Everyone in Cuba must be a member of a number of the mass organizations. Although most are “voluntary,” this is only window dressing, because rejecting participation or membership in one or several of these organizations means declaring oneself to be tacitly against the revolutionary process.
My friend Jorge invited me to lunch at a restaurant; it opened recently near where we work. He said it was supposed to be pretty good and fairly inexpensive.
At my job, they’ve created an activity by that name to encourage young people to interact. Its aim is to inculcate ethical and aesthetic values, and to create a closer relationship between the participants and the world of books. It also seeks to develop a sort of reconciliation between the managers -whose prestige is fairly deteriorated.
This year is almost over; and people are commenting that during the next one, the Cuban State will make changes having major social and economic repercussions.
If I’d only left work at the usual time, I wouldn’t have run into my ex on the P-11. But I suppose living in the same city means our paths had to cross at some time. I hadn’t seen her in a year and half.
I never expected to hear such words coming from her mouth. She’s part of a generation that today fills the media with words instilling ideals of patriotism, revolution, honesty, spirituality and material indifference among the younger generation.
As I jot down this diary entry, through the window that opens onto my father’s house is floating in the savory aroma of succulent roast pork. It seems we’ll be eating better for a while, because that platter will last for several days, with a little help from rice, beans and avocados.
When I got in I realized there were few unoccupied seats. Where she was sitting there was one, but out of fear of appearing too forward, I hesitated from taking it. However, the speed with which the seats continued to fill made me react, so I went ahead and plopped down beside her.
It’s true that other ways exist for relaxing, but those too have become somewhat difficult given the lack of money, the shortage of things and the deterioration our society is suffering in terms of services.
It’s true that education and health services are free, but that’s only half the story. The leaders only distribute -albeit fairly equally- according to the budget of a revolution that up to now we’ve supported. That’s why I believe that the government doesn’t “give” us anything.