by Tracy L. Barnett
Cuba, it seems, was not ready for me.
Definitely, I was not ready for Cuba.
It seems that getting a Cuban journalist’s visa is a great deal more complicated than I had been led to believe. My lack of attention to this particular detail led to a brusque reception by disbelieving bureaucrats, a long cold night in Jose Martí International Airport, and the first flight back to Miami.
It was a costly, embarrassing and extremely painful lesson, but here’s what I learned. I’m sharing the story in the hopes that you will learn from them.
(1) Never believe your travel agent when she tells you she’ll handle the visa for you. Even when your agent works for one of a handful of companies licensed to take U.S. citizens to Cuba, and she knows you’re a journalist, and you’ve already received a specific journalist license from the U.S. Government, faxed to her at her request, and when she’s told you that you can just pick it up at the counter along with your ticket. Don’t believe her to be an expert in these matters. She is not.
In this case, she was a Brazilian native recently hired by the company – a nice lady who feels very badly about what happened, but in no way knowledgeable about Cuban journalist visas, which are notoriously hard to procure.
(2) Don’t assume the official-looking Spanish-language documents in your packet are what you think they are. Had I inspected the documents I was given instead of rushing off to the gate post-haste I would have noticed that there was no visa; only a swine flu screening document, an embarkation form and a customs form. At that point I might have had some options. But I didn’t notice this until I was in Havana, at which point my options were extremely limited.
(3) Don’t rely on the guidebook, which devotes many pages to explaining how to get U.S. permission to travel to Cuba, but only a couple of paragraphs to the Cuban journalist visa – one of them stating that if you come in on a tourism visa, you can request a status change and get a journalist visa in about a week. This guide is not written for journalists and while that may or may not be true, it’s no indication of the ease or difficulty in getting a journalist visa to enter the country in advance.
(4) Don’t do international travel – particularly to a country that has been estranged with your own for several decades – on two hours’ sleep.
(5) Blogging, tweeting, facebooking and texting family and friends are optional. Mindful attention to logistics is not.
Bruno Henríquez, a solar energy expert and science fiction author I was scheduled to meet, consoled me via e-mail when he received my bad news.
“Here in Cuba, we have a saying: ‘Lo que sucede, conviene.’”
Roughly translated: What happens is the best thing.
It’s a tough one to swallow at the moment, but it comforts me to think that in the long run, Bruno’s wise words will be made manifest.
Back home in Houston, I’m investigating my options. I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, it’s time to turn this fiasco into the best thing possible.
Tracy L. Barnett is the founding editor of The Esperanza Project. She can be reached at tracy@tracybarnettonline.com. 
Que lastima!!! I am so sorry that you had soooooo much trouble with your Visa. like you said an expensive and time consuming lesson learned. Turn this opportunity around someway and make something good out of the lesson learned. I firmly believe that things happen for a reason. maybe it was not your time to be in Cuba!
Noe
So true! The universe has been trying to teach me this lesson for a long time: Slow down! Pay attention! Maybe this time I’ll actually get it.
Wow! Taking notes… I’m so sorry for the snafu, and glad you came out of it with your head still screwed on. Learning from mistakes makes us feel sheepish but results in plenty wisdom; I’m sorry it didn’t work out as planned, and impressed that you are taking it in stride.
Thanks for writing about it, too: I have definitely learned a FEW things from this post.
What a bummer. Sounds like something that might happen to me.
You’re right a good lesson for us all. Pay attention to the little things and don’t expect anyone else to do it for you.
Hope the rest of your travels will be a little less challenging.
So you went and came. But knowing you, you’ll come out of this experience with more knowledge that others can’t fanthom! You are a very resourceful individual Tracy. I’ve always admired you for your constance and never ending quest for what should be the right course of action. You go Girl!!!
Oh so sad to hear, but not that I’m surprised, Cubans are pretty strict with their visa procedures towards “gringos” I think. It’s funny, most of the college students here in Spain end their school year with a vacation in Cuba and the thing is papperless, most of my friends have been there just by paying 25$ for a tourist visa, that simple. Couldn`t you just fake you were a student, 24, willing to get suntunned in La Habana beaches and get drunk on Mojito all your vacation through??? LOL
I’ll be the rest of the week in Barcelona mostly offline but I’ll be waiting to hear any news on your situation. Take care.
It happens! Jeff Franks and Elena Vega will be here (Houston) next weekend, you might want to visit with them on that subject, they are experts and will love to save you some trouble.
OY VAY! POOR CHICA, THIS HAS BEEN A DREAM OF YOURS FOR SO LONG. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE PLAYED OUT THIS WAY? SO IS LIFE, YOU NEVER GET WHAT YOU EXPECT, DO YOU?
YOUR FAITHFUL FAN,
MICHELLE