Diaries Archives - Page 241 of 644

How People in Cuba Get Sick

Today, let’s talk about morbidity rates in Cuba. Why do people get sick? How have morbidity rates changed in recent years? In order to write this post, I casually sounded out about a dozen well-informed people…

Booking a Vacation in Cuba

I try and book my holidays every year at Los Cocos, a campsite that has two cabins built specifically to accommodate people with special needs. For two months I was calling up their offices daily to find out when they’ll start selling bookings for the summer.

Two Pieces of Cuban Red Tape and No Solutions (1)

It’s been exactly a year now since I naively pinned my hopes on the Cuban bureaucratic system for the umpteenth time. I’m sad to say it, but reality keeps giving me a slap in the face …

The Power of the People, This is Real Power

I’ve always heard a phrase which, in socialist Cuba, held a lot of weight: “The power of the people, this is real power.” I don’t know very well, nor am I very interested in, who the author of this idea is, but what I do know is that it was constantly used in every aspect of our daily life.

Collecting Donations for the Revolution

The fight against Batista’s dictatorship (1952-1958) was a heroic feat in the country’s larger cities. The young revolutionaries who fought against that criminal regime had to pay a high price in blood, a really high price. In smaller towns in Cuba’s interior provinces…

Lunchtime for a Cuban Office Worker

Sitting in my office, like I usually do at lunchtime, I talk to someone who no longer lives on our island. I love this someone very much and he wants to help me, although sometimes we don’t understand each other and argue.

Houses and Families

I was born in Vedado, in a house we inherited from an aunt of mine who left for the US. In the early ‘60s, emigration intensified and as a result many houses remained empty. People who were living in poor conditions or who didn’t even have a house, broke into these houses and claimed to be their owners.

The Cuban Museum of Dissent, a First Encounter

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to write this article. Perhaps because I’ve had too many emotions running through my mind recently: anger, anxiety, disappointment, discomfort. Feelings which haven’t allowed me to reflect calmly upon the situation.

My Morning Odyssey in Havana…

I know the issue of transport here in Cuba has been the subject of discussion many times before, but I feel like there’s always a lot more that can be said. Or maybe it’s because one is left wanting to vent. I’m not sure. Normally, I take the bus my workplace provides. It’s quite reliable, but, it breaks down sometimes, which actually happens quite often, and that’s when my headache starts. More than just a headache, it’s when I just want to disappear.

In the Aftermath of Fast and the Furious in Havana

The capital was recently stirred up by the filming of scenes from the eighth film in the “Fast and the Furious” series. They’re in high-demand. But, that’s just the way show business is and that’s not what concerns me.