5/17/99

Dear Mom and Dad,

The name of the country I'm visiting is Cuba. When you come here, you need to bring summer clothes because the average temperature is 77-80 degrees. Also there is plenty of rainfall in this country. The rainy season is May to November. Sometimes hurricanes are likely to strike and cause great damage.

The language that Cubans speak is Spanish. Maybe you need to study about how they speak in Spanish. English is popular and a required course for high school students. Also when you visit Cuba you can't spend American money. The main unit of currency is the peso, which is divided into 100 centavos. But you need a department of the treasury license in order to buy goods (a meal at a hotel for example.) They also have a governor. There are 11 million people in that country.

There are 2 islands of Cuba and they are about 90 miles South of the USA. More than 70% of Cubans live in cities. I think that is where we will live.

I can't wait to see you.

Love always,
Ashley