Industriales v. Santiago

Papi!! Yesterday I really wish you would have been with me! I WENT TO MY FIRST BASEBALL GAME IN CUBA!! Industriales v. Santiago. IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!! Industriales is the Havana team and Santiago is obviously the Santiago team. It's the biggest rivalry in Cuban baseball...somewhat comparable to the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. It was definitely an experience.

A ticket to the game costs 1 cuban peso....25 cuban pesos = 1 CUC...1 CUC = a little more than the US dollar. ITS ALL FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME HERE. Any Cuban can afford to go to a baseball game. It's awesome. The stadium was PACKED!!!! It was so packed that I had to sit on the steps next to the actual seats. If you've ever been to an MLB game you know you are bombarded with advertisements...they are posted up everywhere in the stadium. Not in Havana. There wasn't a single advertisement. Just pure baseball. Oh and at one point Industriales were at bat, bases were loaded, 2 outs, and then one of the cushions that are on the outfield wall started to fall. They stopped the game for about 5 minutes until the fixed the cushion. Oh! And you know how at sporting events there's always beach ball that is thrown around in the crowd? Well in Cuba it's a blown up condom that gets tossed around the crowd!!! And they play salsa in between innings and whenever theres a break in the game.

Since I'm a student at Havana, I had to stay loyal to the city and root for the Industriales. But the lost! It definitely wasn't their best performance. Santiageros were on fire! Final score 7-5.

Papi, I definitely plan to go back! I want to get you an Industriales jersey!!! I wish you could have been there with me to experience it! I definitely thought about you the whole time!

So yeah. I'm still breathing, living, and enjoying. Havana is being very good to me!

Much love,
Carla