At first I thought that they had trapped a pickpocket; then it seemed to me that perhaps the woman was shrieking at one of those people who take advantage of any uproar to touch us where they enjoy it most. I found my spot at the end of the line, and for lack of anything better to do while waiting for the bus to arrive, I searched out an advantageous spot to find out why the woman was screaming.
Read MoreTraditionally, in philosophy classes in Cuba, those taught to all undergraduates in the course Philosophy and Society, very little emphasis is put on trying to elucidate what is the individual. Certainly this is a topic that can lead us far. It can guide us to deep self-examination of our lives and actions, but bureaucratic instruction is quite distant from these aims.
Read MoreComing to Cuba fulfilled one of my greatest aspirations. Getting to know one of the countries that calls itself “socialist” represented an opportunity that I could not pass up; there would be no better way of understanding that reality than to live it.
Read MoreHere, like in the rest of the world, the law of the jungle exerts itself, and never did we feel as close to being its victims as when we lost our apartment. Is it impossible, too expensive, or unimaginable for there to exist apartments rented out by the government?
Read MoreIt’s counterproductive that we flood our own television with this virus of senseless violence, crass selfishness and a slew of other banalities. This produces a tension within our people’s collective psyche, a dual tendency of acceptance and rejection.
Read MoreWhen we moved to Alamar I remember my mother telling me to behave myself and be careful how I acted because only the families of the “the vanguard workers” were allowed to live there. Those were the days when the children believed that “the future belonged to us.”
Read MoreTo my astonishment (almost fright), when I looked at her I knew that this is where I should be. I still could not balance out the pluses and minuses, nor did I want to have to. Life is unfurling before me, and I’m living it. There are no stones in the path, or oases, just the regularities of the landscape.
Read MoreAfter living these pages, how could I not try to walk that same path? Fighting for the advance of socialism and to feel around me the capacity for decision-making by this Cuban people to which I belong, struggling against bureaucracy and capitalism.
Read MoreThese animals ended up being part of our life, and each was almost like another neighbor. Nonetheless, the day of cruel sacrifice would arrive; men would again start sharpening their knives.
Read MoreNo, don’t get scared; I’m not going to ramble on about the collapse of the socialist camp, or the love-hate relationship that we Cubans have with the Russians. I’m speaking of an emblematic site of Cuban geography located just to the east of the capital.
Read More