The bathrooms are unisex, not because of progress made by CENESEX (the Cuban Center for Sexual Education), but as a result of the general physical decline that this institution has experienced. In the few toilets that function, men and women carry out their needs around the clock.
Read MoreIt’s a common belief on this side of the planet that if you were to dig a hole deep enough, you’d come up perhaps in the backyard of a house or the grounds of a temple, or in some stadium in China. In a simplistic way, we might expect China to be our geographical antipode and would also be so in terms of political questions.
Read MoreIn elementary school we had to draw a lot every day. The first thing I learned how to sketch was the sun – big, round and yellow. One day I didn’t have that color on hand to fill in the circle that I’d made in the far left-hand corner of my paper. I had no alternative but to begin crying.
Read MoreDays later my friend Dr. Raquel insinuated to me that Conrado was one of those doctors that graduate “by the skin of their teeth” and that are very self-serving, because they spend their time negotiating gifts from patients instead of giving them medical treatment – as they should.
Read MoreEvery time I take the bus, I take a close look at the other passengers. If I am seated, I try to see if there is an elderly person, someone with disabilities or a pregnant woman close by to give them my seat. Sometimes I am tired and do it reluctantly.
Read MoreSome who come to the beautifully restored neighbourhood of Old Havana might find that the only Cubans they see -other then the security guards, park wardens and street cleaners- are blonde or brunette with skin that is, apparently, white.
Read MoreIt is no less true that I am bitter with living under an oppressive and paternalistic régime that wants to control everything and that removes from people the possibility to develop themselves as the protagonists of their own lives; that’s how I see things.
Read MoreRecently, I’ve been hearing an increasing number of heard Cuban leaders, journalists and citizens referring to the need to reduce state expenditures on the country’s social programs. The debate is centered on the long-serving, meager and (in my opinion) now irreplaceable ration book.
Read MoreI realize that all these changes are controversial (in addition to their not getting at the root of the problem), but I’m pleased that they’re taking place. I believe that the key is the diversification of the educational system in conformity with the interests, aptitudes and motivations of the students.
Read MoreFinally, after three hours, my wait bore fruit. The doors that had allowed so many people step through had opened for me. I was received by Conrado, an average looking man except for the clothes he wore. Instead of the usual doctors’ coat, he was dressed in a santería “iyabó.”
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