Cuba Calls This Gringa Woman Back After 36 Years

Editor's Note: Sally Kane’s first venture to Cuba, our neighbor 90 miles south of Miami, came in 1980 when she journeyed there to study post-revolution development.   
A retired teacher/social worker, and bodywork therapist, Sally now enjoys writing, mega reading, community activism, outdoor activities and playing with her granddaughter.  

This past December she returned to the island nation and is writing a blog about her experiences. She has graciously accepted our invitation to share her observations along with sprinkling in some historical references and cultural commentary with an eye to current events.
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This is the first of her three installments

Sally Kane at Jose Marti International Airport 1980

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​Cuba Calls This Gringa Woman Back After 36 Years
By Sally Kane

I decided to return to Cuba this year.

Yes, return after 36 years. 

In 1980, twenty one years after the revolution... ​

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...that expelled the U.S. and Mafia supported Fulgéncio Batista, my husband and I had the opportunity to see its post revolution development through the eyes of a Global Education Study Tour. 

Fascinated with Cuba’s paroxysms of colonial history, I saw how it intertwined with ours and our political policies for centuries. It featured heroes, heroines, villains and martyrs, mystery and intrigue, in a global drama of mythic proportions.  Cuba emerged as my muse on colonial control and Euro-American Imperialism.  Its revolutionary story and fight for independence secured a lifelong curiosity about models for developing countries that dovetailed nicely with my peace and justice activism

I grew up with Castro, turning twelve in 1959, when he and his bearded cronies marched victorious into Santiago de Cuba, ousting Batista.  I remember Castro lurking in my childhood periphery, one of the many funnel clouds in the Cold War Storm.  He stood toe to toe with Eisenhower,then Kennedy during events like the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.  Despite the Gold Standard of its remarkable Social Programs, Castro and Cuba seems to hold the status of an annoying relative, one you can't live with, nor live without.  

Sometime in 2014 after retiring from teaching I began crafting a memoir on pivotal themes in my life.  My 1980 Cuba experience first whispered, then it shouted at me. I dug my dusty Trip Journal from a basement file drawer, then unearthed a pile of equally dusty Cuba files, surprisingly intact, including envelopes of black and white photos.  My memoir morphed into a stand-alone with Cuba's impact a primary theme. 

When President Obama opened diplomatic relations in 2015, making travel easier, I began telling friends and family that I planned to return.  After six months of searching, I secured my place for a November 28 - December 6 tour with the Brattleboro, VT, Museum of Art and Culture

Perfect.  I envisioned a week of dancing to Afro-Cuban music, theater performances, salsa lessons, enjoying architecture and art.  I also wanted a real-deal update on changes to the country in the last 36 years.  

Serendipitously,  our tour date coincided with the death and national mourning of Fidel Castro. On the eve of our first full day, our small tour group attended the Ceremony at the iconic Plaza de La La Revolución in Havana. 

Cuba’s fight for sovereignty and the ire of the U.S. over it, have generated a complex and nuanced dynamic, alive to the present day, all which demand understanding.  But my purpose is to share about my trip, weaving pieces of history and current events into the experience.