By Katie Leslie
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For many Americans, Cuba is seen through a limited lens: Classic cars and the world’s best cigars; the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs.

Hollywood often depicts the country in its commercial heyday, when, for the first half of the 20th century, American mafiosos and government officials transformed Havana into a gambling and tourism mecca. That period of corruption led to the rise of the Communist Castro regime and the demise of the country’s relationship with the United States.

Americans know less about the Cuba of today, but that may soon change amid renewed diplomatic relations with the United States.

Against this backdrop a group of Atlantans traveled to Cuba’s capital in late June, more than five decades after Fidel Castro seized power. Organized by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, the trip enabled Mayor Kasim Reed and others to tour Havana and explore future business opportunities in the event a longstanding trade embargo is lifted.

They found a place rich with contradictions. A capital that is beautiful, but in dire need of repair. A citizenry that takes great pride in the gains won during the Revolution, but eager for economic change. A country that is ripe with opportunity, but riddled with challenges.

Their trip coincided with the announcement that the U.S. plans to re-open its long-shuttered embassy in Havana, a moment that Charles Shapiro, president of the World Affairs group, said is hugely important for a renewed relationship with the island country.

Each Georgian’s reason for traveling to Havana differed — some came for business, others to experience this moment in history. By the end, they had one thing in common: They had never experienced anything quite like it.

Havana, founded by the Spaniards 500 years ago, is breathtaking. Its European architecture, high arches, cobblestone streets and pastel facades evoke a mystical aura. The city glows at night.

But with few people able to afford repairs to their homes, much of Havana is in a state of deterioration that stunned the Georgians. Aside from a number of impressive monuments, museums and government buildings, many compared the views to a city damaged by war.

Havana has “beautiful, beautiful architecture,” remarked Mary Allen, the head of Atlanta Rod & Manufacturing. “I can’t imagine what it looked like the 1950s; it would rival any city I’ve ever seen. But in such decay, it was shocking.”

Miguel Coyula, an urban planner who met with the Atlanta group, explained that most Cubans live on fixed incomes from the government — the equivalent of $20 to $25 each month — and are unable to save enough for home repairs. Those who are able typically receive funds from family outside of Cuba. A gallon of paint costs about one-third of a month’s salary, he said. Repairing roofs is, for most people, impossible.

As a result, an average of three buildings collapse in Havana each day, Coyula said.

Carol Orndorff, an organizational development consultant from Decatur, was struck by the decay and the splendor.

“I felt like I was in a bombed-out city in Croatia, but then all of a sudden you walked through a door and there would be a remarkable restaurant,” she said.

Jacqueline Jones Royster, Dean of Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, saw potential in the rubble. She believes there are many opportunities for Atlanta’s academic institutions to partner with Cuban universities to study the country’s architectural, engineering and infrastructure needs.

“To me what is fascinating is how regal the city once was,” she said. “It can be quite the attraction.”

Coyula calls Havana the “last virgin city” because it is relatively drug, sprawl and crime-free. Part of its challenge is finding ways to rebuild Havana — potentially in collaboration with Americans — without sacrificing Cuba’s identity, he said.

Across Havana, there’s a noticeable absence of American culture or commerce, with no Starbucks or McDonald’s in sight.

Dan Easton, a Realtor from North Georgia, said he hopes Cuba is able to preserve its unique culture as it evolves. “I certainly don’t want it to become another American city.”

Reed agreed. Havana is “historic and breathtaking,” the mayor said. “But history needs modernity and some updating, in a manner that is collaborative and shows great respect for what the people of Cuba have built.”

While in Havana, the Georgia group met with historians, economists, religious leaders, government officials and even musicians to learn more about the local culture and business environment.

Just as meaningful, many said, were conversations with those not part of arranged visits: The restaurant and hotel workers; the cab drivers; the people on the street.

Easton, the Realtor, said he was struck by the general friendliness and openness, and found most people to be frank about differences in policy and politics. While some Georgians debated Cubans about Communist economic policies, Easton said he benefited from hearing radically opposing views.

“I thought they told it like it was, but it’s so different for us,” he said. “We’re coming from a whole different society … We grew up one way and they grew up another.”

Atlanta Councilman Kwanza Hall said he was impressed by the emphasis on education, a value that became apparent in his many conversations with locals.

“Oftentimes I talk about Atlanta as being great at building buildings, but not so good at building people … Here I’d say the opposite is true,” he said. “It seems that the human capital has been truly developed here.”

The country has one of the world’s highest literacy rates, with nearly 100 percent of its population able to read and write, according to the CIA’s World Factbook. Education is free in Cuba.

Several Cubans spoke with pride of the country’s free health care and educational systems, but decried the lack of quality jobs for citizens with college degrees. It’s not uncommon in Havana for a cab driver to be an engineer.

The dearth of jobs has resulted in some turning to work in tourism, one of the few ways Cubans can supplement their income with tips. Many have left the country, creating what locals called a “brain drain” of talent.

By and large, the Cubans the group encountered were aware and excited by the prospect of renewed relations with the United States. Most people don’t know yet what that will mean for them, or their country, or how quickly it will happen. But many ticked off their hopes.

Some want easier travel to the United States to see family. Others said they need investment that could bring new jobs and better salaries, even if paid through a government-run employment agency. A few said they need better access to goods, not to mention money to afford them.

An art peddler at a seaside arts and crafts market told a reporter he believes most Cubans welcome a warmer relationship after decades of government-initiated animosity.

“My God is your God,” he said.

Coyula, the urban planner, said he expects a boom in new hotels in coming years, fueled by American tourism.

Future U.S. tourists, however, should be prepared for some unusual challenges.

For starters, tourists use a separate form of currency than locals, and Americans pay an added fee for it. On the Atlanta trip, $1 earned about .87 in what’s called a “Cuban convertible peso.”

While Havana has a mix of government-run and privately-run restaurants, not to mention a vibrant nightlife, it lacks many modern conveniences Americans expect: Readily-accessible Internet; a wide choice of good hotels; easy-to-find grocery stores and shops.

Taxis are plentiful, but few appeared to have rate meters. Passengers must negotiate with cab drivers, or learn the cost at the end of the ride.

Electricity was unreliable during the Georgians’ visit, with the lights shutting off intermittently at both their hotel and the airport. Internet connections had to be purchased in one-hour allotments for roughly $5 and required the user to log-in and log-out with each use.

And because of the trade embargo — which would require an act by Congress to lift — U.S. telecom companies do not offer phone service in Cuba.

Kathy Kite, an administrative director at Emory University’s School of Nursing, said she isn’t likely to return to Cuba as a tourist, though she would for work. Kite joined the trip to explore potential research opportunities between Emory’s nursing school and Cuban partners.

She found one upside to the connectivity struggles: They give Americans a reason to unplug, focus and listen.

“It was very good for learning,” she said.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as an American journalist in Cuba, as the country doesn’t have the same freedom of the press and expression that we are afforded. I had read stories of reporters ousted from the country or denied press credentials. I had been told that many Cubans are hesitant to be quoted out of fear of reprisal. I wondered about worst-case scenarios, such as being detained in a foreign country, and the stories I’d be able to write as a result.

Prior to my trip, I spoke with a Miami Herald journalist with experience reporting from Cuba. Because the government monitors the Internet, he advised me to take a blank laptop and to create a temporary email account to avoid connecting into my company’s networks.

The World Affairs Council secured a journalist’s visa for me, though I still can’t tell you what protection it would offer in the event of trouble. Luckily, I didn’t find out.

I didn’t want to hire a translator, who would typically be a government employee, so I relied on my two meager semesters of Spanish in college to communicate, unless Spanish-speaking Atlantans were with me. I knew just enough to tell people who I am, what I wanted to know and to ask if they spoke English. And I learned that I desperately need to take Spanish classes.

I broke away from my tour group several times and interviewed hotel workers and cab drivers, students and strangers on the street — anybody who would suffer through a broken Spanish-English conversation with me.

Most people I stopped were eager to chat, though not on the record.

“I want to, but it is very dangerous,” a pedi-cab driver told me one night outside a bar. He feared that being quoted in my story could cost him his job.

I befriended a tourism worker named Maria who was curious about American freedoms. She revealed that she had recently seen a documentary about the U.S. Revolution. She understood that in America, people can air their grievances with their government leaders and politically organize — something few Cubans do without consequence.

In that moment, I couldn’t help but appreciate the raucous public meetings and rallies that define Atlanta City Hall.

I asked her why more Cubans hadn’t mobilized or agitated over the years if indeed many were unhappy. “Sometimes,” she replied, “I wonder this also.”

All of us agreed that our trip was especially meaningful because of three Cuban-American Atlantans who came with us: Jorge and Silvia Fernandez, a married couple who left the island as children in 1961, and René Diaz, who fled with his family in 1967. They walked us through their memories and impressions of the Cuba they found on their return. And their joy was contagious.

I’ll think of René’s delight in seeing a sugar cane press at the Ernest Hemingway estate. Silvia’s account of meeting and loving the family who now lives in the home her family left behind. Jorge’s eyes lighting up as he saw a replica of a political propaganda comic book he was given as a child.

Jorge, now vice president of global commerce for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, spoke passionately on the importance of being in Cuba now, as change opens the door to future business relationships. Silvia, a Spanish teacher, inspired me to revisit my language studies. And René, CEO of Diaz Foods, exemplifies of the power of capitalism to help people achieve and share personal success.

I’ll carry with me the conversations we had over Bucanero, a Cuban beer so delicious that it alone could convince U.S. politicians to lift the trade embargo.

I’ll not soon forget the up-close experience with Communism and the discussions I had with people about the benefits of free health care and education and drawbacks when it comes to personal freedoms.

I marveled at the at-times casual (read: slow) approach to service there, an attitude that perhaps stems from the fact that working harder under a Communist system typically yields no greater financial reward.

I came to understand on a far deeper level that no political or economic system is a panacea. Each has its value and ills. Still, I had never felt prouder to be an American.

READ MORE: The AJC's coverage from Cuba
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