I woke up at about 8:30am, and ate a cracker I brought with me from Venezuela. It was Tuesday, September 26th, 2006. After Roberto and I finished all the details about the payment, I decided to go out for a walk. Habana seemed like a very quiet city compared to other capital cities I've been to. This might be a reflection of the kind of economy of the Island.
As a tourist who has been always hearing bad things about Cuba, it was not clear what are the things I should not do in the street... I also tried to wear clothes which did not make me appear as a tourist at first sight, and I don't have an explanation for that, since - of course - my non-cubanness is impossible to hide.
Well, I started to walk across Paseo Avenue. This is one of the main roads of the city, which goes through the middle of Vedado zone, and starts in the "Malecon" (pier) and extends to the Plaza de la Revolución (The Revolution Square). Well, first thing that you can see clearly in the streets: no Coca-Cola and Pepsi commercial posts... not even beer. Nothing. Nada. Instead of that there was political propaganda. There were plenty of people wandering around the streets. Some of them looked like they had nothing to do.
While walking, a guy, who was wearing the traditional "guayabera" shirt, and who was a few steps in front of me dropped his keys. I picked them up for him, and we started talkking. Jose is a ophthalmology technician (do you write this like that in english??? Katherine help!). Well, he appears to be a nice guy, and he told me that he has a couple of Venezuelan patients (yes, my Venezuelan accent revealed my origin). Venezuelans nowadays are welcomed in the Island. I guess it was always like that. Venezuela and Cuba always had good relationships, and many things in common: Salsa, baseball, food... But I guess that Chavez policies towards Cuba and against USA are being seen with good eyes among the average cuban, and this makes them respect even more their venezuelan tourists. Well, I asked Jose where can I but the local press. He told me to follow him, he will take me to a kiosk nearby. In the meanwhile we started to talk a little bit about politics, and about how Jose loves so much Fidel and thanks the revolution. However, just before saying goodbye he asked me if I can give him 2 C.U.C (this is 2 convertible pesos), which is a bit more than USD $4. He told me he need the money to buy milk to his little daughter. I had no Cuban money with me and it was a very embarassing situation. I gave him some cents which I had in my pocket from yesterday's change, and he left. At that point I understood two things: (1) he was not that happy with the regime and (2) that he probably droped his keys intentionally. Ahhh... just for the record: there was no kiosk in the area.
The "Comités de Defensa de la Revolución" or CDR (committees for the defense of the revolution) are everywhere. In every wall, they have their motto and official graffiti. Messages such as: "Revolution for every neighborhood!", "Alert and combative!", etc. The CDR's are groups organized in some sort of hierarchy at levels ranging from streets to neighborhoods, municipalities and cities. I think that the original idea was to give some sort of soberany to the people and influence easilly to the upper levels. The CDRs are in charge of local issues, and it is composed by the neighbors themselves. Outside of Cuba, the CDRs are also known as having some sort of intelligence role, by using the same infrastructure to spy on the neighbors that might be involved in any kind of contra-revolutionary activity.
CDRs presence in La HabanaThe monetary system is almost impossible to understand. There are basically two currencies in Cuba. The Cuban Peso, which by that time its value was 24 pesos per dollar. The average Cuban worker earns about 400 cuban pesos per month. There is also the convertible unit (CUC), which is the money for tourists. The exchange rate is basically 0.9 CUC per one dollar, and it is fixed. What does that mean? That the CUC is a dollar, but the government takes a comission of 10 cents for each dollar exchanged. This is a lot of money people. Specially because not only tourists use this currency, but cubans themselves. My next task was to inquire further about the currency...
I went to 18 and B street to buy some fruit, as Roberto suggested. The place is a fruit market in cuban currency (pesos). There were several stands, each one of them selling fruits, vegetables and even plastic bags (for sale). In the surroundings there were "juguerias" - natural juices stands - which also included lunch for sale for about 20 pesos (less than a dollar). The interesting thing was that the lunch did not came with fork and knife, so people improvise some sort of fork with using paper, or either bring a spoon from their place. I keep walking along 17th street. By coincidence, I saw the building of the Jewish Sepharadic congregation of Cuba. I got in and introduced myself to Raquel, who was the director general of the congregation. She showed me around, and we talked a little bit about the difficulties of the Jewish community in Cuba. I asked her also where can I buy a toothbrush? I forgot mine in Venezuela (so that morning I had to improvised a new technique on brushing my teeth without a toothbrush). She opened a drawer, and offered to give me one toothbrush. There were many other things in the drawer that the congregation gives to its members regularly. I of course thanked the offer, but refused to accept it. Raquel, a physician, showed me the synagogue, and a Sefer Torah which is 3 centuries old. The synagogue was in very good state. I thanked Raquel and went back walking around the city.
In the streets I noticed several brahnces of CADECA - the official currency exchange organism in Cuba. There I saw Cubans - not only tourists - geting CUC (or "chavitos") in exchange for dolars. The economy lives in CUCs. Cubans receive dolars from their families abroad, and they change them to the local currency to buy things. Of course, they can buy with their dolars either CUCs or Cuban pesos. Most of them buy CUCs. The reason is that the supply of products in Cuban pesos is scarce, and most places sell things in CUC (which is very very expensive for Cubans, since the prices are similar to prices everywere else). I then entered to a subterranean place which was a warehouse full of electric appliances. It seems like Cubans were allowed to change electronic appliances for newer ones to overcome the energetic crisis of the island (newer electronic appliances save more on energy). I did not understand how did they pay for them (in what currency) and did not want to ask, because Roberto told me not to ask too much, since someone could come to me and say that I am "getting out of the touristic context".
It was already passed the afternoon, and I went back to my room, since I was supposed to visit that night the other Jewish Community located in Patronato, which organizes each tuesday an encounter between young adults. After taking a shower, Roberto's son waited for me and together we had a ride with the president of the sepharadic community in his old car from the decade of the thirties. There I meet some Cuban friends I met before in the year 2003 in Guatemala and other friends I met in Israel. That night I went with two friends to Habana Vieja (downtown Habana) to have something to drink and eat.
To go to Habana Vieja we traveled on an "American Car", which is a shared taxi that goes along the same route all the time (very old cars of course). My friends told me to shut up, since tourists usually don't take these cars, and they shoudl travel in taxis which charge you in CUCs. The American Car charges each passanger 10 cuban pesos. There in the Habana Vieja I invited them to have something to eat, and we walked around a bit. They took me to the Hotel Raquel. It is a hotel with lot of Jewish things in the decoration. I asked them about why do Cubans cannot stay in hotels (actually now, in 2008, Raul Castro already changed the laws so that Cubans are allowed to stay in Hotels). The answer was very simple: while some Cubans can afford staying at a hotel, others cannot, and this could alter the levels of socio-economic inequality in the Island. But, it is a fact that Cubans can enter Hotels, and can eat at places which are 'meant' for tourists (meaning places in which you pay with CUCs). I got in to such places with them. But they usually don't go because it is very expensive for them.
Me with my two Cuban friends in a pub that produces its own beer.
I asked them also: where do people get money from? How can they have CUCs? Well, as I thought: most of them get the money from families in the 'exile'. The government allows this because they earn 10 cents for each dollar. All cubans find somehow a way to survive. Either by receiving money from abroad (most of the cubans have someone in the exile), or by making their own business for which they have to pay very high taxes (as a counter incentive not to open a business) - like the one Roberto has. There is also crime: one of my friends told me how a gold stake in Jose Marti's statue was stolen, similarly to a diamond in Cuban's old parlament building.
Already late at night, American Cars are not available anymore, and we got no other option than to take a 'tourists' taxi: most of them Lada models from the nineties. I went back to my room exahusted, and thanked my two friends for their time...
I went to 18 and B street to buy some fruit, as Roberto suggested. The place is a fruit market in cuban currency (pesos). There were several stands, each one of them selling fruits, vegetables and even plastic bags (for sale). In the surroundings there were "juguerias" - natural juices stands - which also included lunch for sale for about 20 pesos (less than a dollar). The interesting thing was that the lunch did not came with fork and knife, so people improvise some sort of fork with using paper, or either bring a spoon from their place. I keep walking along 17th street. By coincidence, I saw the building of the Jewish Sepharadic congregation of Cuba. I got in and introduced myself to Raquel, who was the director general of the congregation. She showed me around, and we talked a little bit about the difficulties of the Jewish community in Cuba. I asked her also where can I buy a toothbrush? I forgot mine in Venezuela (so that morning I had to improvised a new technique on brushing my teeth without a toothbrush). She opened a drawer, and offered to give me one toothbrush. There were many other things in the drawer that the congregation gives to its members regularly. I of course thanked the offer, but refused to accept it. Raquel, a physician, showed me the synagogue, and a Sefer Torah which is 3 centuries old. The synagogue was in very good state. I thanked Raquel and went back walking around the city.
In the streets I noticed several brahnces of CADECA - the official currency exchange organism in Cuba. There I saw Cubans - not only tourists - geting CUC (or "chavitos") in exchange for dolars. The economy lives in CUCs. Cubans receive dolars from their families abroad, and they change them to the local currency to buy things. Of course, they can buy with their dolars either CUCs or Cuban pesos. Most of them buy CUCs. The reason is that the supply of products in Cuban pesos is scarce, and most places sell things in CUC (which is very very expensive for Cubans, since the prices are similar to prices everywere else). I then entered to a subterranean place which was a warehouse full of electric appliances. It seems like Cubans were allowed to change electronic appliances for newer ones to overcome the energetic crisis of the island (newer electronic appliances save more on energy). I did not understand how did they pay for them (in what currency) and did not want to ask, because Roberto told me not to ask too much, since someone could come to me and say that I am "getting out of the touristic context".
It was already passed the afternoon, and I went back to my room, since I was supposed to visit that night the other Jewish Community located in Patronato, which organizes each tuesday an encounter between young adults. After taking a shower, Roberto's son waited for me and together we had a ride with the president of the sepharadic community in his old car from the decade of the thirties. There I meet some Cuban friends I met before in the year 2003 in Guatemala and other friends I met in Israel. That night I went with two friends to Habana Vieja (downtown Habana) to have something to drink and eat.
To go to Habana Vieja we traveled on an "American Car", which is a shared taxi that goes along the same route all the time (very old cars of course). My friends told me to shut up, since tourists usually don't take these cars, and they shoudl travel in taxis which charge you in CUCs. The American Car charges each passanger 10 cuban pesos. There in the Habana Vieja I invited them to have something to eat, and we walked around a bit. They took me to the Hotel Raquel. It is a hotel with lot of Jewish things in the decoration. I asked them about why do Cubans cannot stay in hotels (actually now, in 2008, Raul Castro already changed the laws so that Cubans are allowed to stay in Hotels). The answer was very simple: while some Cubans can afford staying at a hotel, others cannot, and this could alter the levels of socio-economic inequality in the Island. But, it is a fact that Cubans can enter Hotels, and can eat at places which are 'meant' for tourists (meaning places in which you pay with CUCs). I got in to such places with them. But they usually don't go because it is very expensive for them.
Me with my two Cuban friends in a pub that produces its own beer.I asked them also: where do people get money from? How can they have CUCs? Well, as I thought: most of them get the money from families in the 'exile'. The government allows this because they earn 10 cents for each dollar. All cubans find somehow a way to survive. Either by receiving money from abroad (most of the cubans have someone in the exile), or by making their own business for which they have to pay very high taxes (as a counter incentive not to open a business) - like the one Roberto has. There is also crime: one of my friends told me how a gold stake in Jose Marti's statue was stolen, similarly to a diamond in Cuban's old parlament building.
Already late at night, American Cars are not available anymore, and we got no other option than to take a 'tourists' taxi: most of them Lada models from the nineties. I went back to my room exahusted, and thanked my two friends for their time...
Posts
I liked very much the "Cuban posts" of this blog. I just have a comment on the relations between Venezuela and Cuba and another about the popularity of venezuelans in Cuba. It's completely true that Cuba and Venezuela had always an special relationship or "love" (if there could be such a thing international relations), but "special" meant that sometimes there was absolutely opposite views. The period of Romulo Betancourt and Raul Leoni in Venezuela (all the sixties) were characterized for a break in diplomatic relations, a non-recognition of the revolutionary government and an absolute international opposition to Cuba by Venezuela (That opposition is what caused that Cuba did not become a member of the Organization of American States and not the opposition of the USA, as is commonly told). The other comment has a "freakonomics" touch (despite the fact that economics is one of my many "holes" in general knowledge). Venezuelans are loved today (they call "chavitos" to his exchageable currency honoring the benefactor Hugo Chavez), but also hated. The few good services that cubans enjoy today are given with top priority to venezuelans that go for medical operations, university programs, general education and trips in despise of the cuban population. An example: if a certain hospital was considered the best in Havana for eye surgery and they performed, let's say, 200 operations per month, they now share this operations with hundreds of venezuelans, bolivians, nicaraguans, etc, that go to Cuba for mision milagro. This provokes a tension that maybe Homo Economicus can explain in terms of scarcity and lack of resources.
ReplyDeleteHi Kfar Sava, thanks for your comment!
ReplyDeleteWell, actually I did not know that the name 'chavitos' is related to Chavez...are you sure about that?
In any case, you are probably right in everything. I am not an expert in Venezuelan History, but it sounds correct that the first democratic governments were more aligned with the US than with the soviet block.
In any case, about the tension regarding the services I must say it is a very interesting issue to observe. In a free market economy, the story is very simple: there are more people requesting the best services (i.e. more demand) and with the same supply, prices go up, and then you can explain the tension. In the long run, there should be more and more doctors offering the same prices and the prices will reach their previous equilibrium level again. However, in the case of Cuba, were prices are controlled, the tension can come from other sources, such as the fact that there is no enough free spaces in hospitals for Cubans or that the "good services" are not available anymore to Cubans. In that case, the central planner (i.e. Raul) should act quickly to increase the supply of the services, meaning that he should generate incentives for Cubans to study medicine and lower the minimal requirements to get into school... It should be interesting to find out if in fact this is a policy of the Cuban government nowadays...
Thanks for writing!
The Homo Economicus