We visited La Terrazas, a UNESCO ‘biosphere reserve” which was established after the revolution to resurrect the land. When the Spanish came, close to 90% of the island was forested, and they cut down a large part of it and shipped the wood to Spain. Then came the French who grew coffee, which does best in the shade, and thus they preserved the forest. But by the time of the Revolution, only about 30% or the forest remained.
The revolutionary government undertook a program of re-forestation. Here is a picture of the land as it appeared in the early 1960s when terracing began to control the erosion that had taken place.
Now the area is lush with vegetation. Dams have been built, and a whole community has grown up, with homes, restaurants, gallery of an artist who lives there, and an hotel.
We visited the local school, which serves kindergarten through 12th grade. We learned that there are 260 students plus 45 teachers and 15 volunteers. School hours are 8 to 4:15. The ratio of teacher to student in elementary grades is 25 to 1, in higher levels it’s 30 to 1. English starts in 3rd grade. Art, theatre, dance, music and sports are included in the curriculum.
We were invited into a classroom where we talked to the students about what they learned. I had brought an instant photo camera (Fuji bought the rights to the technology from Polaroid) and took pictures of each of the children and their teacher. They were delighted, and posed for a picture for me!
Some of the 7th graders go to the local vegetarian restaurant, El Romero, once a week to learn about the culinary arts, and served us when we had lunch there. They also learn to tend the organic gardens that supply the restaurant, and about the special diets that some of the local residents require (for example, diets for diabetics or cardiac patients).
I had wondered how hard it would be to be vegetarian here, but I learned just how colorful and delicious Cuban vegetarian cuisine could be!
Afterwards, we adjourned to Café de Maria (my namesake Café- get it?) for special coffees designed by Maria, who originally owned the restaurant, and sadly is no longer with us.
Written in Havana, Cuba
4/12/18
Posted from the US 5/20/18
Posted 5/20/18 from the US
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