By Ilse Bulit
Following a tradition in the last 50 years, cold fronts threaten to hit Cuba in December, but they do not actually get here. Scientists had warned about climate change and old people in the island had anticipated such an event a long time ago. The first half of the 20th century had been marked by low temperatures in the winter, which made people use sweaters, coats and even newspapers to cover their backs if they were very poor, and give children cod-liver oil to prevent colds. As to drinks, some used to have steaming chocolate in porcelain cups, some others drank boiling linden or camomile tea in tin jugs, and most of them had hot coffee at night, although it shooed sleep away. Children went to school wearing newly bought uniforms or ragged clothes, but they all visited the seawall drive hoping to be bathed by the strong waves crashing against it.
2008-02-01
