Dressing passably has become one of those everyday problems that workers on a median salary can barely resolve, unless we have help from a family member living outside the country, works on an international mission or obtains hard currency at work, as in the tourist sector.
Read MoreHavana Times is now in its fourth year of publishing, and with an ever growing number of original commentaries, reports and photos, both from the capital and eastern Cuba. Likewise, our readership continues on the rise in direct visits, Facebook, search engines and by e-mail — especially in Cuba.
Read MoreMost Tamils in Sri Lanka and in Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India just a few kilometers from Sri Lanka, were admirers of Fidel and Che and had followed the Cuban revolution with enthusiasm.
Read MoreAndres is a lucky man these days. He has the opportunity to buy items at a hard-currency store with a certain amount of money that’s paid to him on his job. He’s fortunate. The vast majority of workers in the country receive their wages only in national currency, and in many cases they get paid less than 500 pesos a month (less than $20 USD).
Read MoreAfter living in my Guantanamo neighborhood for almost 40 years, I shouldn’t have so many questions; rather, I should be able find more answers. I shouldn’t be surprised that Adela left her house again, after her husband Julio got drunk and hit her and their child in front of the entire neighborhood.
Read MoreHere in Cuba there’s not a single store where one can buy a simple board to fix the dinner table or replace a roof beam. This means that the only alternative left to people is the black market. To top it all off, though the authorities have just begun allowing self-employment by carpenters, they don’t sell them any wood.
Read MoreDespite the proclaimed “national pride” that we Cubans show through thick or thin — as well as our obsession with looking at the world as a sphere that rotates around our problems — perhaps no other country in the world has been subsidized for a longer period of time and with so many resources.
Read MoreSo let’s see: Why the hell do I have to feel affection for an ex-Nazi who is against condoms, birth control, divorce, mothers with jobs, homosexual heads of households and sexually active LGBTI individuals?
Read MoreI met Andres two months ago. We would often catch the same bus and eventually started talking, or — more accurately — I listened; being in his sixties, he has a lot more to tell. He’s an engineer; he taught during times when there were teacher shortages; he served on nine international missions for Cuba; and he came up with production innovations that saved the country tons of money.
Read MoreI’m one of the many Cubans who when getting out of bed in the morning, the first thing I look for is a cup of coffee. However, for months, the coffee that’s bought with our ration cards hasn’t tasted like coffee.
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