This is my fifth trip to Cuba. Each time I´ve come, it´s not been as a tourist, but rather to spend time with Francisco´s family and bring them clothes, domestic goods, and other things they need. Every time I leave home, I go with a long list of things to do, and every time I come back, the list is almost as long. It´s not for a lack of trying, but trying to resolve one single project in Cuba can take days.

I had explained this to Francisco, but I don´t think he quite got it until he began the bathroom remodeling project yesterday. His family does not have running water, which bothers him. Priority number one on an ever lengthening list is to create a catchment cistern system on the roof, using gravity to generate running water. The first step was to find someone to do the workñ that was the easy part. A family friend is a plumber and needs some extra cash, like almost everyone here, especially those who don´t have relatives abroad. Fernando the plumber made a list of the materials he´d need for the project, and charged Francisco with the task of procurement.

Finding anything usable here is often challenging. There´s no Home Depot, of course, no one stop shopping of any kind. In fact, the neighborhood hardware store seems to specialize in two products  sinks and 20 gallon cans of white paint.

We set out today to find PVC pipes of various shapes and sizes, cement, and a page full of other tools and materials. The stores have little available. We finally meet a man who is able to cobble together most of what we need, but most of it is salvaged hardware, potentially of dubious origin.

¨Cono,¨said Francisco, after a few hours trying to source the parts. "I didn´t really understand this resolviendo thing, did I¨." We lauch and set out for the carpenter´s workshop, where we hope to find enough nails and wood to construct some kitchen shelves.

'September 25, 2007

La Habana