Diaries Archives - Page 11 of 639

The Scents of Time

Few things transport me to a past moment with such overwhelming clarity as a melody or a scent. They are perfect time machines.

Doing anything in today’s Cuba can be extremely complicated, but building a house is a Herculean, titanic task.

An anonymous young man walks down the street carrying a worn-out pair of sneakers with patched soles—survivors of a thousand battles.

I have been thinking about opening my own butcher shop. However, the minimum amount needed for that is 50,000 reais (around $9,000 dollars)

I recently joined a Facebook group where photos of doors are posted. I have been able to glimpse an entire universe through them.

I had a horrible headache. I’ve always suffered from them, but of course now they’re more extreme.

I had just set up my bookstand on the sidewalk when some inspectors came around and told me I couldn’t be there.

One could say a churrasco (barbecue) tops the priority list for many Brazilians. Those who can afford it have one almost every weekend.

In a dysfunctional environment that cultivates paranoia, anyone can seem like an accomplice of the enemy.

I’ve noticed this growing trend at the supermarket where I work and at stores, car washes, or barbecue stands.