Miguel Arias’s Diary

A long time before we learned that Trump would lift the waiver on Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, you could already sense that things were going to get worse; it was in the air, and people’s comments only confirmed this. There is even talk about another Special Period,…

Robberies here are becoming more and more frequent, and sometimes have fatal consequences. Luckily for us, the vast majority of Cubans are honest, hard-working and good-hearted people.

Even though we witness things every day that leave us speechless, some things stand out more than others and strike us a little more. If there is a place in Havana where things like this happen almost every day, then that’s at bus stops or even on buses.

Regla was hit by a tornado in January that showed them no mercy, destroying homes, factories and everything else it found in its path, leaving entire families without a roof over their heads or material belongings. Today the reconstructioin is well advanced.

It’s been almost two months since the last time I walked down San Rafael Boulevard, one of Havana’s busiest pedestrian streets, as hundreds of Cubans walk up and down it every day. bIt’s being totally made-over and even though they dug up the ground months ago, now they’ve dug it up again. We are also still waiting for the public bathrooms to be completed.

Over a month ago, Armando finished his early morning shift and we never heard anything from him again. Police have told his daughter that he doesn’t figure among the dead during this time, his other relatives and friends haven’t heard from him either. His wife is desperate.

Every year, we celebrate Teachers’ Day in Cuba on December 22nd. This date was chosen because it was the day that Cuba declared itself a nation free of illiteracy, after carrying out a literacy campaign organized by Fidel Castro in 1961. It deserves to be a day of celebration, but it should also be a day for us to reflect upon the importance of teachers within society.

There is a popular saying that goes: good things don’t last very long in a poor person’s home. Etecsa has confirmed that this is 100% true. A few months ago, Cuba’s only telecommunications company promoted a tempting offer for its customers: “The Friend Plan”.

Spanish President Pedro Sanchez visited Cuba a few days ago. It had been 30 years since the Spanish government’s head of state had visited this Caribbean island. Felipe Gonzalez was the last one to do so, a personal friend of Fidel Castro, even though they didn’t see eye to eye on many issues.

The iconic Coppelia ice-cream parlor on 23rd street in Vedado, Havana, is one of the most visited spots in the city, not only by Havana’s residents, but by people from all over the country and foreigners too. However, times have changed, and you can’t compare what it is today to the Coppelia in my memories.