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site or other learning experience. Goldstein and her party arrived during a national period of mourning for the the former “El Jefe,” which would last a record nine days and the entirety of Goldstein’s visit. As such, all music was banned out of respect for the passing of the man who led the country for more than half a century. For a country known for its rich musical tradition, the total lack of music anywhere was disappointing… and quite odd, especially during the first stop. At Santiago de Cuba, the scheduled cultural experience was an exhibition of Cuban traditional dance, only without musical accompaniment. The resulting pantomime was all-at-once eerie and strangely beautiful as the dancers performed in total silence. Throughout the trip, while husband Mitch and Annie, stayed with the tour group, Goldstein and Alan skirted the recommended route to experience the Cuban way of life firsthand. At Cienfugos, their wanderings off the beaten track found them amid the national procession of Castro’s cremated remains, which had begun in Havana and would end where Goldstein’s trip began in Santiago de Cuba. Expected to arrive at approximately 3:30 p.m., the procession didn’t get to the town until 7:00 p.m. and Goldstein and Alan had only a moment to view the gathering and proceedings, before they hightailed to catch the final ferry back to the ship. At every stop, Goldstein found the Cuban people to be vibrant and happy, despite suffering from terribly poor conditions and daily rationing of food and services. Still, she noted that Cubans were well-clothed in the latest fashions and clean, right down to their manicured fingernails. “Wherever we went, people would help us,” she said. “They were so wonderful. If they were unhappy, they wouldn’t be so nice.” What the future holds for Cuba and the USA’s continual involvement with a new administration is anyone’s guess, and Goldstein urges everyone to visit, while they still can. “If you have the opportunity, go! You never know what will happen and it’s something we, as Americans, have never been exposed to.” Despite appearances, Synagogues and Jewish Parochial schools remained open under Castro Apothecary El Jefe watches over the lobby of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana Hot Wheels Scrambled Grandma likes her cigars February 2017  ¢  NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER  13


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