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When I was a kid (and later, when boredom and the bobería of teenage existence gave rise to silly drinking games), we used to play something called Mad Libs. If you’re reading this up north in Los Estamos Jodidos (note 1) you are probably familiar with this simple, yet hilarious, game of fill-in-the-blank. If you’re elsewhere – but especially if you’re accessing Here is Havana from anything ending in .cu (and I hope you are, amigos!) – you may never have heard of it.
As simple as the Cuban mating dance, Mad/Loco Libs is easy, fun and funny and I encourage you to play with friends (preferably accompanied by ice cold mojitos) and post your efforts here. It works like this: one person plays emcee, reading aloud only the part of speech requested to fill in the blank and another player – or more; multiply the fun with group play! – supplies the answers. Once all the blanks are filled, the emcee reads the narrative aloud and (hopefully), laughter ensues. Give it a shot with the following:
A Very Cuban Encounter
¡Asere! You’ll never guess who I ran into last night!
Who?
__________________ (famous Cuban)
¡No jodas! Where?
__________________ (famous Cuban spot/landmark)
It was __________________ (adjective). I couldn’t believe it. Right there, he/she and his/her little group of friends were rubbing __________________ (plural noun) with us. But it gets better: they came with a __________________ (noun), which we thought was __________________ (adjective), until we realized they were there to __________________ (verb).
¿¡En serio?!
Seriously. With tremenda pena, I went up to them – I had to! – and asked for a __________________ (noun).
Estás acabando…..What did they say?
__________________ (famous quote).
I didn’t know whether to __________________ (verb) or __________________ (verb). It was straight out of the novela! It made me feel __________________ (adjective). I can’t wait to get the photos up on Facebook!
Notes
1. Loosely translated as “we’re screwed,” this is a play on los Estados Unidos (the United States), courtesy of my friend Patricio.
Here is Havana 
Ah, Jeez! ! That’s Hilarious, Conner! Just thinking the answers I was thinking would probably get me escorted straight to Combinado del Este upon my next arrival! (Have they got that thought reading process perfected yet down there?)
I imagine the next to last blank response is about 90% Sh!t or go Blind- That was yours, wasn’t it? No inventas!
What’s that in Cubano- Cagas o revuelta ciego?
And I was laughing at the Estamos Jodidas joke, old and lame as it might possibly be, but then thought about the 19 balseros who made land here last week in an old wooden boat, with a 50 year old Russian auto engine providing the power, and the 25 who were intercepted and sent back.
Then I was wondering- Why would anyone want to flee from the Socialist Paradise to come to such a terrible place we have here? I am mulling it over, and I’ll get back to you when I figure it out.
Another very funny post, chica. Saludos,
Ole
En un mismo día tropecé contigo, con Carlos Varela y con el Chacal..en los más inesperados lugares!!! Saludos desde Texas.
Havana: so strange, so small!! Imagine my surprise as I zoomed down Zapata on Frances and a black Lada cruises up along next to me and the driver shouts out: hey! Aren’t you Conner from the blog?!
First time for everything!
Y yo solo vi algo parecido a un nombre en la bici, tus lentes y rápido me dije..solo puede ser ella!!! Lastima de no haber podido parar a hablar.