By A.M. KELLEY
Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — On May 16 seven Upper Peninsula residents flew to Cuba to build playgrounds.

Northern Michigan University language instructors Susan Martin and Amy Orf left Marquette for the adventure with four NMU students and one other adult. They joined 53 people from around the United States in Havana for the weeklong effort.

The work was coordinated by a non-profit organization called It’s Just The Kids, headquartered in Washington, D.C., According to It’s Just The Kids founder, Bill Hauf, the organization’s purpose is strictly humanitarian. Said Orf, “He’s trying to make absolutely no political statement whatsoever.”

Aware of the difficulties of getting permission to travel to Cuba, Martin jumped at the chance when she learned about the playground project.

Another NMU instructor, Richard Eathorne, had planned a separate May Cuban study visit with geography students but permission was never granted by the Treasury Department.
“There are very strict regulations about Americans going to Cuba,” Eathorne said. “Due to problems with the war, they weren’t issuing visas.”

Orf, a Spanish instructor, had traveled to Russia in 1994 with her husband, Joseph Jakubiszyn, who was also along on the Cuban trip. Orf said the trip appealed to them because of their interest in different political systems.

“That was my motivation,” Orf said. “The communist ideal is interesting. The theory sounds really pretty but it’s hard to make it work out. Don’t paint me red. But (communism) is something really interesting. I really wanted to see what they’re hiding from us.”

The group worked at two sites in Havana, a city of 2.1 million, and didn’t travel to the countryside.

“We worked full time, all day,” Orf said. “We had some time off in the evening. The Cuban people were very curious and wanted to find out what we were like.”

Likewise, the visitors wanted to find out what the Cubans were like.

Nick Zinis, a 25-year-old Spanish and International Studies major, was part of the NMU entourage.

“(Cuban people) were gracious and thankful,” he said. “Some invited us to come back and stay with them. And these are people who only make $30 a month. They’re the nicest people I’ve ever met.”

Zinis had served in the Air Force and had been stationed in Panama for two years. He’d also traveled to many other South American countries and is attracted to Latin cultures.

The entire group of Kids workers left for Cuba from Baltimore. The trip cost each of the Marquette travelers $850 in addition to the expense of getting to Baltimore.

“I would have paid twice that to do it,” Zinis said. “And we had to work all day. Just to be able talk to the Cuban people, the kids, the teenagers in their own language. It was a good opportunity to go and help out.”

The group built two playgrounds, starting from bare lots. At one site they dug 150 postholes.
“Not in nice soft earth,” Orf said. “This was in an old landfill, in rock and cement.”

There had already been some rundown equipment in some of the large neighborhoods. But there are thousands of kids, she said, who end up playing on the streets and getting hit by cars.

“There aren’t many safe places for kids to play,” she said.

They hope to stay connected with the Kids organization and perhaps join another of their work crews. But however they have to get there, the interest in a return trip to the island is high.

“I’ve been all over,” Martin said. “And to Brazil many times. There’s just something special about the Cuban people.”

The other NMU students on the trip were Kriya Townsend, Stephanie Bromley and Kate Anderegg.

More information on the organization is available at www.itsjustthekids.org or at 2111 Wisconsin Ave. #319, Washington, D.C. 20007.