Feb 2007

First let´s talk about Mickey Mouse.....Club Amigo is such a great hotel that I have a mouse in my room! I first discovered the new friend when ariving one morning I found chewed candy wrappers on my bed. The bastard ate my last Riesen too!!!!! I still had some Werthers Originals. I guess he duidn´t like those as much. The next day I arrive and he´d decided that the Werthers weren´t so bad after all...none left. I figured that since he´d eaten all the candy in the room he´d leave, but no. A couple of days later I arrive to find a necklace I had made out of seeds or wood all chewed up. I got fed up, went to tell the front desk but of course, Cuban efficiency being what it is, they didn´t do anything about it. That night I arrive in my room, open the cupboard door and out jumps Mickey! I run downstairs and tell them that the mouse is there now and that I want it out. They send the maintenacer man and both of us are chasing this mouse arounbd trying to get it out the door. We didn´t manage but it left by the ceiling (which is the way it comes in). I thought that was the end of the mouse but yesterday I walked in and it was in the bathroom. It ran out, up the curtains and through the ceiling. And other guests at the hotel have told nme that they have mice in their rooms too!

And now for Jack....no, it´s not a baby. I haven´t been gone long enough for that! Jack is my new puppy. He´s a wiener dog and very cute. That´s it. I have less to say about Jack than about Mickey. Jack lives at Alex´s house as I obviously can´t have a dog in the hotel. Althoiugh it could help get rid of Mickey!

Last week was incredibly busy. I had a huge arrival on Thursday from Calgary. I like people from Calgary. They tend to be very nice, friendly and laid back unlike other guests of ours.

Something funny about Cuba but no Ha Ha funny. People have received (not for free) new pots and pans from the government and new cooking utnesils. The pots and pans are teflon. That´s great. It means using less oil when cooking (cheaper, healthier), easier cleaning, etc. But of course all of you back home know of teflon and how t care for it. Nobody here seems to have bothes to inform the people!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I see Alex´s family still cooking with huge amopunts of oil then cleaning the pots with steel wool and detergent! And using metal spoons to stir things in the pots. I explained to them about the oil, how to clean and care for their new pots but not everybody has a Canadian living in their house!!!! What a bloody waste. These people have bought these pots and pans that will get ruined in no time because no one´s bothered to inform them!

On another note, a Canadian won the tour of Cuba. Woo hoo.

I miss food! I have lost quite a bit of weight and I´m worried about my health. It´s very hard to eat healthy at the hotel and outside, well, the food is very varied or good either. I shudder to think of what my cholesterol level must be like. And I haven´t been exercising either! It´s really bad. Alex should be going to Havana next week to train so hopefully he´ll find a bike for me up there. >Unfortunately, I won´t have much time to ride it but we´ll get me a thing to turn my bike into a stationary bike so that I can use it to train and then on my day off, we can go for rides.

I´ll be home soon. We´re already March (well, almost). Time goes by eally quickly. I still don´t know when or what I´ll be doing after this contract ends but I should be speaking to my boss soon about it so I´ll have more news soon.

Ciao everybody

Hello all,

Just thought I´d write since I haven´t in a while. Not much to report. Work is ok but I find I´m not liking the job as much as I thought I would. I´ve thought about it long and hard and I think it´s because of the hotels that I´ve got. I don´t have many arrivals so the job isn´t very challenging. Others of my collegues are going crazy because they have so much work. I do find that when I have a lot to do and I´m challenged and motivated that I do like it. It´s all those other times that I´m slightly indifferent. But soon I won´t be the new rep and some of my co-workers will leave (they´re nt liking Cuba and all it´s restrictions too much!) and then I should get a better hotel. Yay!

I did learn something new about Cuba. Although children go to school, they only go full day once they reach high school. Alex´s brother, although still in kindergarden, only goes to school 3 times per week, 1.5 hours. Not very much if you ask me!

Other than that, everything is good here. The sun is shining, it´s hot...sorry, just thought i´d rub it in. Hehehehehehe.

Pam, I´m almost all out of bamboo shower gel. I expect you to come bring me some please.

I watched part of the superbowl. It wasn´t as much fun as watching it with Jan and Wayne (which might explain why Ifell asleep!). Can anybody tell me who won???

Take care all of you and try not to freeze to death. Ciao