I made it to Cuba a couple of years ago while people to people cultural exchange tours were still allowed. I could write a book but you can read a tour book. I want to talk about the people and the way they live. All jobs are given by the government and paid by the government in a Cuban only currency which cannot be exchanged and cannot be spent in tourist stores. A ration book monthly provides some basic foodstuffs but never enough.
With Raul Castro in charge a bit of private enterprise is now allowed. People with houses in town are turning the front room into a barber or beauty shop or a tiny market. People with big homes on a square turn the downstairs into a complete restaurant which can accept the Cuban tourist money.
Property cannot be bought or sold. Whoever was living in a place after the Revolution became the owner. A maid still in the family’s mansion after the family escaped to the US this maid became the owner of the house and could move in 20 of her relatives.
Our lovely Cuban guide whom I’ll call Maria was divorced with twin 3 year old girls whom her mother kept when she had to travel. Due to shortages in nearly everything she had trouble getting tooth paste soap and various foods. The shortages varied Day to day and month to month. Maria is considered fortunate to work in tourism because she gets tips in Cuban tourist money or hard currency from other countries. This means she can sometime shop in tourist shops where supplies are much better.
I’d like to tell you about one more family. The young husband inherited a two car garage with la yard behind it. Inheritance is the only way to accure property. He and his bride moved into the garage and worked on it as they could. Construction materials are very expensive and rare. They now have a six year old and a baby nearly a year. The wife has to return to teaching after a year. The husband works a government job and goes to tourist school at nite to try for a better paying job. They also sell occasional bags of coffee from her family’s farm. The husband buys single cigars given daily to each worker in the cigar factory. He collect the Cigars and boxes them then sells the box when he can.
In the six years the family has lived in the garage they have made the garage the living room, built two small bedrooms with blankets hanging for doors. The small eat in kitchen has a sink refrigerator and a hot plate. A bathroom which we didn’t see is off the kitchen.
These are the type stories you don’t get unless you are there. the Cuban people were friendly to us and are working so hard. I would love to go back but politically that is not feasible now
I hope some of you will share some of your stories.
ElderChicks 
Thanks so much for this fascinating description.
When I was in Cuba two years ago, our tour guide answered the question
about divorce in this manner: “Ten Pesos, ten minutes”! And then, went
on to say that community property was divided, which was usually only a house.
Which got divided in half, with a partition put up. He then said, he remarried
his wife! (Obviously to get back a whole house).
WOW Diane! You really pulled back the curtain on this one. Thank you so much. Information like yours we would never get from the media. Looking forward to your next post.
I visited Cuba in May 2019 and was enchanted; initially, Havana’s historic devastation and poverty made me uncomfortable. After traveling the island for 7 days and nights and having conversations with fellow travel companions from the world over, meeting the local farmers, shop owners, casa hosts and hostesses and learning so much from our tour guide, I do believe the Cuban advise: don’t think you know Cuba because it is so diverse. I so admire the Cuban hopefulness, joy, music and hope to return someday. The beauty of the historic buildings were beautiful to me when I returned to Havana for my flight home.
Diane and Judith: I was also fortunate to visit Cuba, traveling solo, two years ago. You both write so well; my observations are similar. I was so impressed
with the spirit of the people I met: honest, hard working, open to questions from tourists; I felt so safe, even as a disabled person traveling alone. The way
justice is handled in Cuba also impressed me: harsh perhaps, but being someone’s relative or being wealthy, or being white is not going to make any difference in your sentence. I happened to have been there the day after Fidel Castro had died, so there was no music, no alcohol, and no dancing. But,
the steadfastness and decency of the Cuban people impressed me deeply.
they were also free to be critical of some aspects of their government, but the mourning for Fidel was genuine, and not staged. I am so grateful I went when
it was possible, and hope to visit Cuba again. Yes, Cubans are very diverse,
and we only get our sliver of experience. But, my was excellent.