LEARNING ABOUT OUR NEIGHBOR, CUBA

Showing Cuban Trinkets

One of the things WFWP stands for is to "embrace one global community transcending long-held barriers such as race, religion, and nationality, through service, education and celebration of unique differences."

When we of the Hackensack, New Jersey Chapter of WFWP heard that President Obama might open up relations with Cuba with an emphasis on human rights, we wanted to do some research and study on Cuba, its climate, economy, culture, and history.

When I told Lourdes, a friend of mine who is a native Cuban who came to America as a young girl, she immediately offered to cook an authentic Cuban meal at her home on Sunday, February 22 for the Hackensack, New Jersey Chapter. She served rice with black beans with 'Ropa Vieja,' (which means "old clothes"), composed of shredded meat and turnips, and a mélange of vegetables and native Cuban fruits. She showed us a large sugarcane plant and explained how it was grown, harvested, and used as a sweetener in Cuban homes.

Interestingly enough my mother had just returned from a Cuban tour with 'Discovery Tours by Gate 1.' She wanted to come to show us a slideshow of the life in Cuba that she had observed from her travels. As tourists, they were asked to bring band aids, aspirin, and other medical items to donate to the senior nursing homes they were going to visit in Cuba. She visited senior centers, beautiful (but not so well-attended), churches, musical shows, and schools.

All in all, we learned a lot about Cuba that evening. If the United States does set up an Embassy in Cuba, we now understand more of the nature of the Cuban people than we did before. We can now look forward with the anticipation of meeting the Cuban people and embracing them as our brothers and sisters.

Wonderful Cuban food to share

Learning how to cook Cuban food