Track and Field Blogs - Gabe Jennings

I find myself right off the capitol of Habana at the Inglaterra hotel blogging through the internet world.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind adventure, and the adventure continues. . . After a glorious road trip back from San Francisco at my Orff training, I made my way home to Mendocino to visit the folks. We went canoeing up the Big River on outgoing riggers, then we almost burnt down the sauna I built next to the house (flu fire)! Hay Dios!
Next, Kelsey and I stopped off at Fickle Hill in Arcata to visit long time friend and benefactor, Dave Figueiredo. The next morning we drove all the way from Arcata to Elk Lake on the eastern side of the Cascades just south of Mt. Bachelor! We made a brief rendezvous with Jeff Hess and the Eugene South Cross Country team at the pre-season camp, before heading home to Eugene.

However, I wasn't home for long. I almost spontaneously decided to go to Cuba to study Afro-Cuban dance and drumming. August 15, I left Portland PDX airport for Guadalajara, stopping in Mexico City, and finally after a 5 hour layover and almost losing my luggage, losing my immigration form, and buying two visas for Cuba, I made a flight to Habana Cuba, August 16.

When I arrived in the Habana airport at 1pm I was rudely awakened to the fact that I had no American Dollars as I had used up the last of my cash buying two visas and a new authorized immigration form. I searched the airport for hours in vain, asking everybody at the banks, tourist office, and airlines (in Spanish mind you) how in the world I was going to get some money to make the 30 mile journey into Habana. Everybody I asked shook their head and said, "Hay ningun lugar en Cuba donde alguien puede usar tarjetas de credito o de banco para cambiar dinero desde Estados Unidos." I guess since 2006, when the US fully cut off financial transactions to Cuba there is no way for an American to draw money. No Way!

My first visit to Cuba was in 1997 for the junior Pan American Games.
I placed second to fellow American and soon to be Stanford team mate, Michael Stember in the 1500m. Oh the memories!! Thomas Murley, Michael and I had a few wild evenings in the Pan American village, and one notable evening at a Habana night club. I managed to smuggle home 9 boxes of Cuban cigars which funded the last summer before college and Stanford, and my spending money freshman year.

My next visit to Cuba was in 2002 right before my short stay in NYC and my bicycle trip to Brazil. I only stayed for two weeks, but I improved my Spanish and studied congas with a few master drummers in el centro.

Now, 6 years later, Cuba has changed, and I have changed, and I am mature enough to completely immerse my self in the culture and music (sacred dance de Orisas, llama Bata).

The past few weeks I have slowly begun the transition into running, and no better place than Cuba to get completely geared up and prepared for the long season ahead. As I watch the Olympics from Cuba I have mixed emotions. Extreme elation to watch my teammates, but also extreme sadness that I am not at the Games. Extreme disappointment that I have failed as a runner and a human being. The road ahead is very long and very hard, but redemption will come and I am determined to leave the sport a champion.

Tuesday I have a meeting with Lazaro Nopoles, the Cuban Jr. coach, at the Estadio pedro Marrero, where most of the elite Cuban athletes train. I am hoping to be an ambassador for Cuban Track and Field and Cuba in general during this important transition between the United States and Cuba as the Fidel Castro regime slowly takes leave of its control.

As for finances. I pray that the Western Union will come through for me tomorrow. Otherwise, I will probably be stuck on this island forever.

God Bless!

Gabriel