Cuba’s Unprepared Teachers

My son is 12 and currently in junior high. I was a little worried when classes started, because I knew – talking with several friends who had already gone through this situation – that it is a difficult time for pre-teens. My friends had told me about the changes their kids had experienced.

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Pennyless in Havana: The Story of Gregorio

Gregorio has no money, not even enough to put food on his table. This is reflected in his mood. That’s why he never goes out; so that people won’t notice the dire financial straits he is in. This is one of the many sad situations we see today of people who worked their whole lives.

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Cuba’s Fallen Idols

Some years ago, the death of an old professor who taught at the University of Havana unleashed a torrent of tears and praises among his former students, who remembered him as an exemplary educator, father and friend. However others has a totally different opinion.

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Biking Down Aguacate, Cuba

Aguacate is a small town typical of those that abound in Cuba’s interior: peaceful and modest while haughty and proud of its former glory. I paid the town a visit a few days ago and it seemed to me that, despite its deterioration and neglect, Aguacate has managed to survive with dignity. (13 photos)

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Residents of Alamar, Havana: Guilty or Innocent?

“What are they building over there?” he asked, referring to a leveled, arid terrain he made out through the window of the bus we were on. “That’s going to be a District Attorney’s Office or a court” his travel companion replied, “Instead of building a disco or the hospital Alamar needs so much.”

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A Place for Love and Friendship in Havana

Ana is a woman over sixty. Lonely and without love, she is constantly searching for someone to talk to. To do this, she regularly visits a restaurant where single people in need of company gather. This is the plot of a film by Charlotte Rampling I saw recently.

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The advantages of being poor (I)

If I said that my country’s dysfunctionality has afforded me great opportunities for spiritual growth, most would think I’m being ironic. However, it’s true. The slings and arrows that daily put my patience to the test (and even my physical condition) vary from…

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Politics and Art: The Billboards of Santiago de Cuba

Political propaganda has been accompanying Cubans lives since 1959. Every street, every town, every city, every province, the entire country is covered with signs bearing slogans, with billboards showing the images of government leaders, photographs of revolutionary martyrs, emblems and political jargon. (13 photos)

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