By Chris Biancaniello
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Smithtown resident Elaine Turley recently returned from visiting Cuba with the League of Women Voters (LWV) program Sisters Across the Staights*. Elaine Turley a League of Women Voters member is an attorney practicing Elder Law and Estate Planning. She is also a former chairperson of the Smithtown Democratic Committee. Elaine made a scheduled presentation to Smithtown LWV members about her October trip to Cuba on Dec. 17, 2014, the same day President Obama made his announcement about establishing relations with the small Caribbean country.
For those with an interest in travel, Cuba seems to be a dream destination. Pristine beaches, and an intense history with the United States makes the country both beautiful and historically relevant for Americans. But, for U.S. citizens, travel to Cuba is difficult. Though President Obama’s recent move to establish relations with Cuba should certainly make travel easier going forward, very few Americans get the opportunity to visit this mysterious country. Elaine Turley, a Fort Salonga resident, recently had the opportunity to visit the outcast country that sits just 90 miles off the cost of Key West.
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The League of Women Voters project Sisters Across the Straights provides the opportunity for involved citizens to travel to Cuba, according to their website, “The aim is to end decades of isolation by building trust and improving relations among people.” Turley traveled with League of Women Voters members from locations ranging from Colorado to Alabama. Traveling with an experienced group like Sisters Across The Staights enabled Turley to get a good sense of both Cuba’s beauty and the level of poverty faced by Cuban citizens.
Asked what surprised about her visit to Cuba? Turley said “I was surprised mostly by the decay of the beautiful old buildings due to lack of funds to invest in infrastructure.” Cuba is known as a location lost in time, many of their cars and buildings were built in the 50’s they have much historical value, as well as incredible deterioration. In her presentation to the LWV members Elaine showed a slide show that included cars that are older than our president. Buildings that were once opulent and elegant have deteriorated almost beyond repair. In one slide of the Hotel Nacional De Cuba (brought back memories for some audience members who visited Cuba in the late 50’s) there was a fountain that is still standing but no longer able to contain water. Totally inoperable and yet it has not been removed.
She was also able to openly converse with Cubans about their rights and freedoms, “I had a conversation with a group of Cuban people who were very curious about our right to express our ideas openly (freedom of speech) and who had a very difficult time understanding this concept that is such a fundamental part of our experience as Americans.” She also engaged in coversation about elections and democracy and expressed her sense of amazement that the people didn’t seem to see a difference in their elections and the ones we have in the U.S..
Given our history with Cuba since Fidel Castro gained power in 1959, it comes as no surprise that there are a Americans who do not believe we should establish a relationship with Cuba. Turley empathizes with them and understands their reasons, but she also says “The people of Cuba have hope that the opening of economic relations between our countries will bring greater prosperity to the individual citizens of Cuba and I am hopeful that they are right. The people I met were industrious, resourceful, generous, kind people and I would like very much to see our nation help these individuals acquire and develop the tools they need to become more prosperous.” She anticipates that the free exchange of information will be equally as pertinent as the economic interest at hand, and hopes it will create the sort of social changes that the U.S. has been striving to make in Cuba for years.
Despite the recent move, travel restrictions will still be imposed on Cuba. Without congressional approval, U.S. citizens will still be barred from spending money in Cuba. That being said, Sisters Across the Straits will continue to offer a Cuban travel experience to interested League members, as for the future of Cuba, Turley has high hopes saying, “The Cubans I met seemed happy, hopeful and resourceful – proud of their heritage and their country, but hopeful that the economic situation will improve for them in the future. The natural environment is astoundingly beautiful and I hope that as the economy moves towards capitalism there is restraint on development so that the natural beauty is preserved.”
*The article was amended to reflect that Sisters Across the Straits is a League of Women Voters program.