Last two days @ George School in Newtown, PA doing pre-trip workshops. Tomorrow fly to Miami, then on to Holguin, Cuba on Thurs. High hopes + minimal expectations. Peace, - RJ

Do you know the way to Holguín?

(photo by Felip1)

Well, first you have to apply for the special license, then wait for months for it to come, and meanwhile work on a "plan B" since the license may not arrive in time, then just when your "absolute last deadline" has come & gone with no license, you hear that it really might still happen, that the license may indeed be on the way, but who knows if & when it comes if there will then be enough time to book a group on one of the limited flights to the island from Miami? Alas...

(1) Luckily for me, other people have been doing all of the above planning, and even more importantly...
(2) I'm realizing a dream next week & going to Cuba!!

I'll be in Holguín for 2.5 weeks, helping to repair a church that was damaged last year by Hurricane Ike. No Havana (as originally planned), but we will get to visit Santiago de Cuba & Gibara. Stay tuned for at least some reports from the road...

And in the meantime, here's an interesting and award-winning blog to check out, written "from the island, about the island": Generación Y (English version), as well as two audio programs put out by Afropop Worldwide re: "The Golden Age of Cuban Music": (part 1)+(part 2)