Cuba Summer 16

Cuba is a beautiful country and a testament to the human capacity for kindness, generosity, determination and resourcefulness. Because of all the hardships the country and her people have endured, Cubans are really good with working with what they have. Cubans have created many ways to make money when the government won’t support them. It was also very interesting to see how people remade old, beautiful colonial homes left over from Cuba’s golden era, into restaurants, hostels, and small stores.

Figure 1: Man selling candy in city square. Santiago de Cuba.

We went to places run by private citizens, because that meant most of the money was going to the locals. Artisans ran their own workshops and produced artwork and sold them directly to consumers. Sometimes Cubans would open up the salon room in their homes and sell trinkets, jewelry, paintings or even set up cellphone repair shops.

Figure 2: Mixed media artwork at a workshop in Matanzas.

 

If you weren't a shop owner, you could sell things in parks and town squares. We saw a lot of old men and women supplement their meager retirement income by selling jewelry, peanuts, hats, and other goods. We tried to buy from them when we could, and there were plenty of opportunities; we saw a peanut seller who would walk around from early dawn to nightfall, approaching people walking by or sitting on benches. 


Sometimes people decide to convert spare rooms in their homes into rooms; for the entire trip, we stayed at these homes run by families for tourists. They would also cook breakfast for us and help us with any questions about the city. My Spanish is as terrible as my immune system, so I was sick a few times on this trip and it was hard to communicate what was wrong with me to our hosts. Even though I couldn't answer her questions, one of the workers at the hostel in Matanzas would check up on me every few hours, even if it was just to exchange awkward smiles. She also brought me tea, and that made me feel a lot better.  If you ever visit Cuba, hostels are an inexpensive option (with A/C), and their owners are much friendlier. 

Figure 3: View from hostel rooftop in Matanzas.

Other ways that Cubans find work in a limited job market is to restore old cars and become tour guides/taxi drivers for foreigners. A lot of them have professional degrees, such as in engineering or English; since government jobs are so limited they use their education in a different way. We talked to a tour guide in Trinidad and he said that even though business is slow he really enjoys his job, showing people around his city. He was really nice and even let us sit on his car (only when we asked and promised not to dent it). 

Figure 4: Alex on a Chevy (!!!) in Santiago de Cuba.

I'll forever be grateful for this trip. The Cubans we met on this trip gave us more than we can ever pay back. The best thing we can do for them is to continue writing about our experiences and sharing to people about the issues the country faces and what we can do to help. Even if government policies don’t change overnight, we can help people see a different side of Cuba and get them to open up to better relations. The only difference between us and students our age in Cuba is that we have more opportunities to succeed. We are lucky because we get to travel and see new things; if they had the same chances, they would have just the same amount of success. 

It's crazy how different Cuba is when it’s only 90 miles from the US coast. I’ve learned so much about myself and how others live, and we have a lot more in common than you think. We both work hard, and want better lives for ourselves. It was a joy to see beyond ethnicity and politics and enjoy each others company.


 ¡ Viva Cuba !

--Tina Nguyen