The New Socialism

So...Raoul Castro is now in charge. And he's got a new "brainchild" that will help promote the great and righteous principles of Socialism/Communism.

Capitalism.

I'm not kidding. Read it here.

I always said those Castro boys were special...but I just didn't know how much.

~m

Sorry I haven’t updated you. Things have continued in the same insane “Bryan” fashion that I have come to be used to. More notes will be coming because school starts next week and one of Megh’s home school assignments is blog about her trip.

Here are a few notes:

The trip was flawless until they hit Atlanta. Apparently Atlanta has joined Chicago’ O’Hare airport and any part of St. Louis as being a “black hole” of un-travel-ness. Like a black hole where light and other matter can get in but can’t get out, Atlanta sucks in travelers into its pleasantly named Hartsfield International Airport only to leave them there wandering about hoping to find a loop-hole or time-space ripple of something that allows them to escape. I watched the growing drama from the comfort of my kitchen table… the Delta plane was supposed to arrive from New Orleans and pick them up… but it never left…and yet, strangely, after three hours of delays, the Delta flight that hadn’t left Louisiana…suddenly was loading in Atlanta bound for Louisville. Kevin said that he felt a tinge of sadness as he boarded… some people had been there all day and looked longingly at those “chosen ones” slipping past the apparent weakened gravitational pull of the airport at 11 pm (our team was supposed to have left at 8). Here’s why I know that Atlanta has now become a black hole of un-travel-ness. I watched as flight after flight was either delayed or canceled even though the skies were clear!

They arrived to many cheers at 1:10 am. We arrived home after 2. Libby was beside herself with their arrival. Peanut the Cat didn’t appear to notice. Megh came home with only the clothes on her back (as instructed) and had jettisoned everything she took including a huge navy blue duffel bag with “Meghan Bryan” painted in white on the bottom.

Kevin said that the entrance into the country was the easiest he had ever experienced. One of the concerns was that, upon entering Cuba, each person would be required to go into a room and be interrogated. And groups going into the country could get way-laid badly by one simple misspoken phrase. So the team had practiced their “etiquette” and hoped they were prepared. This caused Meghan a lot of anxiety and actually a panic attack…she said the strangely tinted bulbs, all of the police with mean faces and guns, and masks, like the newcomers were infected with some Zombie virus or something…made her stomach hurt and head swim. Most members of our team had their own bag and were bringing in an extra bag of baseball gear…and Meghan hadn’t looked into her bag to make sure she knew what was in it, which added to her distress. Just as they were getting close to the front of the line, an official-looking lady got their attention and told them to follow her. Eventually they did and within minutes found themselves past the interrogation rooms and past customs! Several of the adults had been to the country before and none could remember anything like that happening. It was nothing short of a sweet miracle.

One thing that impressed Kevin was how quickly our young people “evaporated” in among the Cuban kids. The first day they stuck together and seemed a bit unsure but immediately on the second day it seemed like they each had received an understanding on what they were to do…get involved…and they jumped in and did it. He thought it was utterly amazing how well the kids communicated without the aid of a translator. (The lady who went to help just couldn’t be in so many places at once!) Meghan said that sometimes they used hand signals, sometimes they pointed or drew pictures. They played a lot of “what is” type word games that helped share their languages to each other.

He also was amazed at how safe he felt. He didn’t fear for his equipment or himself (or the kids) as they traveled. In some countries, especially “controlled” ones, he would know that he was being followed or watched. He had no such suspicions in Cuba, which means they are that good, or they just weren’t doing it, or…that my husband is getting old and losing some of his “detective-like” senses.

Only one odd thing: One day the transformer blew up at the church because of the heat (it was the hottest July in memory there). The pastor called to report it but said he didn’t think it would be repaired soon, if ever. Within 90 minutes a crew arrived to look at the problem and within an hour had it fixed. Everyone there considered it a miracle. When Kev told me…cynic that I am…I said, “They knew you had a professional camera…they wanted to look good.


Example of a transformer

Who knows?

More coming soon…maybe with actual pictures!

~m

While You Wait for a Cuba Report...

Please enjoy this music video:



It was done by the Buena Vista Social Club which is a band that was named after a club in Havana that was well-known for its music scene in the 40s and 50s. Some of the older members of the band used to play in the Havana night club before the revolution.

Also...

Click here for a report from Cuba's President. And for once it wasn't Fidel. You might could call this "same song, second verse," perhaps.

~m

American Soil!

I just got a call from Megh! They have touched down in Atlanta.

Here is the run down:

Megh: "Mom? Shhh! Stop it! OK, Mom? Patrick says he love you. OK Mom? Hey! We're in Atlanta! What? OK...Patrick didn't say he loved you...Bobby says he loves you. Shhh! I'm on the phone with my MOTHER! OK Mom? It was Fantastic! OK...I'm telling her! As soon as we got to Nassau every one of us had a big, juicy hamburger. Even Sarah, who doesn't like French fries because they're too greasy had some and said they were the best French fries she has EVER tasted! But the cokes weren't as good as the tucola...not "chewcola"...tucola as in the number...yeah...not CHEW...it's 2...tucola. Yeah. It has real sugar and is AMAZING! And I LOVE black beans and rice but I don't want to have some for awhile, OK? Stop! Shhh. I'm trying! It's my MOM! Do you want to talk to her? OK then... We're standing in the plane waiting to get off...it was a GREAT trip...Huh huh YEAH! OK. Yeah Chad was leading a cheer. We have a new nickname for dad...it's "Daddy K"...you know we have 2 Mama J's on the trip and now a Daddy K...it's so cute. Please bring me my cell phone...and an Ale 8. Yeah. When I barely touched down just now I yelled "I have signal! I have signal!" and dad yelled "Call mom!" but I can't text my friends that I'm home because I don't have their numbers in dad's phone. I was using it to listen to music. OK...I have to go. I love you! I'm SO glad we went and I'm SO glad we're almost home! Here's dad.

Kevin: It was INCREDIBLE...we will bore you FOR HOURS!

Me: I can't wait...I dare you to bore me!

Kev: Uh oh. It looks like we won't get in until midnight. Must be the weather. We've dodged stuff all the way in.

Me: I've got a diet coke right here.

Kev: OK. To the left...no your other left! OK, dear? Got to go! Trying to get this crew something to eat!

Me: OK LOVE YOU!

click.

So there you have it...you were the first to know!

~m

The Itinerary Says They're Out

The itinerary says they've left Cuba, but I've not heard from them officially. I probably won't until about after 8pm when they arrive in Atlanta.

This silence is nothing new. Years ago I would go weeks without hearing from Kevin. Weeks. In some ways the not knowing is good. I can't worry or fret about some equipment glitch, there's nothing I could do if one of them were sick (except pray), and changes in the schedule or video plan might make me crazy knowing that they "need" to shoot specific things for a certain project. However, these changes can only make me crazy if I know about them. If I don't...we can victory dance all we want because we don't know any differently! Bottom line: Ignorance can sometimes (but not always) be bliss.

And it's not bad for them either. They can concentrate on what is before them and not have to worry about "this or that" at home...because you know there is always a "this" or a "that" stirring stuff up.

Besides, I knew they could find me with the team's handy-dandy satellite phone if something went horribly awry...but for the most part no news was good news indeed.

I have always tried to maintain this belief...although it hasn't been easy. Even from the first trip Kevin took, things happened to prevent such non-knowledge nirvana. I remember being awaken one morning at the unholy hour of 4am. This was nearly a week after Kevin left to go to Kenya in August of 1986 to meet up with a missionary recruiter and video his travels.

As you are well aware, if the phone rings before 9, (OK maybe 8) it is almost always universally bad. And the badness of the news increases exponentially with every hour earlier. I'm not exaggerating here...it's a law.

So a 4AM call meant certain catastrophe. And when your husband's out of the country and the phone rings at such an hour your mind (at least my mind) immediately thinks: "something's happened to Kevin and he's coming home in a body bag."

I pick of the phone, suddenly wild-eyed awake and here's the conversation.

Kevin: Hello? Marcy? Hey, I just want you to know that I'm OK.

Marcy: This must mean that at some point you weren't OK.

Kevin: Well, I had some trouble in Saudi Arabia...

Marcy: Kevin, you weren't going to Saudi Arabia.

Kevin: I know...but the plane I was on went to Saudi Arabia because I missed my flight on the plane to Kenya. And I ended up being detained in Saudi for day or so.

Marcy: I'm just curious, especially since you're OK...what does "detained a day or so" actually mean?

Kevin: I can't talk long...but I was interrogated and locked in a little room. I thought they wouldn't get me to my plane but I climbed the wall and stuck my head over it and 2 young armed guards saw me (they must have been 15 and had uzi's!) and thought is was so funny that they found out when my plane was leaving and took me to it. They older guy was really crabby and would only look at me in a mirror but one of the kids spoke English and said he wanted to make movies some day.

Marcy: There's more to this, isn't there?

Kevin: Yeah, but I have to go. They gave me my camera back. And I have my passport again.

Marcy: OK...pause...sigh...get lots of good footage.

Kevin: I love you.

Marcy: Yeah, right. That's why you call and scare the begeebies out of me at god-awful thirty in the morning! And then you tell me only half the story and I don't even know if you have all your limbs or not or are in the hospital and you're not going to make it but you're acting brave so I won't won't worry and you're really trying to say goodbye or WHATEVER!*

click

*I didn't really say that last part. I said, "I love you, too." But I thought it. And I had to wait several weeks until I heard the rest of the story. In the meantime I was given Frank Peretti's "This Present Darkness" to read, which didn't help my already amped emotions at all.

Kevin made it home with lots of stories and some really good footage and we began a journey that has us currently in Louisville, Kentucky trying to tell stories using media that draw people to Jesus or encourage them in their walk with Him. And my daughter wants to follow in her dad's footprints.

And, as far as I know, they're on their way home.

I couldn't be happier.

~m

Cuban News

Fortunately, it doesn't include or surround, in any way, my family.

Click here to read a story about the U.S. government turning off an electric sign criticizing the Cuban government. The interesting thing is that this electric sign is IN CUBA. And it worked for 3 WHOLE YEARS. Does anyone else find that strange?

And click here for a story about a guy who tried to get arrested by the Cuban government so he could whine and fuss about getting arrested by the Cuban government. But they wouldn't do it. And boy is he cheezed.

I don't even have to make crazy stuff like this up!

Reality, once again, trumps insanity at: marcyjoybryan@gmail.com

It's Thursday

And their final full day in Cuba!

The itinerary says they will be participating in a "Counter-Cultural Experience" in Old Havana.

Once again, I have no idea what a "counter-cultural experience" might look like but I can't imagine our idea of a "counter-cultural experience" would be in any way the same as the Communist Proletariat Dudes in charge. Hopefully our team has a good translator.

Even though I'm unsure of the activity, I have dutifully found some pictures of Old Havana to share. It appears that Old Havana has two sides.

Here's one side:


and:

and here's the other side:

and:


I wonder which one they'll be taken to?

They'll be on a "walking tour" so maybe they'll be "wandering around" to various places. While they walk they plan to "talk to Father" about all they see and hear. And stuff.

And tonight they'll be spending time with the Cuban Youth, do a final Retreat Exercise, and say goodbye.

I wonder if I'll recognize them when they step off the plane. It's trips like these that tend to change everything.

~m