They Call the Music Mariah

This story is about Mariah Sheehy going to Cuba with some of her professors and classmates at MSU Bozeman.

But really it is about Mariah and her music because it is impossible to do a story about Mariah who is a music major without talking about her music which she composes, plays and got her to Cuba a few weeks ago.

When you write music it is called Music Technology these days and as Maria says, "It is a degree based on composition, recording different sounds and incorporating those sounds with the help of a computer."

Earlier in the MSU Bozeman school year the Dean of the college of Arts and Architecture, Dean Smith, sent out an email to the different schools at the University. He wanted to take four students with him this spring to be special Ambassadors from Bozeman and Montana on a trip to visit a Cuban Arts Festival in Havana, Cuba.

Those arts at Bozeman considered for the four ambassadors were music, Architecture, an artist who in this case was a sculpture, and a film major.

Mariah was very honored that she was chosen to go as she was the only undergraduate on the trip.

Dean Smith made the trip much easier than it might have been as he has relatives in Cuba.

Each of the four ambassadors had to make a presentation about their accomplishments at the College.

"I took a musical composition which was my final project during my freshman year," said Mariah. "The name of the project is 'Summit' because it is the pinnacle of my freshman year."

The Bozeman group was in Cuba for ten days.

Asked about Cuba in general, Mariah said, "It was very hot, very humid and plenty of second hand smoke around as there were many smokers."

What sort of made up for the horrible climate and all that smoke were the houses which were painted in pastel colors like blue and pink and Mariah said they were just beautiful.

And there were the cars. All of them very old as no new cars have come into Cuba since the Kennedy Administration but Mariah was amazed at how polished and how great those very old cars looked as they inundated the streets of Havana.

"I don't know how they keep those old cars up but they do," added Mariah.

To Mariah, Havana itself seemed very old but very beautiful.

"I was amazed at Havana," Mariah continued. "There was art everywhere. Even the floors were artistic with their beautiful mosaic tiles. Art has a very unique quality in Cuba. Their artists seem to have a little different perspective than other artists."

Mariah was amazed at how many people knew about Montana. People would ask her where she was from and she would say she was from the United States and they would say they knew that but what state was she from. When she said Montana, most times they knew something or someone from our Big Sky Country.

Communication was tough as most Cubans do not speak English or it is very broken. When she could communicate, she found out that Cubans were very friendly.

As to food, breakfast is not a big meal in Cuba, usually fruit but Mariah raved about that fruit. Mangos and nectarines were huge and very sweet.

Lunch was usually a sandwich and always for dinner there was very strong coffee served in tiny cups

Oh my goodness," said Mariah, "That coffee was so strong but when you tasted it there was a sweetness to it as well that was just wonderful."

The Bozeman Ambassadors each stayed with a host and hostess, in their apartments and when it came to dinner it was a big meal usually consisting of shredded pork or chicken, tamales, fish and always with every meal there was rice of some kind. The food was quite bland. Not a lot of spices were used where Mariah ate while in Havana.

There is not much in the way of refrigeration in Cuba so it is the custom for the family cook to visit the market every day and pick out something to cook and always plenty of fresh fruit.

Asked if there was one thing that Mariah could think of that typified the very best that Cuba has to offer, Mariah did not even pause. She said, "It is the beaches, and the crystal clear water. It is absolutely gorgeous!"

Mariah was ready to come home to Montana when her ten days were up. She said that she never did adjust to all that heat and humidity.

Will she go back to Cuba again?

Mariah has her family, her life and her music here and is not ready to think about going back yet but she does say, "If the opportunity presented itself again, I would definitely go back."