I celebrated International Women’s Day early this year, this past Wednesday to be exact. It turned out to be my best women’s day celebration to mark.
I was leading a trip in Cuba and on that day, we had planned to eat lunch with local fishermen from a cooperative in Cojimar, a fishing town that Ernest Hemingway frequented.
That morning I called to confirm with the President of the cooperative about the time and meeting location, and he gave me some surprising news.The fishermen had decided that since El Dia de la Mujer (Women’s Day) was on the following Friday, the men wanted the women who worked in the cooperative to attend the lunch. They thought this could be an early celebration of the holiday.
I was concerned about how the participants on my tour would take the news, having already told them we were meeting fishermen, not women. It turned out be for the best, considering the majority were women (twelve out of fourteen) and they were thrilled at the opportunity.
What followed was one of the most unforgettable lunches of my life. We were joined by Maritza and Inez Maria, two women who worked in the office, and Daisy and Maria who were in accounting. The four were incredibly strong, open, and vibrant with life. I’ll never forget their smiles as they waved from the bus to the fishermen as we drove away. They joked to each other, grinning at the fact that they were the ones on the bus, heading to a nice restaurant for lunch.
The American women loved interacting with the Cuban mujeres, communication in broken spanish and creative hand motions. They laughed at the similarities they shared over issues with men, careers and family, despite the cultural differences that divided them. It was a people-to-people exchange in the best possible way. As we waited for our meal, in a crowded, busy restaurant, we got up from our seats and danced all together to the live music, chanting, “Vivan las mujeres!” and raising our fists in the air. I’m sure we looked ridiculous, but none of us cared in the slightest. We all celebrated that day the fact that no matter what our nationality, we all were women, and that bond transcended any kind of country border that might be in the way.
Happy International Women’s Day to all the women of the world. “Vivan Las Mujeres!”