Our Chaos and Those Who Have the Means
HAVANA TIMES – We long for the past, looking back at it from afar like a postcard of happier times. Now we don’t even know what to call this precarious existence, filled with hardships that make even buying a little bread difficult. At state-run bakeries, a medium-sized loaf of hard bread costs 250 pesos. Eating bread has become a luxury.
Getting food has become a monumental task, not only because of the prices but also because many items have simply disappeared. Take eggs, for example: a carton of 30 costs more than 3,000 pesos, while two kilograms of chicken breast can cost as much as 5,000 pesos. The private shops take advantage by raising prices, and no one puts a stop to them. These prices are completely out of reach for people whose monthly salaries and pensions do not even reach 4,000 pesos. The currency is increasingly devalued in a country where almost all state-run stores operate in dollars.
To be able to eat properly, you need a high and steady income. Private business owners and those who receive remittances can afford a better life. Everyone else grows weaker, and their immune systems suffer.
Some people look for alternative ways to survive. In the Riomar building near where live, poultry and a goat are being raised in two apartments occupied by recent squatters. The goat spends the entire day bleating. I imagine it cannot adjust to being confined to a balcony with barely any room to move around.
The government’s inability to collect solid waste affects us every day, contributing to an increase in illnesses that could be prevented. I know people who are suffering from a virus that causes fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. All of this is also aggravated by the summer weather, when the sun brings extreme heat.
I have seen and know families who are building bunkers to isolate themselves from the current situation. Of course, these are people who have the money to do so. A government official has installed more than 10 solar panels on the roof to power his apartment, while elderly neighbors in the same building have to make do with their daily allotment of two hours of electricity. Greed and selfishness are everywhere; it is every person for themselves.
The country’s stagnation continues to deepen, crime is increasing, stories that were hidden from the people are coming to light, and hostility between Cubans on the island and those in the diaspora is playing out on social media. No one knows what will happen in the coming months.
Will we continue waiting for a miracle to happen so we can rebuild this battered society?
Read more from the diary of Irina Pino here on Havana Times.