Methodically and always overcoming any obstacles to her ritual, every evening — precisely at 6:30 p.m. — Graciela turns on her Chinese Panda-brand TV (earned through great sacrifice at her workplace) and doesn’t turn if off until the end of last telenovela.
Read MoreHe surprised everyone at the bus stop. He appeared there — determined and without the least embarrassment — with his bag of empty cans slung over his shoulder. He then began to deftly put them in a funny line just under the bus.
Read MoreReading the novel El Mendigo bajo el ciprés (The Beggar Under the Cypress) by Cuban writer Humberto Vidal, I was reminded of the bitter moments of my time in the rural school we were sent to.
Read MoreEarly this morning, when I was opening the windows of my apartment, I saw a young man throwing a piece of wood at the lavish foliage of a Majagua tree.
Read MoreI have a friend who has taken to stealing bottles of beer and rum from bars and shops in different parts of the city. In the distracted moments of salesclerks, he’ll help himself to the refrigerators – and even close them as a courtesy.
Read MoreGoing onto the grounds outside the stadium of Havana’s “Metropolitanos” baseball team, a ball suddenly landed right next to me. It had apparently been batted out by the cleanup hitter for the capital’s “red team.”
Read MoreYesterday we gave the final exam in Spanish literature for seniors at the high school where I teach. For them, this was the last step before graduation. Giving the test was a complicated process as there were nearly 200 pupils that had to take it though there are only three teachers of the course in the entire school.
Read MoreThanks to the tabloid issued by the Caracas Mayor’s Office, I found out about a couple of performances scheduled for Cuban singer Amaury Perez. Advertised as free, I didn’t think twice and invited my partner, who had never heard of him. (7 photos)
Read MoreI spent the night talking to Anaylis and Jazmin. As they recounted their lives, it made me feel like I was watching a telenovela. I was ecstatic, though I usually don’t like soap operas. I listened speechless, though their story isn’t unique.
Read MoreFacundo is 50, and has gray hair and a beard. He’s thin and spends most of the time in a wheelchair. Genetic problems forced him into a state of immobility, while his hands barely serve to wipe crumbs of food on his face.
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