home body. She’s suffering from back pains where as I suffer from an empty wallet. She has an array of ways to keep entertained in this quaint abode. She has an incredible dvd selection of late 90’s block buster hits. She also has a dvr box that records her favorite primetime shows like Legend of the Seeker, my mom is such a closet dork. Anyways, she sports her new compaq labtop computer around the house and uses it primarly to play games like civilization and spider solitaire. I recently put her on to ovguide.com a great internet portal to site that has the latest movies availble to stream for free. When I came home late at 1:30am last night after being kicked out of an internet cafe she told me you’ve got me addicted. She had just finished Tyler Perry’s hit Meet the Browns and was in the middle of the latest espinoge flick Taken.
It makes sense to see more 3D flicks in the theaters because of film goers reluctance to pay absurd prices. As an aspiring filmaker this worries me. I also think about all the bootleggers out there who have been hustling the filmindustry for years. Fortunately or unfortunately not every houshold in the states has an computer or internet acess. I wonder what the future will hold.
4 months ago“Its been a long time I shouldn’t have left you”
I want to rock back into this blog with some soul. There is nothing better than listening to old school rakim, the mc who brought lyrcism in rap to a whole nother level.
I have to thank Joyce for inspiring me to get back on my blog game. I read more than enough of others peoples words so I should definitely write my own. Although at this point I feel like I’m definetly talking to the air. So I will work deliberatley on increasing readership and think of creative things to write of. For now I keep this one short, simple and to the point. I’m back.
4 months agoI must fast foward to the present because this blog has gotten a little dusty….
I am back home with a completed documentary titled Expressions of Blackness. I am now on my summer grind but my love has left to visit home. So now I am screaming like a lil white boy lost in NY.
Well….. actually I would like to scream at lil white boy’s who seem lost in NY. Which transitions me to the future. DIV III
My readership must be horrible but I want this to be a fun and creative collective way I share and produce my research. It should also be fun and sound less jargony on here.
11 months agoIt’s really hard to start off on where I’m at. I imagine that Hampshire is still the same so I’ll start with something familiar, Race.
Cuba is very interesting when it comes to Race and certainly affected my experience so far. Unique and I were mistaken for Cuban students. I could easily fit in but as soon as I start talking people ask “what country are you from?” It’s funny because I catch myself trying to fit in. It’s not like I’m trying to be Cuban instead I’m trying to avoid being American. I do this for many reasons; 1. Americans suck 2. I pay less for things since Cuba has two economies and 3. I avoid being hassled by jineteros/hustlers. Don’t get it twisted, this is not some sort of Black privilege I’m exploiting because along with seemingly “fitting in” I’ve had similar experiences of being Black in the U.S. Like when I come into the hotel to use the Internet. The guards sometimes stop me and ask me what am I doing here and I say in English “I want to use my computer.” Cuba’s history of race is different from the U.S. When I talk to people about race they remind me of U.S. racism and about how Cubans are more culturally mixed. I constantly remind people about how most white Cubans from the U.S. received better treatment and were able to send there families remittances giving them access to more dollars. Whenever I meet people we almost always talk about this because this because of my project. Race has not received the discource it’s deserved in Cuba because it is feared that it will divide the people. Afro-Cuban is a fairly new concept that has been used in the academy. Hip Hop has also helped create a stage for Afro-Cuban youth to make their voices heard. Art is one of the few mediums were people could express their critiques. That’s why I’m really excited to start interviewing Afro-Cuban artist. At the same time I’m always afraid that I won’t do a good job with this project.
Even though I feel that I am still doing a lot of work Cuba’s has definitely been a great change. I always reflect about where I’m at in life. Everyday I go through the shock of realizing that I am actually spending a semester here. Sometimes I feel great but sometimes I get really freaked out because this is also my last semester div II (don’t worry I am with yall). In general I am as chill as I can be trying to enjoy being here.
This past weekend we went spelunking. We had to wear one of those mining helmets with the lights. It was kind of touristy but it was still interesting. The cave that we went too was used as a Palanque which is equivilent to Maroon (communities that run away slaves created). That was our first group trip outside of Havana. If I’m not doing my work or with the group I’m chilling it’s hard to know what’s going on in Havana without being in some social network. It is hard not having to the internet.
You all should holla back at ya boy because he misses you so much!
Btw, It has been hard me to be here during these hard times. I wish I could be struggling and mourning with you all instead of being so far away. I love you all so much and I hope you all know it.
1 year agoSorry I am a fool who forgets, not his friends but his passwords.
Here is some stuff that I have written so far expect more…
I apologize for the delay. After days of processing I think I’m finally ready to write my first update. Cuba is amazing. I have been here for well over a week and a lot has happened. When I first arrived we were met by some of the administrators of the program at UNIAC (Union of Artist and Writers). After a long drive from Jose Marti airport we were dropped of at our home stay. The first night was hard I kept thinking and rethinking about what I was doing here feeling unsure about myself. My host family woke me up to boiled eggs with coffee with mad milk. Breakfast is small and I don’t mind because I usually don’t eat breakfast at all. My host family is cool. I live with a small family mother and son. The mothers name is Maria. She is short, thick with red hair and always wants to feed me. The sons name is Maurisio, he his as tall as me but bigger. Every time he sees me he always smiles with a thumbs up and a wink. They live in a small apartment on the top floor, which is the fourth. My room is small, compared to everyone elses, but comfortable. It ‘s equipped with a shower, kitchen, closet, desk, bathroom and showerhead. I have gotten use taking cold showers.
Orientation was so slow. It was an organized mess of knowing the streets, dinners and mojitos. The craziest part of orientation was going to club Havana. It was a social club for the elite that had been shut down during the revolution but now it has reopened for rich tourist and diplomats. We mostly spent time on one part of the beach that was designated for the club. Me and Unique celebrated getting blacker. After Orientation I finally had free time. I met up with a friend of Thanu’s, Javier. He is so dope. We have been chilling and talking for the most part. He has been showing me Havana little by little. He tells me since I’m Thanu’s boyfriend that he is responsible for making sure I have a good time here.
Besides chilling out, drinking rum and going to different party’s I have started do work as well. I have a Spanish class, which I need because my Spanish is still horrible. I also have a film class were we look at the history of Cuba through film and aesthetic, my favorite. I’m also in an ethnography practicum taught by Margaret. These classes have been dope so far. My project hasn’t started yet. I have been researching with though and I have met with my tutor who is also really amazing. He is a really old school editor who has worked on so many Cuban and Latin American films. He is really excited about my project since his great grandmother was a slave.
Even though all this stuff has happened in the first week I think I’m I feel a lil homesick. Cuba is amazing but I miss my peoples and I miss home. I also miss Thanu too. It’s also been hard since my Spanish is not great. Cubans speak mad fast and swallow there words. I know it will take time to learn but at this point I feel fustrated. But all is good. The weather is amazing. I managed to catch a cold though by leaving the ac on. The group has been all right. I almost kicked dan berg though but I walked away. We were all out for the first night in one big group at café G and 23, it’s like the union square of cuba. So were chilling and I’m off to the side just scoping the place out, dude comes up to me and says “Whats wrong this isn’t Brooklyn” what a fool, he apologized after. I’ve haven’t really chilled with the group yet, its not intentional though. It’s just hard for people to get in contact with me because I’m never home. It’s so weird not having a cell phone or easy internet access. I feel like I lost an arm. It’s also been refreshing to. I have had to become more organized and conscious of time because of it. I hope that I keep this habit. I wonder what campus has been like. Is there any drama or is all good? It’s crazy being away from Hampshire and so necessary. I think that I feel good overall about my decision to be here I just hope that I do good work. I love you all. Yall should holler back.
1 year ago