Cuba libre?
While thousands of students
on spring break will bask in the sun and
sand of Cuba, Kenneth Wenger takes a harder
look at daily life in the country he calls
home.
By: Kenneth Wenger. The
Eyeopener Online, Canada, February 14,
2006.
The table for six at El Polinesio roared
with chatter and commentary, summarizing
the past two weeks of vacation. El Polinesio,
a Polynesian-style restaurant, resides in
the five-star hotel Tryp Habana Libre, formerly
Habana Hilton before the 1959 revolution.
I sat and listened with curiosity as my
four Canadian friends told the story of
their time at Varadero, a luxurious tourist
resort east of Havana featuring some of
the best beaches in the Caribbean.
The normally dimmed interior of the restaurant,
adorned with mahogany-red linings along
the walls and furniture, seemed to brighten
with the fantastic tales emanating from
the excited tourists.
"Man you should have seen the fish.
You could just reach for them and touch
them!" exclaimed Mike as he shared
his scuba diving experience.
"That was pretty cheap too,"
John replied.
Roberto, sitting beside me, listened with
captivating interest as I translated the
stories for him; his eyes became ever bigger,
threatening to burst into a thousand stars.
"I don't care what people say. I hope
Castro stays here a long time," Mike
said. "Where else are you going to
find prices this cheap?"
"Why the hell did you even leave anyway?"
Mike asked me. "This is like paradise!"
There is nowhere I know of which can be
declared a paradise. Every country and every
place has its pros and cons. To declare
Cuba a paradise is to know only the best
qualities of the island, and it is dishonest
to pass judgment based on one perspective,
be it good or bad. It would unjustly undermine
the enormous effort that the Cuban population
goes through in order to survive.
Numerous tourist resorts cover Cuba from
end to end, Varadero being one of the most
famous on the mainland. However, a few offshore
keys like Cayo Largo and Cayo Coco are amongst
the most visited, made famous by the greenish,
but crystalline, water and fine coconut-white
sand of their beaches. Yet, this is a Cuba
most Cubans do not get to see. The majority
of the population does not have the financial
means to partake in the luxuries which the
country provides for tourists. Cuban vacationers
are even restricted from some resorts, such
as Cayo Largo and Cayo Coco, even if they
have the money to pay for it.
A Cuban worker's average income is about
200 pesos a month. One American dollar is
worth about 25 pesos. With a wage of $8
a month, it is no wonder that many Cubans
do not get to see the reason tourism is
so strong in Cuba; the beautiful tourist
attractions which only outsiders get to
see. All the necessities that must be bought
-- soap, oil, toothpaste, food -- must be
bought in stores that only accept dollars.
The prices in these stores are well above
our market prices. That is why so many engineers
and doctors are found working as waiters
or cashiers in the "choppings,"
a Cuban term for "dollar" stores.
If a waiter gets an $8 tip, then he made
in one night the equivalent of what he would
have made professionally in a month.
"It's bad but at least we got free
education and free health care," said
Sofia, a neighbour in the building where
I used to live. This notion of free education
and health care is one which many Cubans
use as a mantra to cloak their anxiety.
It is true that there is a very good and
free education system and very good health
care. That is, of course, when medicine
is available. The scarcity of medication
and supplies is largely attributed to the
U.S.-led embargo against Cuba. And if the
government were to charge for education
or health care, Cuba would be filled with
illiterates and people dying of flu. There
is no way that 200 pesos a month could also
pay for schooling or medical attention.
These being only a few of the hard realities
which afflict the country I call my home,
it is right to wonder how Cubans get by
in life. Well, it is with the humour so
deep in their hearts. I admire how they
always find a way to make a joke about the
situation they are in. I was sitting on
the sofa of a friend's house one day during
my visit, when his father came in through
the door soaked in sweat. He had waited
90 minutes for the bus under the harsh Cuban
sun at 5 p.m.
"Kenneth, I am going with you even
if it is in a bedpan!" he shouts.
The whole room thundered in laughter, including
the drained man himself. The bedpan being
used as a raft to Miami is a very common
reference in Cuba. The jokes about heading
off to the United States are heard throughout
the day, especially during the toughest
times. Music, the great Cuban salsa, and
humour are the great saviours of sanity
in this afflicted nation. Sometimes even
that is not enough. Lives have been lost
on risky journeys in homemade rafts toward
a possible better future in Miami.
Cuba, nature's wonder in terms of tourist
attractions, proves a harder ride for its
citizens living there. Yet, the simplistic
way of life makes the larger part of the
population more gentle and eager to share
what little it has with everyone who might
knock on the door. As the Cuban saying goes,
Le hechamos mas agua a los frijoles, which
translates to "we will pour more water
on the beans." If there aren't enough
beans (a Cuban staple prepared with a soup-like
consistency) for everyone, we will just
pour more water on the pot and everyone
can eat.
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