| Hello from Cuba (14) - Field Trips and | | | | Earlier today my language class (the professor |
| Interviewsby: Susanne Pacher | | | | and 4 students) went on a field trip to the |
| During the past close to 2 weeks, I have really | | | | "Center Felix Varela", a non-governmental |
| been trying to understand Cuba, its politics, its | | | | organization, funded by Swiss, Belgian and |
| economy, its people, its mentality. I have been | | | | Canadian contributors, that concerns itself with 4 |
| talking to as many locals as I could, and every | | | | main topics: sustainable development, conditions |
| night before I go to bed, I have been reading | | | | for peace, local community development and |
| books about Cuba in addition to having purchased | | | | environmental education. From what I understand, |
| some local Cuban books which are going to give | | | | they provide workshops, seminars and |
| me more insight about this unique, contradictory | | | | conference for academics and political decision |
| place. | | | | makers in these 4 categories of topics and they |
| Yesterday I had a chance to talk to a TV | | | | have more than 100 volunteers who go out into |
| journalist, who is a specialist in economics and he | | | | society to apply some of these principles. |
| explained a few things to me. I only have a | | | | Again, this is one of the idiosynracies of Cuba: it's |
| passing degree of familiarity with Communism, | | | | a third world country with major economic |
| mostly from my time back home in Austria, | | | | problems, often lacking the basic necessities. But |
| when the Soviet Block still existed. It's so hard for | | | | on the other hand, there are organizations that |
| me to believe that virtually all business activity | | | | concern themselves with advanced societal issues |
| here is state-owned and state-run. The journalist | | | | such as sustainable development, the |
| explained to me that there are 140 occupations | | | | environment, etc. |
| (e.g. private small restaurants / "Paladares", | | | | Admittedly Cuba is not doing very well yet in |
| private bed and breakfasts or "Casas | | | | these regards. Environmental conscience is in its |
| Particulares", taxi drivers, carpenters, plumbers, | | | | infancy, recycling doesn't exist and people freely |
| artisans and other tradespeople, that are allowed | | | | toss garbage into the street or the ocean. |
| to practice private enterprise while all the stores, | | | | Sewage treatment does not exist either and |
| service providers and industry are nationalized. | | | | Havana's waste water is apparently discharged |
| Not surprisingly, the quality of service is very low | | | | without treatment into Havana Bay. On the other |
| and people steal incredible amounts of goods and | | | | hand, there are organizations that want to |
| merchandise from the State to resell them | | | | promote the use of alternative energy in Cuba, |
| privately on the street. I asked the journalist | | | | particularly of solar energy. |
| what he thinks the percentage of theft is in | | | | Agriculture in itself is for the most part "organic" |
| comparison to the total gross national product, | | | | since Cuba doesn't have the money for |
| but he played pretty dumb and said he couldn't | | | | agricultural machinery, fertilizers or other |
| give me an answer to that question. Apparently | | | | chemicals. In many cases fields are still cultivated |
| the huge amount of theft and resulting private | | | | with oxens and ploughed manually, which obviously |
| enterprise is not officially discussed in Cuban | | | | affects efficiency, but on the other hand provides |
| political circles. | | | | a healthy natural crop. Again, one of the many |
| At noon today I went for a walk with a local | | | | idiosyncracies of this fascinating country. |
| Cuban woman from the university and we tried | | | | I can't help but be mesmerized by this country, |
| to grab a simple lunch. We tried 4 restaurants, all | | | | which on one hand is so strangely advanced (in |
| of them were closed (some apparently due to a | | | | terms of medicine, literacy, infant mortality, life |
| shortage of water) and the ones that were open, | | | | expectancy, education, etc.), but on the other it is |
| only had a couple of the items that were listed on | | | | so immensely backward. Sometimes it is truly |
| the menu. We finally ended up eating a pizza at | | | | hard to process all the various impressions that at |
| one of the big hotels. Long lineups and shortages | | | | first glance don't make sense, but after a while |
| are a theme that repeats itself daily several | | | | you start to realize that life in Cuba has its own |
| times. | | | | very very strange and unique characteristics. |