Fabiana del Valle, Author at Havana Times

The Cuba I’m Forced to Live In

The first time I heard about the “Special Period”, I was 7. I was at school & the teachers were very concerned when talking about the subject.

I know the bitter taste of farewells all too well. As a child, I would go to Havana with my grandparents to say goodbye to my aunts.

He spent the entire night sitting in the living room. The pain was more intense when he laid down, his blood pressure went up…

My daughter was excited all week. The days passed by and she imagined the moment she’d hold the prize for her work.

This is the dilemma many families have, trying to survive on an island where even breathing is a punishment.

My brother has his refuge. This place he goes back to every day, the space that shelters him when things aren’t going well.

When Yamila’s grandmother told her for them to go and live with her, they didn’t think about the consequences.

It was 1978 and Mario was in the fifth year of his Veterinary degree. He had a girlfriend who he was planning on marrying after graduating.

Ever since he was little, he paid close attention to colored images, he studied paintings and tried to copy them on every surface he could.

She’s ten years old and she’s no longer the little girl that came to my daughter’s birthday party one year, holding her mother’s hand.