I was pleased to hear from my new friend Rolando, a Cuban engineer who uses our “Send a Friend” to stay in touch with his brother in Virginia. I hope to visit him in Cuba soon.

My friend!

I happy that you can understand my reasons, since I has been repeatedly used your web to talk with my brother, who lives in Virginia, US.

I can’t speak or write in english so beatiful or quickly as I wish, but I struggle…

I live in Camagüey city, around 530 km from Havana city (330 miles), to east. Maybe you prefer visit Havana… but I will be happy to personally know you and be your host if you decide visit our city. Camagüey is one of the older villages founded in Cuba, about 495 years ago. Please, let me know when you plan travel to Cuba and we are waiting for you.

With Obama reaching out to Cuba and Raul Castro making significantly more friendly gestures toward the US, (not just complaining about the embargo) there seems to be a new climate between the two countries. I hope that I can write a GoNOMAD story about meeting my Cuban penpal in 2009!

Related posts:

1. Cuba Ships Dissidents off to Spain to be ‘Liberated’
2. Honey for Oshun: Returning to Cuba to Find Long Lost Mom
3. Cuba 1972
4. From a Cuban Emailer, An Explanation
5. Che Guevara’s Congo Nightmare