Since I began writing for Havana Times I’ve spoken with Guantanamo residents from all walks of life. Almost all of them gladly agreed to give me their opinion on some specific issue, but always under the condition that neither their name nor their photo be published.
“I’m not protesting. I’m defending my right to quality service, to be respected as a customer, to demand the conditions that I paid for as a passenger. I live in a free country and I’m entitled to defend my ideas!”
My friend Paolo told me that Cubans attach too much importance to money. “I know that the wages in Cuba aren’t enough,” he told me, “but at least you have things here that can’t be compared with what we have in my country.” He mentioned the facts that education and health care are free.
“Cubans complain a lot about health care because it’s free.” Those were the words of a physician, who’s a friend of our family when I told her, “Maria, every day I hear more negative comments from people related to health care services, especially concerning doctors.” She added that those people who complain so much about health care in Cuba should go to any Latin American country for a few weeks.
I criticize the English teacher who for a final evaluation has a group of questions that, in almost all cases, the students are forced to turn to other people to answer. We all know that practice and the systemization of study are elements of vital importance for the learning of any language. One cannot learn any language by repeating over the course of one day —like a parrot— how to greet someone, how to say your name or how to say your nationality in that language, and much less by memorizing dialogues that another person has prepared.
At home I’ve duplicated all possible measures to save energy: we practically live in the dark, I wash and iron every fifteen days; when a lot of clothes pile up, I wash some by hand; I defrost the refrigerator religiously every five days and I only use the electric burner when I have absolutely no other alternative.
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.
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.
A few days ago the new Cuban baseball roster was announced for the Intercontinental Cup to take place starting October 23 in Chinese Taipei. The restructuring of Team Cuba has generated more than a few comments in our country among the followers of the national sport, especially over the exclusion of Sancti Spiritus slugger Frederich Cepeda.
Tania got up full of energy. She dressed quickly so that she could stop by the library before heading on to class. But her brother stopped her before leaving the house and ripped the cover of her social studies book for the class “The World in which We Live, her favorite subject. “Was he just pulling her chain?” I wondered.