All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others – Tous les animaux sont égaux, mais il y en a qui le sont plus que d’autres

This post is actually part of an email I sent to my mom this morning – again, we’re discussing what’s going on in Québec and the charter and her reply to a video sent to her by someone she knows. I won’t get into details about the original e-mail nor the response my mother sent back.

I am forever thankful to have a family that is open minded and won’t be duped by ignorance being spread about in order to create distrust, hate and division for political gains. Alhamdullillah.

Warning – it’s in “Franglais”. 😉 Translation into English will follow the french text and will be in italics.

*****

Cet article est tiré d’un courriel que j’ai envoyé à ma mère ce matin discutant de ce qu’il se passe au Québec et de la charte. Quelqu’un lui a envoyé une vidéo et, semblerait, qu’elle en a eu assez. Elle leur a renvoyé une réplique et m’a mis en BCC. Je ne vais pas rentrer dans les détails ni du courriel original ni de la réplique envoyé par ma mère.

Je suis tellement reconnaissante envers Dieu et ma famille. Alhamdullilah (Dieu merci), ma famille ne se laisse pas influencer par l’ignorance, la haine et la méfiance qui est encouragé de ces jours ci, question de gains et enjeux politiques.

Avertissement – ce courriel est en “franglais”. 😉

E-mail / Courriel

“…Je suis déjà tellement bombardé par toutes sortes de choses négatives au sujet de ma religion est des préjugés que ça fait plusieurs semaines que je n’ai pas écouté la radio.
I am already bombarded with all sorts of negative things and prejudices pertaining to my religion that it’s been a few weeks since I’ve tuned into the radio.

Les gens seront toujours mal renseignés et je crois qu’il y a parfois rien à faire. On peut leur parler et tenter de les renseigner, mais s’il ne veulent rien entendre ou comprendre…
People will always be misinformed and I think that, sometimes, there’s nothing to do. We can talk to them and try to inform them but if they never want to listen or understand…

Ce qui compte pour moi c’est que mes proches considèrent que, dans notre société, les droits sont garantis pour tout le monde; peu importe leur race, religion, langue, etc. Ce qui me fait de la peine c’est que des “Féministes” veulent enlever le droit de certaines femmes, voir même les isoler et les rendre plus dépendantes sur leurs maris. Comme si une femme était trop niaiseuse pour décider d’elle-même ce qu’elle veut porter. Et si une femme est forcée à le porter ou est dans une situation abusive, pourquoi ne pas s’assurer qu’elle a recours à des services ou ressources pour se sortir de cette situation? Bien non! Le problème n’est pas le manque de soutien pour les femmes, mais c’est la religion! BULLSHIT! L’Islam à donné plusieurs droits aux femmes au 7e siècle quand elle n’en avaient pas! (Je pourrais t’en reparler une autre fois) Toutes les femmes de notre société pourraient profiter de plus de services et soutien. Au lieu de diviser le monde, pourquoi ne pas tenter de tous nous rapprocher et de s’entraider?
What’s important to me is that those closest to me believe that, within our society, rights are guaranteed for all – regardless of race, religion, language, etc. What makes me sad is that these “Feminists” would like to take the right of some women, even go as far as to isolate them and make them more dependent on their husbands. As if a woman was too stupid to make up her own mind about what she wants to wear. And if a woman is forced to wear it (the veil) or is in an abusive situation, why not ensure that she has access to services or resources to get out of this situation? Of course not! The problem isn’t a lack of support for women, it’s religion! BULLSHIT! Islam gave women many rights in the 7th century, a time when they had none! (I can talk to you about this some other time) All women in our society could benefit from more services and assistance. Instead of dividing people, why not try and bring us all together to help one another?

Je vais terminer mon courriel avec une théorie et une citation (la dernière m’est revenue après plusieurs années).
I’ll end this e-mail with a bit of theory and a quote (the latter coming back to me after many years).

Théorie : Divide and conquer – wikipedia

In politics and sociology, divide and rule (or divide and conquer) (derived from Greek: διαίρει καὶ βασίλευε, diaírei kaì basíleue) is gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into pieces that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy. The concept refers to a strategy that breaks up existing power structures and prevents smaller power groups from linking up…

…In modern times, Traiano Boccalini cites “divide et impera” in La bilancia politica, 1,136 and 2,225 as a common principle in politics. The use of this technique is meant to empower the sovereign to control subjects, populations, or factions of different interests, who collectively might be able to oppose his rule…

…Elements of this technique involve:

1. creating or encouraging divisions among the subjects to prevent alliances that could
2. challenge the sovereign (oui – la charte elle-même –yes, the charter itself)

aiding and promoting those who are willing to cooperate with the sovereign (oui – voir le Conseil du statut de la femme – “Le Conseil du statut de la femme (CSF) n’est pas un organisme indépendant du pouvoir politique” – Pauline Marois –yes, the Council on the Status of Women – “Le Council on the Status of Women (CSF) is not an organism independant from political power”- Pauline Marois)

3. fostering distrust and enmity between local rulers (oui – encore, la charte et la division “Pur Laine” vs “les autres” – yes, again the charter and the division between the “Pur Laine” and “the Others”)
4. encouraging meaningless expenditures that reduce the capability for political and military spending (oui – 1,9 millions $ pour publicités pro-charte, etc –yes, $1.9 million spent on pro-charter publicities, etc)

Citation / Quote
Et maintenant pour la citation, ce qui me fait un peu peur, mais je ne suis pas surprise.
And now for the quote, which scared me a it but I’m not all that surprised.

« All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others »
“Tous les animaux sont égaux, mais il y en a qui le sont plus que d’autres.”

-Animal Farm, , George Orwell, 1945. Bref: les droits de certains priment au dessus des droits des autres… Basically: the rights of some are more important than the rights of others.

Un très bon livre qui commente sur la révolution en Russie (Stalin) et que je devrais relire un de ces jours. Voici ce que Wikipédia dit au sujet de ce livre, certaines choses s’appliquent à notre situation :
A very good book that comments on the revolution in Russia (Stalin) – which I should read again one of these days. This is what Wikipedia says about the book, certain things apply to our situation:
«The novel addresses not only the corruption of the revolution by its leaders, but also the ways wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed, and myopia corrupt the revolution. It portrays corrupt leadership as the flaw in revolution, rather than the act of revolution itself. It also shows how potential ignorance and indifference to problems within a revolution could allow horrors to happen if a smooth transition to a people’s government is not achieved. »

I think I’ve said all I have to say. ;)”

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On the charter, yet once more – Sur la charte, encore!

Assalamu alaikum, I just wanted to share 2 more links concerning the newly proposed Québec charter of rights and values.

A petition that you can sign to voice your opposition to the proposed charter:
https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-4339/index.html
Please note: once you fill in your information, you will receive an email in your inbox (possibly in your junk folder). You must open this message and click on their link to confirm that you did, in fact, sign the petition.

The next gathering/protest against the charter this weekend (Sept 29th). I hope many people will go – I plan on going.

Don’t have access to Facebook? The event will be at Place des festivals (Jeanne-Mance and Ste-Catherine) on Sunday, September 29th at 1 pm.

************

Assalamu alaikum, je prends quelques minutes pour vous faire parvenir 2 autres liens concernant la charte des valeurs proposée au Québec.

Une pétition, que vous pouvez signer, qui est contre ce projet de charte:
https://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-4339/index.html
SVP notez: Une fois vos coordonnées envoyées, vous recevrez un courriel (possiblement dans vos “pourriels”). Vous devez ouvrir ce courriel et cliquer sur le lien pour confirmer que vous c’est bien vous qui avez signé cette pétition.

Le prochain rassemblement (ou démonstration) contre la charte sera cette fin de semaine (le 29 septembre). J’espère que plusieurs y seront; je comptes y aller.

Vous n’avez pas un compte Facebook? Le rassemblement se fera à la Place des festivals (Jeanne-Mance et Ste-Catherine) ce dimanche, le 29 septembre, à 13h00.

Changements à la charte des droits et liberté au Québec – La charte “des valeurs québecoises”

Bon, je ne suis pas certaine si je vais traduire le tout que j’ai écris hier en anglais; ce n’est pas mon meilleur texte et j’ai les émotions qui courent un peu partout. Que ressens-je en ce moment? Je suis triste, déçue, fâchée, même enragée par temps… D’un sens, je me sens aussi trahie par certaines personnes dans mon peuple, la culture dans laquelle j’ai été élevée. Bref, j’ai le cœur brisé…

C’est drôle, mes parents m’ont toujours dit d’être tolérante et ils m’ont élevés avec un esprit curieux, ouvert. Ils ne m’ont jamais montré comment différer entre une personne ou une autre basé sur la couleur de leur peau, la manière dont il(elle) se vêtit, leur pays d’origine, leur religion ou leur langue maternelle. Non, on m’a encouragée d’apprendre à connaitre et apprécier le monde basé sur leur caractère, leur personnalité, leurs valeurs.

Certains dirons peut-être que je suis naïve, mais j’essaie toujours de vivre ma vie de cette manière, de percevoir le monde à travers cette philosophie. Je ne peux m’imaginer à quel point ma vie serait limitée et vide si mes parents m’auraient inculqués avec une vision intolérante et fermée d’esprit.

Alhamdullillahi rabbil ‘alamin! (Louange à Allah, Seigneur de l’univers) En grande part, c’est grâce à eux et à la manière dont ils m’ont élevés que j’ai retrouvé mon chemin vers Dieu, que j’ai trouvé l’homme de ma vie, que j’ai eu la chance de m’entourer de gens magnifiques. Même si j’ai le cœur brisé avec ce qu’il se passe au Québec, je leurs suis infiniment reconnaissante de m’avoir appris que tout ce que je sais, y incluant que tout le monde est égal et que nous avons tous des droits; peu importe notre nom, sexe, origine, langue, foie, mode de vie, etc.!

Un positif dans toute cette situation; il semblerait que l’île de Montréal ferait une demande d’exemption pour cette nouvelle charte. Ceci m’a tellement remonté le moral. Toutes les municipalités et la grande Ville elle même, toute l’île, à l’unanimité s’oppose à la charte! Subhan’Allah! Voir l’article dans La Presse.

Je vais terminer ceci avec un lien vers un manifeste en français, écrit par un groupe surnommé Québec Inclusif. C’est un long texte mais ça vaut le temps de lecture.
Lien vers le manifeste
Et si vous aimez ce qu’ils ont à dire, je vous encourage à signer leur manifeste en cliquant ici.

Merci.

On the proposed changes to the Québec charter of rights

As some of you may or may not know, the government of Québec is looking to make some changes to the provincial charter of rights and freedoms. Usually, I would say that change can be good, but in this case I cannot agree in the least!

This post may be a bit all over the place – I’m that annoyed/disappointed/mad/enraged/heart-broken.

 

What are the changes proposed?

It would ban the wearing of “overt and conspicuous” religious symbols by any public/civil servants while on the job.

So what is an “overt and conspicuous” religious symbol anyway? Large crucifixes, turbans, hijabs, burqas and kippas. But feel free to wear a small symbol as jewelry.

 

Who is directly affected by the ban?

Public service extends to: judges, police, prosecutors, public daycare workers, teachers, school staff, hospital workers (doctors, nurses and other staff), municipal personnel.

 

Why is this ban being proposed?

To ensure the equality of the sexes and establish a secular society. *please note the whole “equality of the sexes” thing – anyone else feel this whole thing is really aimed at women wearing hijab?*

 

While it may not sound all that bad, the tensions this whole issue has created are horrible! It pits one group against another. As if non “pure-laine” didn’t feel unwanted enough, this gets thrown in their face. I would also like to point out that it’s not only Muslims, Jews and Sikhs that are affected, but Christians as well.

In a country and province that depends so much on newcomers to immigrate and establish lives and families here to help support the population, I think this is just absurd! It’s like telling a guest to come over and stay, permanently, that they are welcome. But then you turn around to belittle them and make them feel so unwelcome with every chance you get. “I don’t like the way you look/dress/think/lead your life – you are below me! – but keep paying me rent and respect me.”

How can this proposed change benefit anyone in this province?

It doesn’t! It actually creates anger between groups, encourages the “us vs them” mentality that is already poisoning this society, will cause further segregation between groups rather than encouraging people to integrate and contribute to society, will increase the jobless rate and will lead to loss of manpower to other provinces.

That means that your 8, 12, 17 hour wait in the emergency room could increase! Why? Because it would seem that being cared for by a doctor with a kippa is unacceptable.

On an endless waiting list for a daycare spot for your little munchkin? Wait a little longer, why don’t you? It would seem a woman wearing a hijab is unfit to care for your child.

Like feeling safe at home? Well, worry no more! That menace to society, turbaned police officer has been sent packing and criminals will be freer to roam your neighbourhood now! (I hope you can hear the sarcasm)

Remember that freaking awesome French teacher you had? Well, she’s been sacked too – turns out her cross was too big.

 

In a province where emergency room wait times are now averaging 19 hours. Where parents are knocking door-to-door and waiting months before they can find a subsidized a day daycare spot (and the quality isn’t all that great either). Where the dropout rate in high schools is set at average of 29%. Where crime has hit its lowest numbers in about 40 years (nationally) due to better tactics and hard work by officers and the justice system… Have we forgotten that we accept immigrants not our of “pity” but out of need? Who else is going to support our ageing population? Quebecers don’t reproduce enough to create the jobs and workers needed to support our asses and all the services we demand!

So why in the world do we want to discourage people from public service? Why chase them away? In all honesty, the last time you went to the hospital, or to get your license renewed, or had a police officer answer your call – did you get your panties in a bunch because the person serving you was wearing some form of religious symbol? I, myself, couldn’t care less as long as I am getting my service and as long as the person is dressed in a professional and clean manner.

 

Another question: Everyone here pays taxes for services provided by the government, no? I highly doubt people wearing religious symbols have some form of tax exemption – At least I’ve never heard of one. So why pay taxes to an entity that wants to actually take away your rights and freedoms? It’s like paying to get slapped in the face!

 

I’m honestly angry from all sides when it comes to this issue. As a Québecoise (or Francophone), I cannot believe that people still have this “us vs them” mentality. The whole “Le Québec aux Québecois” thing never made any sense to me – it’s a province built on immigrants. I guess people are quick to forget that the French were colonizers who took over the land of the Natives. Then came the English, and others followed. All contributed in some way, shape, or form to make Québec and Canada what it is today. Look at what we have all created. Look at the diversity – it is one of the most beautiful gifts Allah has given us.

So it pains me to hear what some of my fellow Francophones say. And I take it to heart even more because I am a Muslim. They would have me limited as to employment and segregated the day I choose to cover my hair. And how would they look at and treat our children? They will not have Francophone names, they may even look Arab, and I hope they will be good, practicing Muslims (insha’Allah)… Should they be discriminated against simply because they aren’t 100% pure Québecois “de souche”? Because they may wear a religious symbol?

 

How much farther would you like this to go? Not allowing people to speak any other language other than French in public? How about limiting jobs to only certain races? It sounds ludicrous, but it’s really not far off.

I thought our laws prevented against job discrimination based on race, religion, age. Isn’t this discrimination? By refusing gainful employment to someone solely on the basis of religious symbols?

 

Do we not have better issues to deal with?

• Unemployment – about 5000 jobs were lost in Québec last month while other provinces showed an increase in jobs!
• Emergency room wait times – 21 hours in Montréal, 17 in the rest of the province.  Why? A doctor and nurse shortage due to crap salaries and conditions and restrictions.
• Lack of family doctors – many people do not have family doctors. Again, salaries, conditions and restrictions.
• Medical specialists – did you know that you can easily wait 6 months to see a specialist in our wonderful province? What if you had cancer? Wouldn’t 6 months possibly make all the difference between life and death?
• Subsidized day care – parents are constantly searching for a spot, waiting months to get one and the quality of service isn’t all that much to write home about.
• Corruption – if you haven’t heard about the Charbonneau commission, I suggest you check it out! Our tax dollars are lining the pockets of the political elite and their buddies. Who knew?!
• Education – cuts in elementary, high school and continuing education but no increase in tuition to make up for it. How well is that going to bode? Already, McGill is no longer Canada’s top University. That didn’t take long! Again, did you not see the high school dropout rate posted above?
• Quebec debt – Seems it’s at about $258 billion. No problem there, right?

 

I’ll stick with this very simple way of summing it all up:

“Simple minds are distracted by simple things”

 

Anyone in Ontario looking to hire a graphic designer/translator and a procurement manager? I’m so sick of this xenophobic province!

 

 

Here’s a link to a petition, if you’re at all interested.

 https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/le-gouvernement-qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois-parti-qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois-arreter-le-projet-de-loi-la-charte-des-valeurs-du-qu%C3%A9bec

And here’s what I wrote as my comment:

Ceci ne profite aucunement à notre société, ça ne fait que diviser les gens.

SVP, passons aux vrais problèmes : temps d’attente et services de la santé, éducation, création d’emplois, endettement, accès aux services, corruption, etc.

NOTRE GOUVERNEMENT TENTE DE NOUS DISTRAIRE AVEC DES CONNERIES! Mme Marois, cessez donc de gaspiller notre temps et notre argent et penchez-vous donc sur les problèmes qui nous touchent! Vous et votre parti ne fait qu’accroître la haîne entre les québecois et de nous faire honte en face du monde entier! 

 

Interested in further reading?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/09/10/f-quebec-charter-proposal-constitution.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/08/21/f-charter-quebec-values-jocelyn-maclure.html

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/09/11/kelly-mcparland-quebec-charter-is-an-embarrassment-to-canadian-values-and-human-dignity/

http://www.cjad.com/blog/TommySchnurmacherShow/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10586945

Ramadan 2013 – Video link: Oxford University Debate: is Islam a religion of peace?

Assalamu alaikum everyone, rather than write out a very lengthy post today, I decided to give your eyes a break, but perhaps not your ears and your minds.

Over the weekend, Salem and I came across a video on Facebook. It’s about a debate that took place at Oxford University in May of 2013.

What was the question? “Is Islam a religion of peace?”

Now, with everything we see in the news papers, on the television and what we hear from our friends, family and neighbours, most people in the Western world would most-likely answer “No, Islam is not a religion of peace”. Given the importance of the media in our perception of the world and it’s people, that the media loves to focus on negatives and extremes, and are corporations funded by people or groups with their own agenda, then I certainly can’t really be all that surprised.

I invite you to take a few minutes to watch this video in defense of our religion (and I am saying our religion, not people who claim to practice it and twist it and cherry-pick passages in order to suit their own means). What I really like about the arguments put forward by this gentleman are that they are based on figures and logic – it’s not about preaching.

Click here for the video on YouTube

Enjoy!

Salam.

Our trip to Varadero – Day 5 – Habana!!!! Part 2

Tags

Cuba, habana, havana, travel, varadero

So here is part 2, no worries, it’s a lot shorter than part 1!

Greater Habana tour map. Où nous sommes allés à la Habane.

After our tour of Habana Vieja, our tour took us to a restaurant near the El Morro fortress. The lunch was actually quite good and included in the price of the tour. Thankfully, it was fish with a shrimp-based sauce so we were good. Woohoo! Please remember to tip the nice waitresses!

The view of Habana from the restaurant. Notre vue de la Habane à partir du resto.

We then got back on the bus and were whisked away passing by the monument dedicated to Máximo Gómez y Báez (a military commander in the Cuban war of Independence in the late 1800s), along the Ave Malecón (which had been closed earlier in the day due to violent tides flooding the avenue), around the monument dedicated to Antonio Maceo (the second in-command in the Cuban Army of Independence) and then down to Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square and monument to José Marti).

Revolution Square was used as a meeting place for many political rallies and and where political figures addressed Cubans on special occasions. It has a memorial dedicated to José Martí (a Cuban intellectual referred to as the “Apostle of Cuban Independence”) and a 100m tall tower behind the statue. The Plaza has many government ministries around it and this is where you can see 2 buildings with the images and quotes of Che Guevara and Camilio Cienfuegos – 2 major figures in the revolution and very close allies to Fidel Castro.

Che Guevara mural at Plaza de la Revolucion. La murale de Che Guevara à la Plaza de la Revolucion.

See the monument, see the tower, see the touristy husband! Venez voir la tour, le monument et le mari “à la touriste”!

Back on the bus, we got to drive by what I call the non-touristy (or off-the-beaten-path) part of Habana. It’s quite eye opening to see the major tourist hubs and then the regular, every-day reality of the Cubans living in this city, even if just for a few moments, as we a zooming by. I actually wish we could see more of this kind of thing. Travel isn’t just for fun, or to experience the nice things destinations have to offer – I think it should also include a good dose of reality, to open our minds to the lives and experiences of others, make us more aware of what is going on in the world and get out of our bubble. Perhaps next time?

Non-touristic Habana. La partie de la Habane qui n’est souvent pas “destinée” aux touristes.

Look Dad, more cars! Regarde P’pa, d’autres voitures!

El Capitolio is, as you may have guessed it, was the seat of the Cuban government until after the 1959 revolution. It’s no the Cuban Academy of Sciences. Looks familiar? It was actually built by a U.S. firm in the 1920s, and made to resemble the U.S. Capitol building in Washington. We didn’t get to go inside, but we did get to walk around the block for a few minutes.

A note to tourists: Yes, the classic cards are nice and shiny. I must warn you though (as our guide warned us) that there is a picture scam going on. The guys will agree to let you take a picture of their car for 4-5 pesos. Once the picture has been taken, they will often double that amount. When you refuse to pay extra, they call in a “witness” who vouches for the 10 peso price tag – these people are often the actual owners of the cars. You’ve been warned!

Take pictures as your tour bus is pulling in – it costs you nothing! Prenez des photos des belle bagnoles à partir de votre autobus; ça ne vous coûte rien!

More free car pictures! D’autres photos gratuites!

Colourful buildings across the street from El Capitolio. Des édifices de toutes le couleurs de l’autre côté d’El Capitolio.

El Capitolio.

Afterwards, we went off to the craft market – be ready for sensory overload! It’s in a warehouse-type setting crammed with narrow rows of small booths to both sides of you. Vendors make noise, try to talk to you, invite you into their small booth to look at what they are selling. Artwork (get a certificate for paintings – you need this to take the artwork out of the country), crafts, jewelry, food, clothing, etc – it’s a freaking zoo I tell you! After 20 minutes, I started feeling a bit aggressive after 10 minutes. I think the best thing to do: do a first sweep to get an idea of what there is. Then dive in and bargain. Vendors are really nice, eager to get you to try things on, make a sale. To my surprise, some even spoke French!

What did we get? Jewelry, of course! And things in which to put the jewelry! I think we were there for 45 minutes. We were on sensory overload and pooped by the time we got out. This marked the end of our Habana tour.

Tips for the market:

• Get certificates for paintings in order to take them back home with you – they could be ceased if you don’t have this!
• Be polite.
• Breathe.
• Bargain but don’t be too stingy either. You’ll get a feeling as to when you’re low-balling it too much
• Breathe!
• Canadians: do not buy black coral – it’s illegal to import into Canada
• Put your purchases away in your backpack before leaving!

The ride back to the hotel started off well but it got pretty bad a little less than halfway there. Why? Well, while it was beautiful in Habana, this just happened to be the very same day the Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern half of Cuba. Thankfully, we missed the Hurricane but we got a taste of our very first tropical storm. All of a sudden, the skies darkened and it started getting windy and the rain started to fall.

Tropical storm along the countryside. La tempête tropicale!

When we got to the town of Matanzas, it had started flooding (some places had over a foot of water in the streets). I’ve never seen anything like this before. Once back in the hotel section of Varadero, it was dark as night, the rain pelting the tour bus as well as the wind (the road is on the coast) and I was getting really worried at times. Thankfully, the driver was amazing and got us back to our hotel. It was pouring and so windy! We made it to the buffet, somewhat wet and had dinner (we were hungry). The power went out for a few moments twice but, as they say, third time’s the charm! It went out for good. Here we were, sitting at our table, hearing the wind blow, watching the protective blinds of the buffet get batted around like no tomorrow (the buffet is open at the entrance and for a few feel on 2 other sides). We could see the palm trees swaying violently, the rain beating down outside. Once in a while, a water-drenched couple would come in to seek refuge from the conditions. It was quite a sight to see. After a few minutes, we decided to go to the hotel lobby and ask them if this was normal and how long these types of conditions usually last. Their answer – this is normal, things should get better in the morning. The fact that the staff was not panicking was nice, it seemed as though it was business as usual.

After an hour of waiting it out, we figured the rain and wind wouldn’t let up so we might as well make a run for it to our rooms. The walk from our building to the buffet usually takes about 3 minutes. We ran it in about 60. We were completely soaked by the time we made it about 40% of the way. The storm was angry! Salem held onto my hand, we tried to run and stay low all at once. I remember being stopped in my tracks by a huge gust of wind when we got to the basketball court. Its one of those times when you consider throwing yourself to the ground for fear of getting blown away. “Hold onto my hand!” I heard Salem scream at me, and off we were, running again and that’s when I lost it – I started laughing! As crazy as it sounds, running in this crazy wind and rain it made me feel so alive. I was actually enjoying it! Salem, on the other hand did not!

Once in our room, Salem was shouting to take our clothes off or we’ll get sick. Still giddy from the adrenaline, I remarked “I’m already sick!”. He was getting mad at me as I was trying to snap pictures of us, soaked to the bone in our powerless hotel room. This gave me one of my favorite pictures of our trip!

“Take off your wet clothes! You’re going to get sick!”. J’adore cette photo.

We cleaned up and went to bed around midnight to the sound of the wind blowing through the vents. I was fine until the power went back on and our phone emitted this horrible alarm sound. In my half-asleep mind, I thought it was an alarm and that they were evacuating the hotel. Needless to say, my heart was racing and it took me a good 45 minutes to calm down enough to finally drift back off to sleep.

Our trip to Varadero – Day 5 – Habana!!!! Part 1

Tags

Cuba, habana, havana, travel, varadero

This is the day we went to Habana! I will have to break up this day in a few parts simply because of all of my blabbing and all the pictures. Part 1 is based on our departure from our hotel and includes our walking tour of Habana Vieja (Old Havana).

We booked a tour through our rep at Sunwing and opted for the day tour (we left around 7:30 am and got back around 5 or 6 pm). If I recall, the cost was about $90 for a guided tour, transportation and lunch. There were 2 other options for the Habana tour but paying considerably more to go to the Tropicana show didn’t interest us at all. Thankfully, we were able to grab a few things at the buffet before we left (our buddy Yadrian helped us out).

Unfortunately though, I was still very sick – actually, I think this may have been the worst day of my cold. But I took more pain killers, some Gravol and had a whole roll of toilet paper for my mucus-y self. It was bad! I’ve never felt car sick in my life but I was eye-ing the toilet at the back of the bus. Thankfully, I held on and used the washroom at a hotel along the way because, it turns out, the toilet at the back of the bus was locked (I guess no one had the keys?). Thankfully, I started to feel better a little more than halfway to Habana.

I must say that the scenery on the way is actually quite nice – Cuba is very green and has amazing coastal views. They have hills and valleys and it just makes the time pass by quickly while stuck in a vehicle for 2-3 hours. A note to travelers thinking of taking the public bus to Habana: From what we could see of buses we encountered along the way, it’s very crowded in there – sometimes standing-room only, and the trek is longer (I’ve heard closer to 3-3.5 hours). We also went through the town own Matanzas on the way to our final destination. There was a stop but for alcoholic drinks of some kind (Pina coladas? Mojitos?) and a bit of a washroom break – Salem and I simply stretched our legs there.

The coast along the way to Habana. La côte le long de notre trajet.

A few facts about Habana

• You can pronounce it Havana, or do as the locals do and say Habana
• Habana the capital of Cuba
• It has a population of about 2.1 million, making it the most populous city in the Caribbean
• Habana was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century (settling in the area around 1514-1519) and declared a city in 1592
• Originally a trading port, attacks by pirates and other entities active in the region called for the building of fortresses in order to defend the territory and exert more control over trade in the area
• The city attracts over a million tourists each year
• Habana Vieja was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982

A map of where our tour guide took us. Une carte des endroits dont on nous a apportés.

Our tour of Habana Vieja started in the Plaza de San Francisco. It’s the second-oldest plaza in the city. Main points of interest here are the basilica/convent/monastery/church built in the late 16th century and remodeled around 1730. Also of interest are the old stock exchange building and a few cafés in the area. Buy a cone of peanuts from one of the peanut ladies for 1-2 pesos to enjoy during your walk. Also enjoying the Plaza with you: the local pigeons.

A view of the Plaza and the basilica. La plaza et la basilique.

Another view of the Plaza with cafés and the old stock exchange building. Quelques cafés et l’ancienne bourse.

Finally off the bus! Finalement arrivés!

The pigeons love it here too! Les pigeons aiment aussi jouer aux touristes!

We walked down a few streets to take in the colourful buildings and mixed architectural styles of Habana. Please note that some streets are paved with asphalt or cement while others are made of cobblestones so make sure to wear some comfortable walking shoes – this is, after all, a walking tour!

Our second stop was at the Plaza Vieja which was first emerged in the mid-16th century. Its purpose changed many times from residential to public entertainment to market – it has been the place to go to partake in many things from executions to bullfights to shopping to fiestas. It still contains colonial houses and lots of restorations have taken place here. Honestly, this is one of my favorite plazas which we had the chance to visit during our tour. It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see it at night as it would seem that’s when it comes to life. Maybe next time!

A view all the way through to El Capitolio! Vous avez même une vue du Capitolio.

For some reason, I just loved this little corner. J’ai vraiment aimé ce petit coin isolé.

Colourful laundry hanging on a balcony in the Plaza. Du linge de toutes les couleurs mis à sécher sur le balcon.

We proceeded down a few more streets and took in even more of the mixed flavours of Habana. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Cafés dot the streets here and there. Les rues sont parsemmées de cafés, ici et là.

I actually quite likes Calle Mercaderes – each house is different. J’ai bien aimé la Calle Mercaderes car chaque maison y avait son propre charme.

Unfortunately, architecture no longer includes this kind of amazing detail. Malheureusement, l’architecture de nos jours ne contient auncunement ce genre de détail.

Simply breathtaking. À couper le souffle.

A small green space – perfect for a break. Un petit espace vert; j’aimerais bien m’y installer!

While walking along Calle Mercaderes, the group stopped off at the Armeria 9 de Abril which contains arms donated by Fidel Castro relating to the revolutionary struggle (one of which belonged to Che Guevara). We then continued down the street to reach Obispo and our next destination.

There is no shortage of stray animals in the city. Il y a beaucoup d’animaux sans-abri dans la ville.

Hotel Ambos Mundos is a coral-pink and white building, it’s hard to miss and it’s very nice to look at. So, what’s so special about this building? Well, Ernest Hemingway stayed there for part of his writing career. They even transformed his former room into a mini museum of sorts (which we didn’t get to see). I must admit, the lobby on the ground floor looked amazing! It also contains (from what we were told) the oldest elevator in Habana – there’s even detailing on the iron! The real treat for this place – the rooftop terrace which offers you refreshing beverages and a view of different sectors of the city (some good, some not so good).

Fancy lobby! Très beau salon!

You can see the El Morro fortress in the distance. On y voit la forteresse El Morro à l’horizon.

Salem posing on the rooftop. Salem prêt à faire prendre sa photo sur la terrasse.

I have to get a picture up here too! Moi aussi! Moi aussi!

A few blocks away is Plaza de Armas – no multi-coloured glass building, no China-town, or BMO here! (Sorry, I just had to throw in a bit of a Montréal joke) It’s actually my other favorite Plaza in Habana and one of the oldest. Near the El Templete building is a tree and it’s said this is where the first square of the city was built in the late 16th century – unfortunately, the original tree is no logner there, but another has taken its place. Another important landmark is the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, constructed in the second-half of the 1700s. It has had many incarnations but is now a museum. Fun little factoid: the generals staying in this building complained of the noise created by the hooves (and carriages) going over the cobblestone. The solution – replace the stones with wood! Unfortunately, we did not get to go into this museum.

Of note to fellow bookworms (and I was not aware of this prior to coming back from our trip): it seems this square has an amazing second-hand book market.

If you have the time, do see if you can take a bit of time to relax in this plaza. There’s a green space in the middle, where locals tend to gather to play cards or dominoes. The tour guide did bring us to Casa del Cafe – a cigar store with good prices but the employees are not the nicest (I got mocked by one woman working there for asking a cigar-storage question – sorry for not being an aficionado). Still, we made some good purchases – now put those in your backpack, you’ll soon find out why (check the pictures)! Oh, and don’t buy the contraband cigars sold by the guys just outside of the store – it would seem the quality isn’t all that great.

The Palacio with used books for sale. Le Palacio avec des livres à vendre.

Wooden path in front of the Palacio. Le pavé en bois en face du Palacio.

The cigar shop. Où on peut acheter de bons cigars.

In the Plaza with El Templeto in the background. À la Plaza avec El Templeto en arrière-plan.

Obvious tourist + bags full of purchases = $ One guy from our tour got followed and heckled for 2 blocks by these 2 musicians. Un touriste + des sacs pleins d’achats = $ Ce gars de notre groupe s’est fait suivre et quêté pendant 2 blocs par ces musiciens.

Our last stop on our walking tour had us going to the Plaza de la Catedral. Prepare for a bit of a tourist trap! The square was completed in the late 18th century and contains cafés, terraces and lots of people. While there, a group of locals dressed in colourful clothes, making noise and banging drums came around. If they catch you taking a picture, one of the girls will come and shake a collection plate at you until you give them some money. What are the funds for? Restorations from what I understand. Thankfully, I know the art of taking pictures without looking as though I am taking pictures. One of our fellow tour-mates was not so lucky.

And here I have a little story to share. As previously mentioned, when visiting Cuba, you will often be approached by locals, big smile, eager to start up a conversation, and often offering you some kind of service (check out my artwork, crafts, a special restaurant deal, etc). And that’s all fine and dandy, we all have to make a living. Salem got tired of always being asked this question. He joked a few times about giving them some BS answer. Well, the time finally came where Salem had had enough. Here we are in the plaza, we had wandered maybe 10 feet away from our tour guide (quite a few of us dispersed for a few minutes) when a local comes around and starts trying to chat up Salem. I immediately turn around and start taking pictures of the cathedral, hoping not to have to deal with answering the question. “Where you from, frien’?” Salem replies, in a broken English, “no english”. So the guy asks the same question again, maybe with more gestures, possibly slower. So, Salem turns to him and says “Afghanistan”. At this point, I’m trying not to turn around and look at them and laugh. The guy’s response “Ahhhh! Comrade!” and shakes Salem’s hand! He then went on his merry way. We still laugh about it months later.

This last stop concluded our tour of the old city.

The Plaza, terraces, tourists and locals asking for donations. La Plaza, les terrasses, touristes et les gens du coin qui ramassent des dons.

A few notes to tourists:

• Bring a backpack, water and some snacks. You can put your purchases in your backpack, avoiding harassment from locals – see picture. And you can have a drink when you feel the need for it.
• Locals survive on tourism (yes, I am repeating myself) – be careful who or what you take pictures of – they may seem very friendly but may very well ask for monetary compensation.
• Watch out for sketch artists – one they start sketching you, they will ask you for money to get the sketch. Better to stop them in their tracks or turn away if you’re not interested.
• There are a lot of stray animals – you’ve been warned.
• Be nice, be courteous, smile and enjoy your time in Habana.
• If possible, make it a daylong trip. Guided tours are great for first-timers. If you’re a bit more adventurous but still want a guide, there are a few taxi drivers mentioned on the Trip Advisor site that give custom tours in blocks of 3 hours. I think we might opt for something like this on our next visit – Yes, I would LOVE to do a return visit.

Student protests in Qubec concerning fee hikes to post-secondary institutions

One of the big news stories today in Montréal and the province of Québec are the student protests over the hiking of post-secondary educational institutions. The government plans to increase tuition fees by 325$ a year, every year until 2016 in order to better fund these institutions. Today, many students are outside these institutions, holding signs and forming chains to prevent people from getting in. As an avid listener of CJAD, I was floored to hear one protester saying that some students tried to get in to the buildings in order to go to class, that a few had gotten in and, this is what did it for me, he called them “closed-minded”.

Please excuse me as I step up onto my soapbox for just a few minutes (or get up on my high horse, whichever you prefer).

Why call some of the students, with their minds set to go to class, trying their best to brave a wall of another group of students with their intentions set on DENYING THEM OF THEIR PAID RIGHT TO AN EDUCATION considered closed-minded? Is it simply because they are not of the same opinion as another group? That, my friend, is being closed-minded. HYPOCRITE!!! *steps off box/horse*

Having been a student just a few years ago, living outside of home, paying for part of my tuition/books (although my parents did help me with educational fees – Alhamdullilah), I still held a part-time job throughout my studies and saved as much as I could to pay for the things I needed. Yes, I took on some debt but studies show that I most likely make more than those who didn’t get a post-secondary education. Basically, I invested into my future.

Students in this province seem to fail to realize that tuition fees here are much lower than in other provinces. Current tuition fees are around $2100 per year (2 semesters). With the hike, the fees would go up to $3700 per year by 2016. The rest of Canada charges approximately $4000 per year and the US… well I rather not think about it. While I do agree that the hike is quite steep for such a short implementation (I would have suggested by 2020), I do understand why these institutions need these hikes – Underfunded institutions (of any kind) eventually turn out a lower-quality product. An underfunded hospital may not be able to hire 5 great surgeons – instead, they hire only 3 great surgeons and overwork them until they either make mistakes or go on burnout. Post-secondary institutions need to fund not only their teachers/professors, but they also need to pay for the maintenance of their campuses as well as pay other forms of staff and student programs.

I personally find that a lot of students in this province seems to have this sense of entitlement “everything is owed to me, I haven’t done anything in life yet, but I DESERVE to be spoon fed everything I desire!”. A we Francophones would say “Donné dans le bec tout cuit!”. Perhaps if these students god part-time jobs, asked for low-interest government loans, didn’t go out drinking with their buddies on a weekly basis and actually practiced good money-saving and handling habits, then people wouldn’t get so bloody irritated any time students started whining!

My advice to all students:
1- Get a job!
2- Get a low-interest government loan (you don’t get paid any interest until a few months after you get your degree!)
3- Stop wasting your money on stupid things you don’t really need
4- There’s no shame in asking your parents for help. If you’re not yet in a post-secondary institution but are considering attending one sometime in the future, ask your parents if they’d be willing to start up a fund for you, or help you set up a special savings fund on your own.

Here are some articles about the protests if you’d like to read more:
CTV Montreal
The Globe and Mail

The Kuffiya is NOT a fashion accessory!

Over the last few months, I have seen a disturbing trend growing stronger with every day.

What is that trend?
Why, the use of the Kuffiya (hatta) as a fashion accessory.

What is the kuffiya?
It is a traditional head dress worn by many arab men. The size, pattern and colours can vary depending on the country/region.

Why the big stink?
Because the kuffiya has (since the 60s) become a symbol for Palestinian nationalism/solidarity, it is a very strong political symbol. People wear it to political rallies for many reasons (to show their support to the Palestinians, to show resistance to the occupation, to speak out about human rights injustices, etc).

How has it become a fashion accessory?
More and more people are buying and wearing the kuffiya without even knowing what it stands for (many stars are wearing it, I even found some at Le Chateau last week!).

I first became aware of this change a few weeks back. I was out shopping with a friend and happened upon a halter-top in a window. I was looking at it when I realized it was made with a kuffiya. Yes, someone had taken this political symbol, cut it into pieces, resewed it and fit it to a mannequin to display in a window. To me, it’s like taking a flag and cutting it up into pieces and using it to accessorise. You are altering the original vision, the essence of this symbol and making it into a disposable product, you are changing it because you think you can do better, because you just need something to fill the gap. I find this degrading! I would never take my beloved Canadian flag and desecrate it by taking bits and pieces of it and using it willy nilly here and there. Needless to say, I took a picture of the shirt and asked a few people for their opinion. Indeed, everyone agreed with me.

Since then, I have seen plenty of people wearing kuffiyas around their neck. Every time, I wonder if they really know what it means.

So what do you plan on doing about it?
I was looking to buy a kuffiya to show my support to the Palestinian cause. I’ve decided I will not be buying one unless I am 100% sure it was made in Palestine, that the money is going to support the cause and I will only wear it to rallies. It’s a shame because I wanted to wear one out and about, answer peoples’ questions, inform them, but I do not want people to look at me and ask themselves the same questions I ask myself when I see someone wearing a kuffiya “Are they wearing it for the cause, or are they just another ignorant fashion whore?”.