A few years ago, before his passing, my father came over to my little hole of an office all excited.  He said that a bird had gotten into the house and was flying around the living room.  That bird turned out to be a bat.  A little brown bat to be exact.

How this little creature got inside the house is still a mystery.  But here’s the thing.  The other night I was watching some late night Hulu TV from my now well worn easy chair.  The house was dark except for the light being emitted from the TV screen.  It was hot, and the huge AC in the dinning room was not helping.  So Barney (my dog) and the boys (my two cats) were just laying on the cool stone tiles by the front door.

As usual, my stereo was pumping out the volume on the TV. Above the din I heard or felt a whisp of air.  I looked up and there it was.  A bat was flying in my living room again.  Barney and the boys heard it as well and instantly went into action.  Somehow one of the cats leaped up and brought the little bat down.  Barney and the other cat quickly surrounded the little creature.

Before the boys could do any harm, I quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom and tossed it on the bat.  I picked up the little bundle and with the boys in tow I went out to the deck and shook the towel furiously.  The bat disappeared into the night.

So I’ll bet your asking yourself what does bats have to do with Cuba, right?  Well I’m always digging for information about Cuban Things and as it so happens I came across some very interesting information regarding the Cuban Bat Thing.

Bats are by far the most numerous of all mammals.  There are over 27 species in Cuba alone.  The many caves of Cuba are home to many of these bats.  One can come across some species hanging from trees or in old abandoned structures during the day.  As amatter of fact, the logo for Bacardi rum is a bat.  The reason being that the first building where the rum was distilled was filled with bats.

There are no vampire bats in Cuba. Most of the Cuban species are frutivores or insectivores.
The best known Cuban bat, found in the area near Baracoa is the Butterfly bat. They belong to the Vespertilionidae family or evening bats.  They have a wingspan of just 5 inches and have an average weight of 3 grams. At one time it was thought to be the world’s smallest bat until recently when the Phillipine Bamboo Bat was discovered weighing in at 1.5 grams.

It seems that many of Cuba’s animals have evolved into the smallest species in the world.  There is the “pájaro mosca” the smallest known bird, the sapito, the smallest known amphibian and the Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world. This is attributed to the islands size and distance from other countries in the region.

I never found out how these bats got into the house, but I found a great site about bats and their environment called Bat Houses For Sale.  So I got a bat house and attached it to my garage.  I hope that this will keep the liitle critters out of the house and in theirs.  So far I haven’t seen any, but it does take a while.  Hopefully by next summer I will have a nice size colony and an insect free yard.

Rum is an alcoholic beverage derived from sugar.  Its historical origins go back to ancient India and China.  During the European colonization of the Western Hemisphere, rum became a much sought after commodity among pirates and English privateers due to the production of by products from the sugarcane harvests in the West Indies.  The distilling of the fermented sugarcane juice makes both dark and light rums and there just as many brands as there are islands in the Caribean.   Bacardi is by far the most popular.

Don Facundo Barcardi i Masso and his brother bought an old distillery in  Santiago de Cuba and began making rum in 1862.  At that time rum was not considered to be a refined spirit and was not sold in any of the established taverns.  Through a process of coal filtering and by using only the finest ingredients, the Bacardi brothers set the standard of quality for making superior rum.

In 1898 the battleship Maine was mysteriously sunk in Havana Harbor and the Spanish American War ensued.  The cry of “Cuba Libre” was heard throughout the land by Cubans who wanted freedom from Spain.  The war was quickly won by the United States and the Treaty of Paris was signed giving the US temporary control of Cuba.  For the next several years many US troops visited the island enoying its finer pleasures including Bacardi rum.

It’s not sure how it happened but around 1900 a group of US soldiers were in a bar in Havana. One of the soldiers ordered Bacardi rum mixed with Coca-Cola. This caused an interest among the other soldiers and they had the bartender prepare the same drink for them.  After several rounds of this new concoction, one of the soldiers suggested a toast to “Cuba Libre” in celebration of the newly freed Cuba. And thus Bacardi rum and Coke became known as Cuba Libre.

You see I went to the doctor the other day for my six month physical.  I don’t like going to the doctor especially when there is nothing wrong with me.  Because I have high blood pressure I have to be on medication.  So every time my prescriptions run out I have to go back and visit the doctor.

Anyway at this visit my doctor tells me that everything is fine but he is concerned about my blood’s sugar level.  According to the lab report it was at .6  four points below the danger mark.  Since my mother died from complications from diabetes, my doctor was concerned.

After reading me the riot act.  I went home rather upset because I try to be very careful about what I eat.  Unfortunately like most latins I eat my share of starches which unfortunately break down into sugar.  And I have to admit that I have somewhat of a sweet tooth.   Now don’t get me wrong I’m not a candy freak and I don’t take five spoonfuls of sugar with my coffee either, but I love my cookies, cakes and ice cream.  Which started me thinking.  How and where did I acquire this desire for sugar?

The first memories that I have  for quenching my sweet tooth was when I raided my grandmothers cub board.  As I have mentioned previously somewhere in another post, both my parents came from small towns known as “centrales” where refineries processed the sugar cane to produce sugar.  Well my grandmother kept a can of sugar up on the top self of a cabinet.  Now this wasn’t the white granulated sugar one buys in the store today.  This was unrefined rock hard brown sugar.   I would climb up on the counter to grab a handful of that delicious sweet concoction that would melt in your mouth.

I also remember exploring the railroad yards  by the “ingenio,” or refinery, and watch box car after box car get filled with the processed brown sugar.  You could smell the sweetness.  As a matter of fact the whole “central” would always have a sweet smell to it.

Besides the sugar refineries there was the  candy companies to deal with.  I had an uncle who worked in a Nestles plant near the  town of Banes.  Every time he would come to visit he would bring one of my favorite sugar concoctions – “leche condensada” – condensed milk.  Cubans use condensed milk to make such things as flan and crema de vie.  But me being a sugar conousieur,  I would pour it on almost anything.  I would even eat it straight out of the can.  I didn’t realize it then, but I had a problem.  The situation got worse when I came to the US.  My best friend’s family owned a Cuban bakery.  I would hang out there after school and on weekends having my fill of pasteles de guayaba and other pastries.

It seems however that most Cubans have this fascination with sugar.  Its more than a fascination.  Its an addiction that has been nurtured since childhood.  Just how many teaspoons of sugar does a Cuban put in his coffee is a perfect example of my dilemma.

So as I sit here sipping my coffee with one sugar, I’ve come to realize that there is no easy solution to my problem.  This Cuban thing I have with sugar is going to require some kind of intervention or support.  I wonder if there are Cuban sugar support groups?

Marti spent 15 years of his exile living in New York where incidentally  there is another statue  of him, also in Central Park.  I remember first seeing this statue as a kid when my father took me to see a Thanksgiving Day parade.  It’s located just a few blocks east of Columbus Circle on Central Park South.  This impressive statue of Marti riding a galloping horse was created for the City of New York by sculptor Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington in the early 1950′s.

Just across the Hudson River in New Jersey there are two busts of the Cuban hero.  One is located in West New York, which boasts one of the largest Cuban populations in the US next to Miami.  This statue was created by Manuel  Rudolfo Tardo who was a native of Matanzas, Cuba.

I discovered the other bust of Marti while having lunch in The Ironbound section of Newark.  This one can be found in a small triangular park directly across from Newark Penn Station.  What is interesting about this small statue is its location.  The neighborhood is not Cuban but Portuguese and Brazilian.  Also no one knows who the sculptor is.

Of course there are many statues of Marti in Cuba.  One of which is over a hundred years old. There are about a dozen here in the States.  So what is so fascinating about this man to Americans?  Martí dedicated his life to the cause of Cuban independence and perhaps it was his belief in the pursuit of freedom, liberty, and democracy, that are so prominent in his works, that also inspires Americans.  He was killed at the battle of “Dos Rios” on May 19, 1895.

Here’s a little bit of trivia regarding Jose Marti: From one of his poems was adapted to the song, “Guantanamera,” which became the definitive patriotic song of Cuba.  His grandson was the actor Cesar Romero best known as the “Joker” in the TV series Batman.

Unlike most of the harrowing stories one reads about Cuban refugees that come to this country, mine was somewhat uneventful.  I was four years old when I left Cuba  with my mother in 1955.  We flew “Cubana de Aviacion” from Havana into Idlewilde Airport (JFK) on a very cold November night.  My father, who had come several months before, met us and took us to our new home. My father had rented a room from a nice Puerto Rican lady who owned this  huge apartmment on Riverside Drive.

We eventually moved into our own apartment on 135th. Street (highlighted on the left.)  I remember that my parents worked very hard  and saved their money so that we could go back to Cuba each year.  At the beginning of each summer my mother would take me to Cuba so that I could spend time with my grandparents. My father would then come at the end of summer to bring me home.

I remember that there were a few mishapps on those trips.  For one thing my grandparents lived in a small town in Oriente Province, which was a good 12 hour bus ride from Havana.  On one of those trips the bus was involved in an accident in which I ended up losing my two top front teeth.  On another occasion on our plane ride down to Cuba our plane had to make an emergency landing in Miami because one of our engines had caught fire.

After 1960 relations between Cuba and the United States quickly disintegrated.  In April of the following year the botched invasion of the Bay Of Pigs occurred and then came the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962.  My parents, like so many other Cubans in the US at the time, managed to return to Cuba to bring their families much needed necessaties, but I never returned.  As a matter of fact, I never saw my grandparents or other family members again.

Well this coming summer all that will change.  You see my daughter has always dreamed of visiting the land where her father came from. So last year we started thinking about actually making the trip.  Currently my daughter is attending graduate school at Ohio State and as it so happens, she applied for a study abroad grant in Cuba to study dance.  Since President Obama relaxed the travel restrictions to Cuba last April, we thought that this would be a perfect  opportunity for us to reconnect with our Cuban Thing.

After my father’s death I had rummaged through his personal items and came across the email address of a cousin of mine in Cuba.  This cousin is a retired doctor in Havana who apparently has the benefit of having computer access.  So I sent him an email telling him about our plan to visit Cuba this coming year.  He was ecstatic to hear from me and in the several emails that we have exchanged

The course that my daughter will be attending will last about a month.  During that time I plan to go into the interior of the country and visit the towns where my father and mother came from.  My cousin will accompany me on this journey and hopefully I will find some relatives and friends along the way.  It should prove to be quite an adventure.

The passengers, who were all Jewish, had been expelled from Germany.  They were allowed to board the St. Louis as a last ditch effort to escape Nazi tyranny.  Upon arrival in Havana Harbor, and after much negotiation, the passengers were not allowed to disembark.   Many other countries refused to accept the ship’s human cargo, including the United States.  No one is exactly sure what were Cuba’s true reasons for denying entry.  However, this denial gave Adolf Hitler the reason he needed to begin the extermination of the Jews of Europe.

Though there was much anti Semitism in the world at the time of this incident, there is no reason to believe that this was the case in Cuba. There had always been a large Jewish community in Cuba.  Jewish ancestry in Cuba goes back to the late 15th. century, when they fled the Spanish Inquisition.  Their community grew and thrived on the island up until Castro’s take over.  At one time there were over 15,000 Jews and five synagogues in the city of Havana.  Today there is only one synagogue with no rabbi.

When Castro’s communist government nationalized the businesses in Cuba the majority of the Jewish population emmigrated to the United States or other Latin American countries.  South Miami Beach has a large Jewish community that is largely made up of Jewish Cubans, or as they like to be called Jewbanos.  Though Americans may consider it a derogatory name, the Cuban American Jews  use the term Jewbano as a form of identity, an identity that they are proud of.

The S.S. St. Louis incident left some deep scares in the American conciousness.  The purpose of the reunion at the Eden Roc was to comemorate the event that occurred 70 years ago by signing copies of Resolution 111.  This resolution, that was sponsored by Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin., acknowledges the suffering of the 938 passengers of the St. Louis that was caused by the refusal of the United States, Cuban, and Canadian governments to provide political asylum.

American sugar companies established large industrial sites called “centrales,” or sugar mills along these rail networks to process the sugar cane harvest.  Many of these “centrales” were built near the growing fields away from populated areas.  In order to get the workers to the production sites some sugar companies built housing areas near the “centrales.”  Eventually some of these “centrales” grew to the size of towns such Central Chaparra, Central Delicias, (where my parents came from) and Central Hershey, owned by Hershey Chocolate.

Central Hershey was located between Matanzas and Havana.  Under the leadership of their founder Milton Hershey, not only did the Hershey Company build houses for their employees,  they also added an electric passenger rail line to take their employees back and forth between the two cities. This rail line, which is still in operation today, is known as The Hershey Train and it is also a part of the Cuban Thing.

The Hershey Cuban Electric Railway began passenger service between Matanzas and “Central Hershey” in January of 1922.  Ten months later it was extended to Casablanca, a suburb of Havana.  Due to a dispute with United Railways, an English company that over saw the rail services within Havana Province, the Hershey Train was not allowed into the city of Havana.  Nonetheless, the rail line prospered and within two years had seventeen passenger cars and seven locomotives.

To ride the train today is a slow process.  The locomotives and passenger cars are in a constant state of disrepair.  The ride through the hills and sugarcane fields that are now abandoned is rough, but unforgettable.  Often being interrupted by unscheduled stops to allow field hands with their wagon loads and other forms of traffic to cross the tracks.

Milton Hershey built his sugar mill near the town of Santa Cruz in the Province of La Habana.  There he built a “batey” or town for his workers on a hill top overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  The town was made up of cottages with front porches and tile roofs.  It had a clinic, a pharmacy, a grocery and butcher shop.  It was almost identical in appearance to the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania.  The town had its own power plant with sewers and running water. There even was an amusement park.

Though the name has been changed to Camilo Cienfuegos, a Cuban revolutionary hero, the town of Hershey, Cuba is still in exsistance today.  Many of the buildings and cottages are in need of repair just like the rest of the country. The exterior of the Hershey Hotel still stands, but its interrior has been gutted.  The Hershey Gardens are overgrown.  One can still see the towering smokestacks of the sugar mill, though it is now  being converted to making pasta and ceramics products.  And the Hershey Train still lumbers along with its antiquated cars, making its way between Matanzas and Havana.

Though Americans are not permitted to visit Hershey, Cuba, they can visit Hershey, Pennsylvania and the historic Hershey Musuem.  There, in a small corner of the musuem, one can find many interesting facts, old photograhs and memorabilia of the other Hershey town, “Central Hershey.”  If a visit is not possible you can read all about it in the Hershey Community Archives.

So what does Veterans Day have to do with being Cuban?  Well as a kid one of the things that I used to enjoy dong with my father was watching old World War II movies.  We watched such classics as Guadalcanal Dairy, The Fighting Seabees, Desperate Journey and my favorite Casablanca.  At some point through each movie my father would often reminisce about some friend or acquaintance who had fought in the war.  So it started me thinking about any Cubans who had served in the Armed Forces.

My father’s recollections only mentioned the nick names, a common Cuban Thing, he had for his friends with no specific dates or locations as to where they had served, except for the fact that it was during World War II. I decided to do some research about Cuban American veterans and here is what I found.

Cuban Americans represent the third largest Hispanic group to serve in the US armed forces with Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans being first and second.  Cuban Americans have served in all conflicts from World War I to the present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Of particular interest is the Vietnam War and the story of Capt. Felix Sosa-Camejo, because of its chronological time stamp and the start of the Cuban exile story.

Felix Sosa-Camejo was one of many Cubans who participated in the attempted Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Through the actions of President John F. Kennedy, Felix Sosa-Camejo and hundreds of other prisoners were released from Cuban prison camps.  He  joined the U.S. Army and  volunteered for action in Vietnam in 1963 serving for five years and earned 12 citations, including the Bronze Star, three Silver Stars and two Purple Hearts. Because of his actions on February 13, 1968, He earned his second Bronze Star by pulling a wounded comrade to safety which eventually cost him his life.  You can read more about Capt. Sosa-Camejo at the 26th Parallel.

There are countless stories of bravery under fire, but what makes this story significant is that many allegations have been made about the lack of devotion Cuban Americans have had to their adobted country.  Capt. Sosja-Camejo fought for his adopted country and against the tyranny of communism his native country was presently suffering from.

America is made up of immigrants who have all fought at one time or another to preserve the freedom that many of us today take for granted.  Veterans Day is just one day for all of us to remember our fallen heroes.  So to all the veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, regardless of their nationalities, my sincere appreciation goes out to you.  This is not just a Cuban Thing.

General Douglas MacArthur wrote “The soldier, above all men, is required to perform the highest act of religious teaching – sacrifice.”  Read more about the Contributions of Immigrants to the U.S. Military.

I was totally taken aback by my discovery.  Now I’m not much into fashion.  I’m more of a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy and I don’t follow the trends in fashion.  Apparently several fashion companies had started manufacturing these shirts in various designs and had become very popular especially in places like Florida and California.

The reason for my surprise was that I remember the Guayabera from my visits to Cuba as a little kid.  These shirts, however, were different from what I remember.  The Guayaberas that I remember were these long sleeved white starched shirts that old men wore.  It was a very distinctive shirt and was only worn for special occasions.

I found out that there was a great controversy  about the shirt’s origins.  It seems that the Guayabera is very popular in many Spanish speaking countries and each of these countries have claimed the shirt as their own.  Well let me say this about that.  The Guayabera is a Cuban Thing.

That’s right you read right.  It’s Cuban.  The history of the shirt can be traced back to over 200 years ago.   Its original design was taken from a Spanish shirt.  Pockets were added to its front to fit the necessities of Cuban guava growers in the province of Las Villas.  You don’t have to take my word for it.  You can learn more about the shirts history and other interesting facts  by visiting Cuban Guayabera Shirts.

Anyway after several hours of shopping arrived back home with about a half dozen Guayabera shirts.  I must say that their new designs made me look and feel great.  When I arrived in Mexico many people thought that I had bought the shirt there.  It seems that in Mexico they are known as Mexican wedding shirts.  I immediately notified anyone who was interested in listening that the Guayabera shirt was a Cuban Thing.

Baseball may be America’s past time, but it is part of the soul of Cuba.  Cuban boys, just like American boys, dream of becoming Major League baseball players.  Those dreams however, were crushed by the Revolution and the ensuing restrictions emposed on Cuba.  If not for these circumstances more than likely almost every professional baseball player in the major leagues today would be Cuban.

That’s right!  If normal political relations with Cuba would have remained the same, almost every baseball player in the Majors would be Cuban.  Baseball is a Cuban Thing.  Its part of being Cuban.  Think about it.  Ever since the start of organized baseball there has been at least one player from every state of the union and from forty five countries around the world.  Of those forty five countries Cuba has had 156 players in the Majors.

Rafael Almeida and Armando Marsans were the first Cuban baseball players to reach the Major Leagues.  They signed with the Cininnati Red Legs in 1911.  In that decade nine other Cuban players came to the Majors.  It wasn’t till the 50′s and 60′s, the time of Cuba’s turmoil, that the greatest number of players made the trek.  In those two decades over sixty players left Cuba to play in the US.

The numbers dwindled during the dark period of the 80′s and 90′s, but with the turn of the century and with better communication annd Cuba’s youth becoming more enlighten, 21 Cuban players have thus far sought asilum so they could play their beloved game.  In 2009 the Alanta Braves signed Barbaro Carnizares as the latest Cuban to enter the Majors.

My interest in baseball has waned in the last few years.  The players strike and the enormous salraies being asked for today have been a big turn off for me.  Baseball today is a business.  But when I was a kid back in the 50′s it was still a game.  I was a big Yankee fan back then.  The yanks didn’t have any Cuban players on their team, but there were many other teams that did.

I would hate when the White Soxs and the Twins would come to town. The Twins were a Cuban powerhouse back then with players like Camilo Pascual and Tony Oliva.  And the White Soxs had Minnie Minoso.  Minoso could play just about any position including pitcher.  In fact he was one of only two players in major league history to play in five separate decades.  Another great player of that time was Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Soxs.

The names of other Cuban players of that era don’t stand out as much but I’m sure their talent stood out to the scouts that brought them to the teams they played for.  Talent scouts will again have an opportunity in finding great talent when travel restrictions are lifted to Cuba.  A busy season is just ahead for as this baseball season ends Cuba’s season is just begining.

Of course I may be exaggerating a bit when I say that most baseball players today would be Cuban if relations with cuba were normal.  But the political barriers are coming down.  Thanks to such things as the internet the young people of Cuba are more aware of the world and the freedoms they have been denied.  There will be more talented Cuban players knocking on the door of Major League Baseball and they are bringing the Cuban Thing back to baseball.