At the moment, for example, I am transforming into a housewife with two children, a kitchen to attend to and a lot of clothes that need washing, but who, despite all that, has found an opportunity to read a good romance, detective or terror novel that was recommended by her best friend, who does have time to go to book exhibitions and presentations.
Read MoreAs I jot down this diary entry, through the window that opens onto my father’s house is floating in the savory aroma of succulent roast pork. It seems we’ll be eating better for a while, because that platter will last for several days, with a little help from rice, beans and avocados.
Read MoreMy grandparents recounted to my parents that for centuries, after the Spanish arrived in Cuba, peddling and hawking goods in town squares was considered something quite common.
Read MoreThese are occurrences that the multitudes experience daily: catching public transportation, buying food, purchasing a postage stamp, making a call on a public telephone or going to see a doctor. All these acts build up pressure that impact on you more frequently than you would like and are evidenced in our manner of speaking, walking and even dancing.
Read MoreOn the third day of working at the radio station, I was in called in by the Human Resources Department. The head —with much regret, which I felt was sincere— returned all my papers to me and said they had canceled my contract until the address change issue was resolved. He told me I would have to go to the Department of Human Resources of Radio Cubana and speak with the boss.
Read MoreDuring parts of August and September, several letters were published in which readers, in one way or another, advocated for the elimination of the ration book to aid the ailing national economy. The ration book is a small 20-page booklet with which the Cuban people have been able to buy basic food staples at very low prices since the 1960s.
Read MoreAll that has constituted this long process to get our homes rehabilitated has allowed me to better understand the different levels that govern and move the domestic economy here in Cuba, where we enjoy the “the power of the people” as owners and lords of all in sight and everything we can touch with our hands.
Read More“The pig meat tragedy,” that’s what I ended up calling what happened to me at the Tulipan Market, which is characterized by its wide assortment of fruits and vegetables at prices a little lower than those in non-state-run markets.
Read MoreI have to wonder, what would have happened with the US civil rights movement of the 1960s and 70s if it had been led by a white person? Would it have been possible for a non-Black to deliver the extraordinary “I Have a Dream” speech?
Read MoreStarting from there began a quite embarrassing discussion, him arguing about the need for an address change so they could hire me, and me refuting him with the new law. This first collision, though violent, didn’t prepare me for what would come later.
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