cubans in wuhan

This city of more than 10 million people in central China is not like other Chinese cities I have visited. It is not a tourist spot. It seems very industrial and busy with work. Riding in the cab from the train station to the hotel I grew more and more anxious, and worried, and started feeling sick, and a little delirious I think, and it really came on strong after miles and miles of high-rises with clothes hanging outside and hard working families bustling through their daily routines inside.

The taxi driver could not find the hotel. I thought he was going to drop me off in the middle of this huge expanse of buildings, tired of looking for my hotel. I swore to myself that I was not going to let him drag me out of this taxi. I was looking for what to hang on to when he came back with good directions. Shame on me for overreacting.

I have been sick and have not left the hotel very much since arriving. The Intercontinental Hotel here is beautiful. The staff and the guests are almost all Chinese and the number of people who speak English is far less than in Hong Kong or Shanghai or other cities. I stand out in a crowd. I stand out in a room with 3 people. I have seen maybe 5 other American or European people since arriving. Two of them are the Cuban husband and wife duo playing music in the restaurant and lounge in the evenings.  They are a delight to find.

I started feeling sick on the way here then I went walking and got caught in the rain on my first day here. So I stayed in, worked on my computer, relaxed and watched movies on HBO. “Catch Me if You Can” has played about 5 times.

I am reading this later – it is September 2019 now – and remembering so much. I kept it as a draft and never published it, so publishing now with some comments. I met and became friends with Alex and Vivian and now miss them very much. We had several meals together, Alex let me borrow his coat to go out in the cold, and I learned a lot about life in Cuba. I never could have predicted learning about Cuba in Wuhan, China.

Now when I think back to the friends I made in Wuhan, Vivian, Alex, Lora, Aaron, Matthew, and Kelly all remind me of how fortunate I have been in my life.

And fortunate to find Wuhan in my world.

Thank you!

David