Unexpected lastminute family trip

I cannot believe it. I probably won't believe it till I'm there. The whole thing happened so unexpectedly and so fast, my stepmother suddenly telling my mother to join them (my father and her) during our family wedding dinner, M immediately whispering to me that I should go with ("enjoy it for both of us since I can unfortunately not come along"), looking for lastminute tickets online, getting our touristcards...

It is happening though. I am flying to Havana Cuba with my mother on Sunday, meeting my stepmother and father there, as well as my brother who is "living" there for a couple of months; we'll spend 8 days there during the Film Festival, rediscovering Havana (for the second time for me), showing it to my mother who's never been there, living the soon-to-disappear Havana from Castro, watching artsy independant films, and as Hemingway said, drinking "my mojito in la Bodeguita, my daiquiri in el Floridita!"

I don't know what good I have done to deserve this. But I feel truly blessed.

Habaneando

"Habaneando, guitarreando, voy rumbeando

habaneando, negociando, pregonando

bicicleta calle abajo por el barrio belén

esta la habana oculta esa que tu nunca ves

llenas de gente especial

humildes por tradición

llevan la nostalgia y la resignación

buscando todas las puertas de la solución

El sistema aprieta y no quiere ceder

y la bolsa negra llega resolver lo justo

detrás de esa fachada tan turística que ves de cuba en un cartel

hay un obrero todo el puto dia dando luz y ser

tu sabes...la isla no es solo ron y tabaco, putas, varadero, cayo largo

no solo es eso, hay gente que pasa to el dia trabajando, de sol a sol

por un futuro mejor, asi que vamos

..."

Letras de "Habaneando" de la pelicula Habana Blues

Just married

It's official, we are now legally married. Friday was a beautiful sunny day, and we celebrated our civil wedding surrounded by all our close family, all except Yaya of course, who had to stay in Switzerland in the hospital. But my mother was there, which made me extremely happy. Everything went according to plan and we all had a wonderful time, smiling and laughing the entire day and well into the night. And to think it was only a warm-up and we will top that in May!

Civil wedding

In two days we will celebrate our civil wedding in Hannover's altes Rathaus. Because it is was only a formality for us, I was very surprised to see that my mother, father, and grandmother immediately decided to come to Hannover for the occasion, and spend the weekend all together. M’s parents consider November 24th as our real wedding day and have therefore organized the entire dinner celebration with both of our families. What was supposed to be a simple formality turned into a family event, we soon both looked forward to.

Everything is ready for the big day. Or at least everything was, as my grandmother will now most probably be unable to come, being sick in bed since last Thursday. Yaya can’t eat, can’t sleep, is therefore weak, and has pains in her stomach. The ultrasound showed nothing today, and so the next step is a blood test. My mother is extremely worried and will decide tomorrow, if she herself can come or if she needs to stay in Switzerland with her. I simply cannot imagine both my grandmother and my mother not being here on Friday. I honestly don’t know how I’ll be able to truly enjoy it without them there.

Stepmother problems

Organising this whole wedding thing has been tough. There are so many decisions that we had to take (where, when, with whom, etc.) and still so many others that we will have to take (menu, flowers, cake, music, seating, etc.), I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Although today I am not overwhelmed, but rather upset and frustrated. My stepmother has apparently been verbally inviting her brothers and sisters to our wedding, obviously without consulting us. And without knowing that we have a maximum seating capacity of 80, who have all already been invited. As we had to set her straight in a very diplomatic and nice way, it was extremely upsetting to read her vexed emails today. It must not be easy being a stepmother. That must be why she feels so sidelined, as she says. She's bothered because she was not consulted about our guest list. Nobody was. And my own father and mother are not bothered by it. A clear sign of lack of confidence on my stepmother's part I would say.

The whole nine yards

I never thought I'd do the wedding thing. I mean, I only changed my mind about getting married a few years ago, being highly against it previously. M. wanted a wedding and I started seeing it in a new light: the occasion to organise a BIG party where all the people I love will be together for an entire day. It sounded pretty good after all. Which does not mean I don't have a few problems with that day still. I just cannot see myself walking down the aisle of the f****ing church for example. (The only reason we're doing the whole church ceremony btw is because of my grandma's request.) I've never liked being the center of attention and so part of me really dreads this moment. As well as others of course, which I believe will be numerous on that day.

Then again, I also never thought I'd have a bachelorette party. But guess what, my friends are organising one for me. A solution has been found to gather all my girls spread around the world. It will be a weekend bachelorette party to be exact. In Madrid. And although the opportunity to be partying with all my girlfriends sounds wonderful, I must admit I also have some fears. I truly hope it won't be too crazy. As I said, I hate being the center of attention, and would therefore hate to have to perform some kind of bachelorette-typical dare(s)!

New life

During my absence from Hannover, my friend Sus gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Meet Gabriel.