Well, this traveler got tired, but very tired. And it also happened that work commitments left me hardly time to give you an update of what happened there, in Santiago de Cuba. But there was everything, and here I come to tell you about it.
Btw, I am back home, hallelujah! Everything here is in order. My neighbor, Yin and Chanel's caretaker, did a great job. And she even greeted me last night at 10 PM with a plate of delicious food, I think she saved it for me from her December 31 party. I feel very fortunate to receive so much love... 😇
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In my previous post I told you that I was going to cover as a photojournalist a very traditional activity back in the hot land, which was cold. Well, you should know that the next morning it did warm up. What a strong temperature change! Coats off!
The flag that since 1900 has been hoisted on January 1 at 12 o'clock in the midnight flew. Well, let me tell you well... it started to rise, became a balloon, got a little tangled and waved, then came some minor tangles and flew on, oh Universe, caressed by the wind. You may wonder why I emphasize this; it is that tradition says that according to how it waves, so will be our year. I know there will be everything. And we joked a lot about this after we returned to the hotel to have our toast with Havana Club Rum. We were already predicting in what months things here will be visibly better.
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That hot morning, I got up early. 🤣... the truth is that I got up early every day I was there.
And also as an important and courageous fact, every day I took an ice water shower to fill me with energy. That is not easy, it is not easy, but I like to do it when I am working and tiredness wants to overcome me. The first planned activity was a visit to the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery to visit the tombs of important personalities of our history and observe the ceremony that takes place there to make the changing of the honor guard. This is very nice and solemn. Also, I must tell you that this cemetery I had never visited before despite having been in that city a few times. I loved it. It is as spectacular, from an architectural and sculptural point of view, as our Christopher Columbus Necropolis in Havana.
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We would then have the whole day to rest until 6 pm. At that time the January 1st activity in salute to the 65th Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution was scheduled. However, two of my fellow photographers and I got off the bus to walk around the city again and of course visit other places and take pictures. Who said photographers rest? This is not possible.
Well yes, it was nice, we went to do street photography and we also got lost because the GPS was not working well. Therefore, we walked twice as far.
Santiago de Cuba is a city located between mountains. You can imagine that if we went down one hill, we had to climb another. What a way to sweat, and to laugh.
I have to tell you that I was to blame. I blindly trusted my GPS, which indicated that it would take only 9 minutes to get back to the hotel, through some intricate streets, and not the conventional ones. Now I have earned the nickname of 9 minutes, and since in the end I had to go through Enramada to Plaza de Marte (Mars Square), look for Garzón street, and walk 45 minutes, well... I don't want to know anything about Marte, nor Garzón, and I was spilled. (This is a play on words that is better understood in Spanish, Enramada-Derramada). 😅
We finally arrived and had lunch and I was able to sleep for at least 1 hour, or 2, but I was still tired.
The political event I went to cover was very interesting. On the City Hall they projected a video mapping with different moments of our history and it was really good.
The audio, all that play of lights, and at the same time, the cultural activity that included ballet, traditional dances, declamation, piano music, choral interpretation, and of course, oratory.
Now I am going to tell you a little about my experience as a photojournalist at one of these events, which are the so-called first level activities, attended by the president and other historical personalities.
It is extremely difficult for several reasons. The first is that it takes a lot of preparation and a lot of security in its conception. It's not just getting there and taking pictures, no. We have to go through technical reviews. We are given a platform to stand on.
And if we want to get closer, we have to be accompanied by the security people, in small groups. One of the biggest difficulties is to get a privileged position on that platform. You can imagine that there are many photographers and cameramen from our country as well as from the foreign press. The latter, in particular, carry their heavy equipment, the artillery hahaha, as I say. Huge cameras with tripods that take up all the space. It's stressful and you also have to move fast, as I was telling you, to get a good spot where we are allowed to be.
Then comes that waiting time from the moment we arrive until the act begins, standing in an uncomfortable position. In my case, watching every detail and measuring, to see what I can do with my humble camera. This... without words.
When the act is over I breathe. And sometimes I don't think it's over. And then you'll think that already, yes, it's over... well, it's not. Then comes the part of downloading the photos, editing, and sending them to the Magazine.
That's how it goes. Back at the hotel, late at night, dinner was waiting for us. Because before we left we had a snack and I had a headache, so I had to take an acetaminophen. Luckily, this relieved it. Or I don't know, if it's just that I concentrate so much on my work that I forgot.
We also had another toast after dinner. The lady who was in charge of the accredited press told me that it had been a great pleasure to work with me for the first time under these conditions, and that she loved how fun and willing I was. She and I had already met a few times at events, but not on trips of this kind. In these trips you test the human quality of people, their attitude, their willingness and empathy. It really is a good way to get to know each other. I also have to say that she is a great person, always concerned, aware of our needs, everyone's needs. I was amused how she called us by our names after every bus stop, or when boarding the bus so that she wouldn't miss a single chick. 😂
During the toast we talked a bit about everything, the trip, the events, what we did, how there may be things that could be improved to make our work easier, and we laughed and joked as always.
It was time to sleep and leave for Havana the next day. All I could think about was getting home, my sweet home, and sleeping in my bed. It was a 16 hour trip back, but I am satisfied with my work and this is important.
Expect in the next few days some street photography posts, and other curiosities. I will be very happy to share them with you.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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