Friends and books
Hi everyone!! Last Wednesday I woke up worried, in fact I had been worried for days before. My daughter had told me that she was going to the book fair with a group of friends and that they were going alone.
It may seem strange, but in her 16 years she had never gone out with friends without adult supervision. Or at least, not without us giving them a ride and picking them up. This trip would be on their own and on public transportation.
The public transportation situation in Cuba is a challenge. Especially the first part of the trip was going to be. Once in Old Havana, getting to the event venue was much easier, but the worst part would be the return.
They left around 7:30 in the morning and it wasn't until after 10 am that I received their call. They had arrived and were fine, I breathed a sigh of relief. Children do not grow up for us parents. It is hard for us to accept that they are independent people.
That's how I was, half anxious all day, worried especially about the return trip that awaited them.
The stay at the Fortaleza de la Cabaña, venue of the event, was nothing to worry about, it is a quiet place, without dangers and also very beautiful. I have spoken about it in other publications.
According to my daughter there were not many people. They walked around the entire venue without any major difficulties. They enjoyed the green areas of the place. The weather was quite cool that day. In that part of Havana the wind chill is much more pleasant, so with about 22°C walking around was not exhausting.
Around 3:30 I received another call, they were on their way back. Three long hours passed until I arrived at the door of the house. I was exhausted, the last part of the trip had been tortuous, they came standing up, in a bus all cramped together. In spite of everything, she was happy, it was her first outing alone, facing reality, overcoming adversity. Nothing could overshadow the fun of being all together.
Her happiness was complemented by her shopping. Inflation in our country is another serious
inflation in our country is another serious problem and although there were many expensive books, she found some of her interest, at very good prices.
Such was our daughter's first adventure without us. She becomes an adult...time is relentless.
! [Spanish]
Hola a todos!! El miércoles pasado me levanté preocupada, de hecho lo estaba desde días anteriores. Mi hija me había dicho que iría a la feria del libro con un grupo de amigos y que se irían solos.
Parecerá raro, pero en 16 años que tiene nunca había salido con amigos sin supervisión de algún adulto. O al menos, no sin que los lleváramos y los recogiéramos. Este viaje lo harían solos y en transporte público.
La situación del transporte público en Cuba, es un desafío. Sobre todo, lo iba a ser la primera parte del viaje. Una vez en la Habana Vieja, llegar hasta la sede del evento era mucho más fácil, pero lo peor sería el retorno.
Partieron sobre la 7:30 de la mañana y no fue hasta pasadas las 10 am que recibí su llamada. Habían llegado y estaban bien, respiré aliviada. Los hijos no crecen para nosotros los padres. Nos cuesta aceptar que son personas independientes.
Así estuve, medio angustiada todo el día, preocupada sobre todo por el viaje de regreso que les esperaba.
La estancia en la Fortaleza de la Cabaña,sede del evento, no era para preocuparse, es un lugar tranquilo, sin peligros y además muy hermoso. He hablado de él en otras publicaciones.
Según mi hija no habían muchas personas. Caminaron por todo el recinto sin mayores dificultades. Disfrutaron de las áreas verdes del lugar. El clima estaba bastante fresco ese día. En esa parte de la Habana la sensación térmica es mucho más agradable, así que con unos 22°C andar no se hizo agotador.
Sobre las 3:30 recibí otra llamada, ya venían de regreso. Tres largas horas pasaron hasta que llegó a la puerta de la casa. Venía agotada, el último tramo del viaje había sido tortuoso, vinieron de pie, en un ómnibus todos apretados. A pesar de todo, estaba feliz, fue su primera salida sola, enfrentándose a la realidad, superando las adversidades. Nada logró opacar la diversión de estar todos juntos.
Su felicidad estaba complementada por su compra. La inflación en nuestro país es otro grave problema y aunque habían muchos libros caros, ella encontró algunos de su interés, a muy buenos precios.
Así fue la primera aventura de nuestra hija sin nosotros. Se hace adulta...el tiempo es implacable.
The photos were taken by my daughter. The text is mine, translated in DeepL.
Las fotos fueron tomadas por mi hija. El texto es mío, traducido en DeepL.
I imagine you were worried, what I always read about public transportation in your country it must have been a real challenge. But our kids are getting independent day by day, and it is how it has to be. 😊
Nice books, I see she likes science. My son read books about the basis of the composition of various composers - weird stuff 😂 Though he had a short period when he liked mangas. Jordi Sierra i Fabra - they also had to read various books from this author in the school.
If you knew that writing that post I thought of you and your son's trip to Germany..at the end I laughed. My concern was about a trip of about 20 km, by ground transportation and only a few hours away from home....can you imagine if he had been in your shoes 😬🤣.
Yes, she likes science. Today's reality is different, reading has taken a back seat, there are many ways to entertain and look for information and teenagers have put reading aside. I'm glad your son reads and that my daughter does too, although not as often as I would like.
Olivia likes manga, but not for reading, she likes Ghibli movies, some series and lots of short films. Literature at school...here is another sad problem...it's not what it used to be. The syllabus is loaded with good literature, but in practice it is not given, there is no demand from teachers and therefore students do not read. Only those who want to and like it do it.
Este comentario está algo largo 🥴🤣. Feliz semana para ustedes.
That is true that literature in school is not the same as it used to be; the same here, but parents also have a large share of responsibility for the reading habits of their children, especially when they are still small.
And as time passes, eliminating many other distinctions (for young children) is getting more difficult.
I totally agree, the habit of reading is encouraged at home and from a very young age. Thelma other day, as a joke, I started reading to Olivia. This age is difficult...too many distractions 🙄 and the books ...to get dust 🤦🤷.
For young children nowadays it's hard. For parents it's easier to give them any electronic device than to read them a book. No time...that's the justification.
We are in a bad way.
Reading these lines, I wondered who was traveling there... You or your daughter? 😃 She was standing, walking all day, and you got exhausted... 😜 Just kidding, of course... Our son is 17, and this year he went to completely another country, by plane, with his friends (okay, they had adult supervision, but without us, parents), and it was exhausting too... :)
Btw. speaking of books... When I saw the title of your post, I immediately had a revelation of how I hadn't read a book for years now, and I was a regular book reader before... Too much work killed my reading books habit... 😞 I will have to slow down a bit, take a book, sit under the tree, and read... That's my newest goal! Thanks for the inspiration!
I have picked this post on behalf of the @OurPick project! Check out our Reading Suggestions Posts!
Please consider voting for our Liotes HIVE Witness. Thank you!
In the publication of @ourpick I left you a comment about it. I read the post first and then saw your comment on my post 🤦♀️.
The pace of today's life has killed many habits and reading has been one of them. But it really depends on us to prioritize the things that bring us happiness and peace. I'm so glad that my post will inspire you and bring you back to those times.