Mexico

[missmymexi]

interesting, seems very relaxing though island life.
so he can or cannot shower depending on weather the power is on? that is bizarre, do they pay for water?
what do you mean running around looking for food? like at different markets or.. ?

ahh cheap alcohol nice!, something we definatly dont get in canada.

haha awe they dont like the rain??
sorry i dont want to sound intrusive, im just very curious about the different lifestyle they live.

Leisa, Cuba is a communist country. There are not markets per se like what we are use to, everyone is given rations, including housing, food, toiletries and even hydro. Most of thier supplies comes from Russia since its the only ally in that respect. However the amount of supplies is far and few between. So most people are left with very little of pure basics to live on. Money is of very little value because there is little to buy. The government makes it very hard for Cubans to have access to anything except what they provide. This goes as far as having seperate currencies for tourists and Cubano's.

There are some great documentaries on Cuba and how it came to be and where it is now. It really has quite a history. And my personal opinion is that it would have flourished if the US wasnt so scared of communism and did their best to kill their society as well as Castro getting greedy and crazy as he aged, but as a young man he great ambitions and dreams.

 

[KJG]

interesting, seems very relaxing though island life.
so he can or cannot shower depending on weather the power is on? that is bizarre, do they pay for water?
what do you mean running around looking for food? like at different markets or.. ?

ahh cheap alcohol nice!, something we definatly dont get in canada.

haha awe they dont like the rain??
sorry i dont want to sound intrusive, im just very curious about the different lifestyle they live.

no problem...just would not want to bore you to death

they do not pay for water but hydro and the discreation of the government they sometimes power down if too much usage or if not enough rain or too much rain they will shut water lines off as well.......a couple of weeks ago my husband was telling me he was showering and the water basically turned to mud and then 3 days it was like that.....
he has to run around to find decent quality food....like there is rice at one place that no matter how you cook it, it is glue...so he has to go to a different part of town to get decent rice.....have to check the veggies to make sure they still have a couple of days life in them so they do not good bad within a day.....supplies are very sparse there because for so many years farming has been decreasing......finally the government has set up a new program and farming is coming back but obviously food supply will take a couple of years.......

no cubans do not like the rain...LOL...i think it is because when everything gets wet and the water flies it stains their clothes and most cubans do not have alot of clothes and they take very good care of what they have.....I myself have been a victim of this rain water and ruined some shorts and capris!!!!

 

[LeisaP]

Leisa, Cuba is a communist country. There are not markets per se like what we are use to, everyone is given rations, including housing, food, toiletries and even hydro. Most of thier supplies comes from Russia since its the only ally in that respect. However the amount of supplies is far and few between. So most people are left with very little of pure basics to live on. Money is of very little value because there is little to buy. The government makes it very hard for Cubans to have access to anything except what they provide. This goes as far as having seperate currencies for tourists and Cubano's.

There are some great documentaries on Cuba and how it came to be and where it is now. It really has quite a history. And my personal opinion is that it would have flourished if the US wasnt so scared of communism and did their best to kill their society as well as Castro getting greedy and crazy as he aged, but as a young man he great ambitions and dreams.

yes i know this.
but i dont mean markets like in canada
i mean markets like in the very poor areas of mexico.,
street people selling food stuff like that.

i still would like to know exactly what is meant by looking for food. where are they looking for food?

yeah i have read about cuba on the internet but i have never watched a documentary. although i bet one would be very interesting.
im going to download one now. itll keep me busy for the evening

 

[missmymexi]

I should also say that anything available locally like cigars, rum, soft drinks, some food products, gas ect is made in goverment ran factories. There is pretty much no commercialism in Cuba, there is no going to McDonalds or to the corner store for a coca cola. Each citizens is basically delegated a job (if they are lucky) and this is what they do for a standardized wage which is very low, sometimes a $1 a day. This is based on the assumption that money is not needed because necessities are provided, however it hasnt quite worked out that way.

 

[LeisaP]

no problem...just would not want to bore you to death

they do not pay for water but hydro and the discreation of the government they sometimes power down if too much usage or if not enough rain or too much rain they will shut water lines off as well.......a couple of weeks ago my husband was telling me he was showering and the water basically turned to mud and then 3 days it was like that.....
he has to run around to find decent quality food....like there is rice at one place that no matter how you cook it, it is glue...so he has to go to a different part of town to get decent rice.....have to check the veggies to make sure they still have a couple of days life in them so they do not good bad within a day.....supplies are very sparse there because for so many years farming has been decreasing......finally the government has set up a new program and farming is coming back but obviously food supply will take a couple of years.......

no cubans do not like the rain...LOL...i think it is because when everything gets wet and the water flies it stains their clothes and most cubans do not have alot of clothes and they take very good care of what they have.....I myself have been a victim of this rain water and ruined some shorts and capris!!!!

haha wow yikes a mud shower!. i bet that wasnt fun.
hmm intersting so they keep very busy running all over town than. quite unfortunate.
but its nice the government is trying to bring back farming, im sure it would help the people alot.

haha ahh okay! i couldnt imagine that. i love being out in the rain. but its much different in mexico and canada than in cuba.
ill keep that in mind, stay out of the rain when we go to visit! haha

 

[KJG]

yes i know this.
but i dont mean markets like in canada
i mean markets like in the very poor areas of mexico.,
street people selling food stuff like that.

i still would like to know exactly what is meant by looking for food. where are they looking for food?

yeah i have read about cuba on the internet but i have never watched a documentary. although i bet one would be very interesting.
im going to download one now. itll keep me busy for the evening

while they do get some rations from the government it is not enough food for a dog never mind a man or woman or family....but what I mean is there is no place where he can get one stop shopping......and alot of times where he would usually get food say at the corner of his street....alot of times a) the product did not come because there was a shortfall or b) my husband got there to late and there was nothing left or c) what was left was not good enough to eat in his opinion......so he has to go all over the place to find food that is edible......they do have some good markets but again he works 8 to 4 and can only go to the one good one on weekends....and all cubans cannot and will not buy supplies for a week because of the power issue and storage issue.....many cubans only have a little bar fridge....most cubans do not own a stove or oven.....

 

[Nessa]

He works in a restaurant, but he is not at work when we are chatting it is at home. He had got his PR many years ago, we met in Canada and he moved back to Cuba, beleive it or not, last year. So maybe he set something up well he was still working in Canada. So curious now. Havana seems to be more lax too than the rest of Cuba. I know in other areas I have been everyone is super paranoid of the government, scared to talk or associate with tourists. I had one friend who had a mp3 player (he got it from a guest at the hotel he was working at). It was his little secret, he was so scared of anyone finding it. I also remember sneaking around to try and hang out with friends there. Its one of the strangest yet most awesome places I have been.

I remember I was in Havana a while ago with some friends and we met some Cuban guys at the beach, we were just talking to them and some police came to check their IDs and make sure they weren´t bothering us. And the guys totally freaked out thought they were going to be in big trouble...it was so weird!!! We had to tell the police that it was ok...

 

[canadiangirl78]

No wonder so many Cubans try to make it to the Florida coast. This conversation has reminded me to be more grateful for my freedoms and abundance.

 

[KJG]

I remember I was in Havana a while ago with some friends and we met some Cuban guys at the beach, we were just talking to them and some police came to check their IDs and make sure they weren´t bothering us. And the guys totally freaked out thought they were going to be in big trouble...it was so weird!!! We had to tell the police that it was ok...

oh yes and even when we are in cuba together my husband and I if we are in matanzas no problem but if we go to Havana or Varadero we take a copy of our marriage license with us just in case we get stopped by the police....and good thing those boys had their IDs on them or they would have been taken away.

 

[LeisaP]

while they do get some rations from the government it is not enough food for a dog never mind a man or woman or family....but what I mean is there is no place where he can get one stop shopping......and alot of times where he would usually get food say at the corner of his street....alot of times a) the product did not come because there was a shortfall or b) my husband got there to late and there was nothing left or c) what was left was not good enough to eat in his opinion......so he has to go all over the place to find food that is edible......they do have some good markets but again he works 8 to 4 and can only go to the one good one on weekends....and all cubans cannot and will not buy supplies for a week because of the power issue and storage issue.....many cubans only have a little bar fridge....most cubans do not own a stove or oven.....

ah okay so they get there food from small street vendors and such
its just that they food they have is not always the best. which is why he has to go across town to get it.
okay that makes sense now
thanks!


too tell you the truth i feel like a cuban right now. we have a mini fridge and a hot pot to cook.
no stove or oven.
cant even afford it even here in mexico on this wage. i couldnt imagine how the cubans feel.

anyway im sure you husband will be happy once he settles in canada, a bit of culture shock but hes definatly going to like it!.

 

[LeisaP]

No wonder so many Cubans try to make it to the Florida coast. This conversation has reminded me to be more grateful for my freedoms and abundance.

yes no kidding.
iim sure it reminds us all of the luxuries we have in canada.

 

[KJG]

yes no kidding.
iim sure it reminds us all of the luxuries we have in canada.

I know we are so very lucky....I truly can not wait until he is here and learn to enjoy all the good things this country has to offer and resee everything through his eyes......

 

[OhCanadiana]

I know we are so very lucky....I truly can not wait until he is here and learn to enjoy all the good things this country has to offer and resee everything through his eyes......

Thanks for sharing. I learned several things today - so thank you again And, no documentary can compare to the first hand (or second hand) experience from someone really willing to tell it like it is.

This conversation has reminded me to be more grateful for my freedoms and abundance.

+1. We are indeed very lucky.

 

[KJG]

Thanks for sharing. I learned several things today - so thank you again And, no documentary can compare to the first hand (or second hand) experience from someone really willing to tell it like it is.

+1. We are indeed very lucky.

yes we are lucky and sometimes we have to try and remember that!! and thank you for listening......and I am glad you learned something...that is awesome!!! insert hugs here!

 

[OhCanadiana]

yes we are lucky and sometimes we have to try and remember that!! and thank you for listening......and I am glad you learned something...that is awesome!!! insert hugs here!

** Hugs back ** Your husband and you should write a book or something.