Meet Josefina! Born in 1910, it’s fair to say she’s witnessed her fair share of changes in Cuba. Having lived almost exactly half her long life in both pre and post revolution times.
We met Josefina while cruising the back streets of Trinidad, Cuba one breezy Sunday evening, while everyone was out on the street enjoying their time off before the rigorous work routine restarted the following day. Playing chess or dominoes, drinking homebrew beer from a truck for 25c a litre and arguing about the latest sports results.
At 103, Josefina no longer partakes in the drinking and gaming, instead opting for a more relaxed day of rocking in her chair on the porch and watching the activities from afar. We stopped briefly to chat and were immediately offered an invitation to come sit with her.
“La vida es dura” (life is hard), seemed to be her main summary. While a lot of her public services are supplied by the state, she still lacks some basic items to help improve her quality of life. She, like many older Cuban women, asked us if we’d brought any soap. A strange request, but in a country with rations and severe trade restrictions, it’s often the little things we take for granted.
After a short conversation about life in Cuba, we said goodbye to Josefina and left her standing in her doorway, quietly watching the slow evolution of Cuba.
If you’re planning a trip to Trinidad, don’t forget to check out our Cuba Travel Itinerary for 1-2 weeks, or for the longer term traveler check out our 3-4 week Cuba itinerary. It’s full of amazing places to visit, such as Vinales, Varadero, Havana and many more exciting places!
What a lady! I love how a sense of peace pervades her day and existence now, despite having lived a difficult life. I also love her sassy green headband.
Yeah she was a really cool lady, although hard to understand at times. Maybe a little too relaxed haha. Got some great Cuba snaps coming up soon, just need to organise everything. Took sooooo many pictures!
Haha. We like her sassy headband as well! In Cuba life happens in the streets instead of inside houses. You’ll see people playing chess, others doing business transactions, people yelling down the block to one another. Amidst all this energy the older people tend to stand in their doorways or sit in rockers on the porch and just watch, quietly, for hours. Coming from the states where people barely know their neighbors’ names, its refreshing to see such a friendly, communal culture. Thanks for commenting Collen!