Veronica Fernandez’s Diary

I had heard talk about the issue, but I thought these were more exaggerations that we Cubans tend to make; I figured someone was just pulling my leg.

My delegate is a fine person, but he’s not permitted to do more. He listens to whatever person comes to him, and he sincerely wants to solve their problems, but the answers are out of his hands.

I wonder what will be the solution to this problem. I’m sure it’s necessary to find one, and let’s hope it’s in the shortest amount of time possible, because for a person to be productive during their work day should be provided with the basic conditions for that work.

Adelaida commented to me that she felt dejected because she was going through a situation for the first time in her life as a Catholic – one that she had never before experienced.

People are unhappy and unmotivated because —independently of the fact that many of them know this is an economic necessity for the country— what they don’t have is all the information they require.

Often, when we solve one thing, we end up transforming something else into a problem. How long will this go on? Is it that we don’t realize that we ourselves are capable of erecting our own blockades?

When I got up to the door, I realized that it was in fact open, but when I went in I found the refrigerated bins for meat products completely empty. There was nothing of anything. I asked an employee what had happened and she responded very calmly saying that for more than 15 days the freezers had been broken.

Over the last few years, I’ve heard many complaints from Cubans who frequently travel abroad. Upon returning to their homeland, at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, they always run into new regulations, difficulties and various restrictions.

When I got to my job, I could finally understand what was going on. It turned out that the week off —which for years has been known for being a vacation break each six weeks for elementary school students— has now been expanded to include all educational levels.

A short while ago I got together with a friend who’s been working for a state-run housing-construction “micro-brigade” for 12 years, though he’s still far from acquiring an apartment legally through that route.