Diaries Archives - Page 551 of 646

The Cuban Dream

About 15 years ago a new family moved into a house in the neighborhood. We knew full well that this had involved an illegal purchase and sale of real estate, although no one complained about any wrongdoing.

The Long and Winding Road

One of the great punishments that Cubans have to suffer is our having to deal with any type of legal matter. I have no doubt that in other countries the legal systems are also intricate, but ours is beyond belief.

An Encounter with Youth Intellectuality

The group I was gawking at was made up of both that sector of Havana youth who study the arts and also by those who are already members of the Cuban art scene.

Getting Out of a Jam

As soon as I stepped in the door —after they took a brief glance at my qualifications, which wasn’t a thick file— they already wanted to hire me as a teacher on a permanent basis. That was strange…

Clowning Around in Cuba

I hope the new taxes they’ll be required to pay end up culling out the less popular clowns, and that it doesn’t become an obstacle that further distances others who hope to eventually achieve their dreams of acting in a play or on television.

The Miracle of Life

The P-15 bus was stuck on the train track as a locomotive was bearing down on us. I was in the middle part of the articulated vehicle, where there aren’t any windows, which is why I couldn’t see what was going on.

The American Ballet on a Caribbean Island

Early last Monday morning I went to the Karl Marx Theater here in Havana, the venue where the American Ballet Theatre will perform the first week of November. When I got there, a veritable “Trojan War” had broken out. People crowded into eight lines, with everyone pushing and screaming.

Patience Running Thin

Luis is a fervent revolutionary, though he only carries a regular ID card and not one of the Cuban Communist Party. The State is unable to solve his simple plumbing situation because two departments within it cannot come to an agreement. The two entities are the Water and Sewer Department on one hand, and the Housing Authority on the other.

Bang Bang, You’re Dead

Like anyone who’s not accustomed to having such armaments so close, a light anxiety came over me. Whenever there exists an arm, there also exists the possibility of it being fired…of someone being injured.

Laying the First Stone

“Laying the first stone” is a phrase that more than one Cuban boy or girl has communicated, or at least heard. It’s not new in settings where there coexist the glamour of one’s early youth and realization of a teenager’s inexperience.