White rice with black or red bean stew is the most common meal in all of Cuba, from the most western region where they grow tobacco in Pinar del Rio, to Maisi, in the far eastern province of Guantanamo. But what was the fail-safe meal for ordinary Cubans up until recently, has now become a dreadful headache.
“Vale la pena” is one of the few Cuban TV shows that I still watch regularly. My passion for psychologist Calvino’s lectures began a long time ago, when I was a university student and I saw myself reflected in most of the subjects that the Havana University professor used to discuss every week.
I’ve only had a cellphone for a few months now and it was a matter of extreme urgency, to tell you the truth, because I always knew that I wouldn’t be able to afford having this device (which is crucial in this digital age and media) with my low wages.
In the nearly 30 years after Fidel declared a state of “Special Period in Peace Time”, we have received aid from many brotherly nations along this difficult journey, especially Venezuela, but not even low oil prices could help us get back up on our feet and not have to depend on foreign powers again…
In Cuba, there is a very popular saying that says that whoever is born a sardine, never becomes a codfish. This is a very Cuban way (there are many more) to explain the global phenomenon of 90% of people who are born rich end up dying rich and that very few people who are born poor, ever become rich.
Even though there are household chores that I don’t enjoy (like ironing, for example), I have never been able to give myself the luxury of paying someone else to do it for me, as the two incomes that come into our house just about cover food expenses for the entire family, let alone pay for a bit of help that would give me some more time for myself.
The day that half of the Cuban population, especially teenagers and young people, have been waiting for finally came. Free Internet is now a reality in Cuba. News spread like a cloud of dust from neighbor to neighbor, from telephone to telephone, from family here to a relative there.
I have read that “Stress is the health epidemic of the 21st century,” on more than one occasion. It’s so bad for you that it can trigger many other diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, stomach ulcers, muscular aches and pains and even death.
Even though the majority of parents take holiday leave from work in the summer, they can only take 15 days (a month max) and then there is the problem of what to do with the little devils because they are going to be at home the entire time.
A new Constitution, which implies significant changes for society as a whole, will start being signed off by the Cuban people. However, while these matters of great interest for a more inclusive, fairer Cuba are being analyzed, something special is happening in my neighborhood…