#cuba THE NEW MAN, THE ANAL CLEANING AND THE GRAMMA NEWSPAPER
THE NEW MAN, THE ANAL CLEANING AND THE GRAMMA NEWSPAPER.
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Dr Orlando Vicente Álvarez
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Dr Orlando Vicente Álvarez
URUGUAY
When we arrived at the Seventh Grade of Secondary, the Cuban Revolution had compulsorily instituted "The School to the Field" which was to spend 45 days, suspended the teaching work, in Agriculture.
We were simple teenagers from everywhere. They gave us a change of work clothes that included tennis shoes, trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, all of a rough but resistant fabric.
We girls and boys were most excited. It was the first time that we separated for so long and we freed ourselves from the tutelage of our parents. The enthusiasm was contagious.
We did not know that we were part of a plan created by Che Guevara to form what he called "the new man": obedient traitor to every order, revolutionary in every way and ideologically formed in Marxism-Leninism. In addition to separating ourselves from the generation and values of our parents, who in their immense majority were traditional bourgeois even if they were peasants of African descent and poor Galicians.
I remember it was in December. The main time for Catholics and that was already diluting the customs of Christmas and Christmas Eve and the cerebration of a new year.
All good until then. After the first days of work on a state farm far away from the city so that most of our parents did not come to see us, the hunger began and as we had to pick tomatoes we took a bag of salt to the field and we were fed up with them until we were satiated and lunch time arrives.
But the big problem was the toilets that they had prepared. They were holes in the concrete with two bricks on each side to put the feet and defecate in crouches. We called them "take aim" because you had to hit the small hole accurately.
The toilet paper that we brought from home was soon over and we had to use the GRAMMA newspaper that was not lacking. But you had to moisten it a bit earlier because it scraped the rear and then we left with the ass inked black. The holes had no wall in front so everyone who passed saw us in that very private act. The same would be with girls.
In the afternoon bath time was an agony because we had to stand in line to load a bucket with cold water - and it was cold in December - and bathe in a row inside four walls. We had to scrub our asses well with washing soap to remove the inking. For boys there were no problems in walking naked. But for the girls I do not know how they managed.
One morning a large photo of Fidel Castro appeared stuck to the entrance of one of the bathrooms. A whole peace of shit was plastered on his face and no one wanted to get dirty by removing it. There was a tremendous mess, speeches, threats but everyone was in silent. They could not with hundreds of serious teenagers and with their mouths tightly closed.
That night they gave us fried fish.
DR ORLANDO VICENTE ALVAREZ
When we arrived at the Seventh Grade of Secondary, the Cuban Revolution had compulsorily instituted "The School to the Field" which was to spend 45 days, suspended the teaching work, in Agriculture.
We were simple teenagers from everywhere. They gave us a change of work clothes that included tennis shoes, trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, all of a rough but resistant fabric.
We girls and boys were most excited. It was the first time that we separated for so long and we freed ourselves from the tutelage of our parents. The enthusiasm was contagious.
We did not know that we were part of a plan created by Che Guevara to form what he called "the new man": obedient traitor to every order, revolutionary in every way and ideologically formed in Marxism-Leninism. In addition to separating ourselves from the generation and values of our parents, who in their immense majority were traditional bourgeois even if they were peasants of African descent and poor Galicians.
I remember it was in December. The main time for Catholics and that was already diluting the customs of Christmas and Christmas Eve and the cerebration of a new year.
All good until then. After the first days of work on a state farm far away from the city so that most of our parents did not come to see us, the hunger began and as we had to pick tomatoes we took a bag of salt to the field and we were fed up with them until we were satiated and lunch time arrives.
But the big problem was the toilets that they had prepared. They were holes in the concrete with two bricks on each side to put the feet and defecate in crouches. We called them "take aim" because you had to hit the small hole accurately.
The toilet paper that we brought from home was soon over and we had to use the GRAMMA newspaper that was not lacking. But you had to moisten it a bit earlier because it scraped the rear and then we left with the ass inked black. The holes had no wall in front so everyone who passed saw us in that very private act. The same would be with girls.
In the afternoon bath time was an agony because we had to stand in line to load a bucket with cold water - and it was cold in December - and bathe in a row inside four walls. We had to scrub our asses well with washing soap to remove the inking. For boys there were no problems in walking naked. But for the girls I do not know how they managed.
One morning a large photo of Fidel Castro appeared stuck to the entrance of one of the bathrooms. A whole peace of shit was plastered on his face and no one wanted to get dirty by removing it. There was a tremendous mess, speeches, threats but everyone was in silent. They could not with hundreds of serious teenagers and with their mouths tightly closed.
That night they gave us fried fish.
DR ORLANDO VICENTE ALVAREZ
CUBAN URUGUAYAN,GENIUS
Cuando llegamos al Séptimo Grado de Secundaria la Revolución cubana había instituido de forma obligatoria “La Escuela al Campo” que era pasar 45 días, suspendidas las labores docentes, en la Agricultura.
Éramos unos simples adolescentes venidos de todas partes. Nos entregaban una muda de ropa de trabajo que incluía zapatos tenis, pantalón y una camisa de mangas largas, todo de una tela burda pero resistente.
Nosotros las chicas y chicos de lo más entusiasmados. Era la primera vez que nos separábamos por tanto tiempo y nos liberábamos de la tutela de nuestros padres. El entusiasmo era contagioso.
No sabíamos que éramos parte de un plan creado por el Che Guevara para formar lo que él llamaba “el hombre nuevo”: trabador obediente a toda orden, revolucionario a toda prueba e ideológicamente formado en el Marxismo-Leninismo. Además de ir separándonos de la generación y los valores de nuestros padres que en su inmensa mayoría era tradicional burguesa aunque fueran campesinos descendientes de africanos y gallegos pobres.
Recuerdo que fue en Diciembre. La época principal para los católicos y que ya se iba diluyendo las costumbres de Navidad y de Noche Buena y la cerebración de un nuevo año.
Todo bien hasta entonces. Transcurrido los primeros días de trabajo en una granja estatal bien lejos de la ciudad para que la mayoría de nuestros padres no fuera a vernos, empezó el hambre y como teníamos que recoger tomates nos llevábamos hacia el campo una bolsita con sal y nos hartábamos de la vianda hasta quedar saciados y llegara la hora del almuerzo.
Pero el gran problema eran los inodoros que nos habían preparados. Eran unos huecos en el cemento con dos ladrillos a cada lado para poner los pies y defecar en cuclillas. Nosotros les llamábamos “coge puntería” porque había que acertar el pequeño orificio con precisión.
El papel higiénico que trajimos de casa se nos acabó pronto y tuvimos que usar el diario GRAMMA que no faltaba. Pero había que humedecerlo un poco antes pues raspaba el trasero y después salíamos con el culo entintado de negro. Los huecos no tenían pared al frente así que todo el que pasaba nos veía en ese acto tan privado. Lo mismo sería con las chicas.
En la tarde la hora del baño era una agonía pues teníamos que hacer cola para cargar un balde con agua fría- y hacia frio en Diciembre- y bañarse en fila dentro de cuatro paredes. Teníamos que restregarnos bien el culo con jabón de lavar para quitar el entintado. Para los varones no había problemas en andar desnudos. Pero para las chicas no sé cómo se las ingeniaban.
Una madrugada apareció una foto amplia de Fidel Castro pegada a la entrada de unos de los baños. Tenía emplastada toda una caca de mierda en la cara y nadie quería ensuciarse al quitarla. Se formó un lio tremendo, discursos, amenazas pero todo quedó ahí. No podían con cientos de adolescentes serios y con la boca herméticamente cerrada.
Esa noche nos dieron pescado frito.
DR ORLANDO VICENTE ALVAREZ
CUBANO URUGUAYO,GENIO
DR ORLANDO VICENTE ALVAREZ
CUBANO URUGUAYO,GENIO
