Diaries – Page 9 – Havana Times

Sleeping Under the Stars in Havana

There are nights when sleep seems to give up before we do. I thought I had already grown accustomed to hearing stories about blackouts.

I often wonder how we can physically and mentally endure the life we are living in Cuba. Uncertainty surrounds us, & mistrust weighs us down.

Before the sun heats the asphalt, they are already there. They wear no uniforms or badges. Their tools are their voices and a plastic stool.

A friend told me about the moment he became fully aware of just how serious our situation in Cuba had become.

A synopsis of events that, over the past several days, have become—and continue to be—among the most talked-about topics in my neighborhood.

Yesterday at midday, Cuba’s National Electric System collapsed once again. Twenty-four hours later, most of the country remains in darkness.

With inflation continuing to erode the purchasing power of wage earners, few people view the minimum wage increase as a cause for celebration.

I wasn’t planning to tell this story. It embarrasses me, perhaps because the shame is not my mothers but belongs to the surrounding backdrop.

There are places here where water is a luxury. Some families spend entire days waiting for it to come. Others wake before dawn to fill buckets

Brazilians have elevated their soccer rivalry with Argentina to the point of regretting any success by the rivals