Some thoughts...
Cuba is very much frozen in time (the car I had was a 1951 Chevy and ran better than most of the cars I've owned in the US) . This isn't a resort type vacation destination, you go for the culture, the awe and the experience. I've traveled to many countries over the world and I tend to ask a lot of questions of the locals while I'm there as well as both of my tour guides.
They love(d) Obama for many reasons when he opened things up here (and equally expressed some disdain for our current president for trying to roll the Obama policies back). They felt they were finally allowed to breath and come alive. None of the people I spoke to held any ill will at all toward Americans. They felt it was politics and only politics - I never experienced any sense of discrimination or danger based on being an American (I am fluent in Spanish which helped and always helps when I go to other countries and can speak their language, so your mileage may vary) . They were so happy to see Americans still risking the trip and lamented about a year prior to when things were completely open and American tourism was at an all time high.
I went to tour the Ernest Hemingway house a few towns outside of Havana and arrived early. Saw an old man coaching a bunch of kids playing baseball in the lower yard of Hemingway's estate.. It wasn't a league, there was no official organization and all of their gear was at least 10 years old. I spoke to the coach a bit...all of the gear they received was from the US and given to them from the United States post Obama's visit. Supposedly, Michelle Obama had the same conversation with this coach and pledged some used baseball supplies from the US to keep the dream alive for this group of kids. Turns out they came through, but now it has stopped and they are back to doing their best with what they have. The coach was a volunteer, they had no uniforms, they were just out there loving baseball. It was a but depressing and also amazing at the same time.
It was a really cool experience. I got to teach their best pitcher (a short 12 year old) how to throw a circle change and he taught me how to finally throw a knuckle ball.
All these anecdotes sounds like praise Obama stuff, I know, and I don't really mean it to be. I disliked Obama too for most of his Presidency, I'm just relaying what I've seen and heard without our own propoganda clouding your judgment. This is a much better place under Obama's policies. It feels punitive that we and the Cubans got punished in the name of just reversing something because Obama had his name on it.
The place is amazing. I hope we open things up. There is so much opportunity for growth there that it won't only be good for American business, but for good relations going forward.
On the other side of the coin, for you capitalism loving Trump guys and Republicans, I was left with a strong impression as to why communism is not a good thing and can ruin a country. I saw it and heard it all first hand.
First of all, one of my tour guides was a school teacher, and worked as tour guide as well. She still makes 40 dollars a month. Less than someone with little education or whom joined the military or worked in the government. She was very resentful of the style of government in Cuba. She was a hard worker and a very bright person but it just wasnt ever going to pay off for her.
There seems to be less motivation to work here than anywhere I've been. On a Friday, there were more people out, drinking and smoking cigars than working in the middle of the day. Our tour guide commented on how construction projects in Cuba take years to complete and its very frustrating. During lunch I witnessed a gentleman painting a wall next to the restaurant we ate at. I've never seen someone paint slower. He spent the entire time BSing with people. He painted maybe 6 square inches over the course of an hour. This is indicative, I think of the worker motivation problem here.
The sidewalks, streets, trash in the streets, trash on the beach, trash everywhere rivaled that of India. There seems to be a strong lack of motivation to "get stuff done". There's no one I encountered out of thousands of people that seemed like they were the type of people who hustled in life. The level of motivation was disappointing. I assume that's likely due to the fact that hustle and sweat don't get you any further in Cuba. Communism, in my opinion, kinda sucks. I think it could work if it adapted over the years to be an amalgam of the best things about capitalism and communism, but Cuba didn't do that and they suffered greatly I feel because of it. Their ideals are still straight out of Russian 60s communism playboook. Where Russia adapted, Cuba did not.
Anyway, just my impressions and opinions after spending time here and in lots of other places in the world.
I hope our President comes to his senses on this. It could be really amazing for both countries. Also, if you get the opportunity to go to Cuba, go.
Ps... All of this was typed from my phone, I'll go back later and edit the typos or anything over the top hyperbolic
Pss... One thing that struck me, this country loves Che Guevera, more than Fidel I think. I personally have the opinion that, although he was a very bright guy who had some amazing ideas, he was a mass murdering dictator in the making. He lamented the Russians not firing off their missiles onto US soil and killing millions of people just for "progress". That said, I bought some books about him written from the Cuban perspective while I was there and will gladly change my mind post reading. I don't think he deserves the adoration he gets across the liberal movement. But that's for another thread
![[scooter]](/data/avatars/m/22/22287.jpg?1659477690){kind=avatar}
