"Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that, until the day God deigns to reveal the future to man, the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and hope.” (The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas—abridged version)
As the wheels rolled down the landing site, I could already sense the difference between Cuba and the United States. The airplane had no automatic staircase; passengers had to get down through the emergency stairs. There was no terminal! From the landing site we had to walk into a small room less than 100 by 100 feet to wait for our passports to be stamped. Then we passed through immigration and security. Plastic boxes used along with a metal detector were the only technology available. The lack of personnel turned the process of checking out the luggage into an incredibly arduous task. …show more content…
As I stepped outside I became astonished. It was as if I had travelled through a time machine to the past. You could see smog and thick dust filling the air. Cars such as, 1968 Mustangs, filled the streets around the airport. It was as if Cuba had been stuck in the 1950’s and had only worsened in condition. To make matters worse, while we were on our way to Havana, the car’s engine gave out the second my family and I sat down. Not only that, but we had to sit in a filthy white van with no seats, no air conditioner, no seat belts, and timeworn cardboards seats. After a long, unpleasant, and long trip, I finally arrived to Havana,