It’s the little things

Some bloggers have a schedule. They post on certain days, or make lists on a specific day. I think that’s great, but that kind of commitement scares me. Amber, over at The Usual Bliss, blogs about the best parts of her week every Wednesday and calls it bliss bits. I enjoy reading it and I’ve thought of starting something similar, but I’m afraid I’ll do it once or twice, then forget, and then feel bad about forgeting, but still not do it, and well, you get the picture.

However, today, I’m feeling like I need a little pick-me up. My car is stuck in the snow. Again. I can’t move it, so I just left it there. I’ll deal with it later. Maybe. Or maybe I’ll just walk everywhere until the snow melts and sets it free.

I decided to look back on my month and think about the things that made me smile. There are quite a few!

Going to the museum of nature with my students.

Practicing arm-balances on a semi-regular basis.

Making vitamin water.

Learning how to take long-exposure photos during my photography class.

Making this girly pink cake for baby Stella’s baby shower.

Baking.

Skating on the canal.

Exploring my wild side.

Finishing my blanket in time for Suzanne’s shower.

With a little help from my grandmother!

Ah, I feel better already!

La Habana

When I was in Cuba with my mom, we decided to throw in a little culture into our trip and booked a day-trip into Havana. I was curious about the country’s capital. 12.5 million people live in Cuba, and 2.5 million of those people live in Havana. I didn’t know much about the country’s history and I was interested in learning more.

Sadly, I was a little disappointed. Not with Havana, which was as vibrant, colourful and intriguing as I imagined it to be. It was like walking around a movie set, although I’m sure people who live there don’t feel like that! The city seemed to have a beat, a rhythm of it’s own.

No, I was disappointed because the tour had us spending time doing things like buying cigars (I didn’t want any), visiting a museum where you had to pay to take pictures and everything was in Spanish (obviously, but I didn’t understand it all) and having lunch in a restaurant for an hour and a half (it wasn’t even Cuban food). I wanted more.

However, I still saw plenty. On the way there, I saw so many horses, cows and goats tied to ropes by the highway, just chomping away on some roadside grass. There were chickens everywhere too! I wanted to shoo them off the road. I was worried they would turn into squashed chicken.

Also, I have never paid to pee so much in my entire life. By the washrooms, there were women waiting and you had to pay if you wanted toilet paper. The first time, it was a new experience. After that, it was just annoying!

There were many old cars in Havana. So many colours! I don’t know much about cars, so I can’t tell you what kind they were, but I saw a really fabulous pink car and also a bride and groom drive by in an amazing purple convertible.

I didn’t get a picture of the goats or the blissful couple on their wedding day, but I did get some great pictures of the city.

I might have been a little dissapointed by the tour, but it was great to actually see the city. It made a nice change from sitting on the beach trying to find the balance between coming home a little darker than when I left, and not getting a sunburn so bad it would feel like my skin shrunk.

Also, I had a Where in the World is Carmen San Diego computer game when I was a kid, and all I could think on the drive to Havana was “He went to Havana to eat a fried banana.” That was one of the clues in the game and the first thing that popped in my head when someone mentioned Havana. I’m happy to say I am now much more informed about Cuba’s capital!