Beating the Bush for Work (Part 2)

By Erasmo Calzadilla

Since my friend Onel recently began working as an instructor at Lenin High School, I thought to myself what a great idea it would be to be get a job there.

Vladimir Ilich Lenin Vocational School must be the best pre-university institution the country; at least it’s the most famous.  But that wouldn’t be the only advantage of working there; I should also mention that Lenin School is close to my home, it’s near the house of Onel (who’s one of my best friend’s), and it was also the place where I studied, which made me excited at the thought of returning.

No more than entering did I run into some of my old teachers, who were pleased that I had returned, especially with the possibility of working alongside them as a colleague of theirs this time.

Everything turned out as expected: In the Human Resources Office they informed me that there were indeed openings.  So, I gave them some of the paperwork and took a few tests that I passed with no problem.  But there was still that disheartening document that I had to produce: the Summary Sheet from my file that I myself had to go get from my previous workplace – INSTEC.

I had no desire to look at the faces of those who had kicked me out on the basis of lies.  There was also a certain degree of embarrassment to be before the rest of the teachers and students, since the defamation campaign orchestrated by the rector and head of the Communist Party for the university had undoubtedly had an effect.

I didn’t want to, but I had no other choice than go to ask for my paperwork; and in it, it was easy to spot in words much larger than others “Reason for leaving the position: EXPULSION ON DISCIPLINARY GROUNDS.”

You had to see the face of the head of personnel at the Lenin School when he saw that sheet. “This is nasty!” he said to himself, and then commented to me, “We’ll have to do some checking. Call me in a couple days.”

That same person called me on the phone two days later saying, “Look, I talked with the university and… they said you created serious problems – serious problems.  I consulted this at the Lenin and they told me no… not under those conditions.  You can come here when you want to pick up for your documents.”

God only knows what they told him at INSTEC, but if somebody wants to know the “evil” that I committed, my sacrilege consisted of writing in this website and in giving a few university classes (posted in HT) that didn’t “emanate directly from the Central Committee of the Party,” as is specified should occur; instead; these were directed by my own way of approaching the subject of philosophy.

Note to apprehensive readers: With all this, and in all earnestness, I do not mean to imply that capitalism is better than socialism…

It is necessary to begin by discovering if socialism is the correct name for what we have in Cuba.  Nonetheless, regardless of what it’s called, I am not saying that this is better than capitalism or vice versa, nor am I denying that worse things happen under capitalism…. I am only recounting important things in my life.