I visited Havana and met many local people.  They taught me what it’s like living in Cuba.  Of course, I met people in the usual tourist spots.  But I also talked to many others: musicians, artists, museum guides, factory workers, and drivers.  I’m certainly not an expert.  Here’s what I learned.

Living in Cuba means you lack almost everything we take for granted.

Food is rationed and every family gets a ration book in which items are checked off when picked up.  I was surprised to learn that a family of four gets one chicken a month and one liter of oil.  They lack aspirin, appliances, dependable cars, underwear, and quality food.  This is caused by a combination of bad government planning and the U.S. embargo.

Living in Cuba means everyone has a guaranteed job.

Everyone is guaranteed a job when they reach 18.  Every job pays the same—$30 a month.  If you are more skilled like a teacher, engineer, or doctor, you get $35 a month.  Their food and housing is subsidized, but how can anyone live on so little?  The answer: they can’t. That means everyone has some  kind of work on the side.  Sometimes it’s illegal and sometimes, the government ignores it.  I met a doctor who inherited a classic car.  In his time away from the clinic, he used the car as a taxi for tourists.

Living in Cuba offers everyone free education and medical care.

One of the best aspects of the government is they offer free education to everyone for many years, including college level.  Everyone also gets free medical care, surgeries, and after care.  When I first heard that, I thought of the U.S. where 44 million people don’t have health insurance.  The problem in Cuba is different.  They get free care but don’t have up-to-date technology or simple things like medicine.  (See the lack of thing above)

Cuban people are happy but frustrated.

Many Americans have the idea that all Cubans want to move to the U.S.  I learned that is untrue.  They want to remain in their country.  Cubans reject many aspects of our excessive consumer culture.  Although the people want the basic goods for day to day living.  They have extensive family and friend connections that help them survive the shortages.  These networks give them great support.  Music, art, and sports are all fully expressed.  And even with limited Internet availability, they get a glimpse of the outside world.  They’re frustrated by their government’s corruption and ineptitude.

I found the people to be warm, friendly, well educated, funny, and hopeful about the future.  I hope they get more than one chicken.

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My wife and I traveled to Havana in January.  We met dozens of wonderful people.  They were surprisingly open about the relations between our two countries.  Keep in mind that the Cuban economy is a combination of socialism and “Fidelism.”  Both of which have left the people in extreme poverty.

When you pile on the Cuban embargo, here’s how the people deal with it.

—Cuba offers free medical and education to all its people.  Everyone is guaranteed a job—that pays $30/month.

—Since no one can survive on $30/month, everyone works a side business

—Recently, the Cuban government allowed private business.  Today, private business makes up about 35% of their economy.  You find most of these jobs in B&Bs, restaurants, cab drivers, and unofficial tour guides.

—The government rations food in official stores.  Again, people can’t survive on the small amounts.  For instance, each family of four gets one chicken/month.

After the Cuban embargo started, things became worse for people.

—All of this led to a parallel economy alongside the official one.  The Cuban government knows about it.  But they realize without the second economy people would starve.  So, the government ignores it.

—Because of the Cuban embargo (It also affects Canadian and European companies.  If any company trades with Cuba, the U.S. sanctions the Canadian and European companies.), the Cuban people have almost nothing.  Including toothpaste, aspirin, microwaves, clothing, cars, food, etc.

—The biggest source of products for people come from relatives who live in the U.S. They ship things to family members in Cuba.  Once there, the Cuban people barter or sell the items for a profit.  People can’t communicate through the Internet since it doesn’t exist.  Therefore, they participate in huge networks with other people who pass information and goods around.

—Some call the Cuban embargo successful.  It certainly caused extreme hardship for the Cuban people.  However, the government elites get smuggled goods that the ordinary people can’t.  That means the government people don’t suffer as much.

—Cubans are well educated and very resourceful.  If the Cuban embargo were lifted, U.S. companies would find a huge market.  People are anxious to buy our products.

So how do the people feel about the Cuban embargo?

President Obama visited a few years ago and promised to start lifting the embargo.  People became very excited.  Since President Trump clamped down on the embargo again, the Cuban people are discouraged.  But they told us, they have waited decades for more freedom and more consumer goods.  They can wait a little longer.

Meanwhile, they play music, dance, and enjoy their lives the best they can.

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