Havana 2005-05-04

Havana! I couldn’t go to Cuba without going here. And well, I had to see Plaza de la Revolucion (and its cracked concrete parking lot appearance.) It was great, but quick and hardly so communist as you’d expect. The only real difference is the absence of stores. We did have a very nice meal and saw the “Granma,” the boat that Fidel and Che returned from exile on. Quasi-European, quasi-American, and mostly something else altogether (the sign across from the US mission that accused Bush of being a Nazi was a bit of a shock)…Havana.

Jibacoa 2005-05-06

So yes we stayed in a resort, but one requires pre-booked accommodation to enter Cuba and only charter airlines fly from Vancouver. It was by far the best deal. We really lucked out, a beautiful, secluded resort, half-full, on the beach and we even got an ocean view room.

One more of life’s experiences…

Vancouver 2005-05-09

Returned to Vancouver to start work for the summer. Volkmar also arrived in the city before I did, which is a little strange, but he feels just as much at home here as I do. We didn’t manage a big road trip like last year, but did rent a car and head out to such exciting places as Langley and Whistler.

Work at the Law Review has been fun and it goes down as being another enjoyable summer job. It may be a bit dull to be on campus everyday, but another summer in the city is quite fun.

The Book Club keeps rolling along, although three is no rhyme or reason to our book club choices. Not to worry though, since we always seem to talk about something, even if it isn’t the book of choice.

The first half of the summer had crappy weather, but somehow it had the most attempts at Beach parties. And if a soccer game breaks out…all the merrier!

I had been thinking about having a little party in Vanier for a while, and it finally came to pass. Not exactly as I imagined, and I think the group was smaller than we somehow thought it would be. In any case, Rita, Stu, John, myself and for a while Julie, where all camped out in Vanier. I got room 405 once again, but in Kootenay, which was a little strange. By equally strange coincidence, Rita got her first year room of 412. The caf was closed, the commons block different, dinner and breakfast were in the village, which was more a 4^th (5^th-6^th) year thing than anything. Jeff Keating wasn’t home…no calls to Tim Tsuji, but we did go to the Pit, to Wreck… it was nostalgia, but it wasn’t a reunion. It was friends for 8 years continuing to be friends, just in an old place.