When a Cuban doesn’t know what a rissole is made out of, they say it’s a “hoonos rissole.” Whoever’s next to them then says: “Who knows what it’s got inside!” and everyone has a good laugh. In addition to the few ounces of ground soy-meat you get through your ration booklet every so often, sometimes they sell you a type of mincemeat (at market price) which is practically inedible.
Read MoreThough some refuse to acknowledge it, the positive results of the social transformations undertaken in Cuba following the triumph of the revolution in 1959 are plain to see and within everyone’s reach. Many aren’t aware of these changes because they take them for granted – over 70 percent of Cuba’s current population was born after the revolution and did not experience what came before.
Read MoreHurricane season is almost over in Cuba, but the mere mention of a hurricane is enough to inspire fear among many residents of Havana, who have experienced the continuous, day-long or afternoon rains and the strong sunlight that afterwards dries everything quickly.
Read MoreI turned on the TV to listen to the morning show Buenos Dias, as I always do, from the kitchen. It was a news piece having to do with Cuba’s two currencies and their use. I perked up my ears and managed to hear something about “monetary unification.” In less than two seconds, my brain was already asking such questions as: “Will I get paid in Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC)?”, “How much will I start earning now?” and “Will my salary finally be enough to live on?”
Read MoreThe performance arts will always be a living reflection of the society that produces them at a given point in history. Their characters are an illustration of the way people are, think and behave. Contemporary comedy programs portray our society as it is today.
Read MoreCuba’s first art exhibition and sale event, organized by the National Visual Arts Center and displaying the works of contemporary Cuban artists under the age of 35, began on November 1. (25 photos)
Read MoreTwo days ago, a friend of mine who’s a writer arrived in Cuba. Fascinated by the descriptions of the architectural beauty, museums and historical sites of Old Havana I had sent him in my emails, he wanted to start his tour of the city in the old part of town.
Read MoreOn November 2, Cuba’s Granma newspaper published a press note regarding the self-employed, demanding that 3D home theaters and computer game rooms be shut down immediately and claiming such businesses were never authorized (they cut people some slack, a lot of slack, and now they’re pulling in the reins).
Read MoreEvery day, I have to put together the classes I teach, so many that I need to use audiovisual materials to optimize my time (for my work also entails a number of bureaucratic tasks that pretty much force me to manage my time efficiently).
Read MoreAfter Fidel Castro decided to take part in the war in Angola in the mid 1970s, any Cuban who had the required age and build could see themselves transformed into an internationalist soldier overnight. Thousands lost their lives in that war and no few returned home with incurable traumas.
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