Last updated on June 26th, 2023
The Desperate Housewives of Wisteria Lane have no despair compared to Cuban Women.
Cuba is a beautiful country with some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. But underneath its beauty is the suffering of locals during the Fidel Castro (now Raúl Castro) era.
Communism leading to poverty has forced the residents of Cuba to profit where they can: pan handling, theft, and prostitution.
You already know pan handlers are everywhere; more prominent in third-world countries. What choice do Cubans have when their country doesn’t support capitalism and their nearest neighbour ─ The United States — has an embargo on them? Every time I travel to this Latin American country in the Caribbean, I am begged for money. I try to share my wealth but me trying to be an ATM will get me broke. This is what happens when the Cuban average wage is about 20 USD a month.
I remember being in the Casa de la Musica disco in Holguin, Cuba. A Cuban man approached me and told me that we met before. I didn’t remember his face or ever meeting him. Maybe I was drunk when I met him before? The man told me his name was Rafael. At that point I knew he was lying. I would definitely remember the name of a person sharing the same name as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Raphael). I grew up watching that cartoon. Rafael told me if I had any problems or needed any help with anything to let him know. He then went off. I had a feeling I was going to see him again.
Later on in the disco, Rafael came looking for me. What do you know, this time he asked me to buy him a beer. I buy beers for the locals depending on my mood. I denied Rafael because he lied to me. This is a common deceptive scam many Cubans practice to receive money or other things. It’s not illegal, but surely feels like a scam.
You have to be careful leaving your belongings while on the beach. Many tourists go into the water — only to return and find their belongings missing. There are also pick pockets roaming around town, especially at night. Make sure to secure your personal items. You can get robbed while you’re on land or in water.
“Chicas, chicas,” was a common phrase I heard from Cuban men when I was walking through the streets of Havana, circa 2008. Prostitution is a big business in Cuba. Though illegal, many Cuban men and women resort to pimping and prostitution, respectively, to make a living. Cubans can easily make a month’s salary in one night with the world’s oldest trade. One of my friends avoids Havana because he hates being bothered by pimps ─ now I avoid it too.
It’s unfortunate beautiful Cuban women resort to prostitution to support themselves and their families. Now it’s common for Cuban men to be with foreign women to earn money. I’m liberal when it comes to prostitution but I believe everyone should have a choice ─ or a chance. This is one of the reasons I despise the Cuban government ─ they don’t give their citizens true freedom of living. Sure the Cuban government has a good healthcare and education system, but it stops there. Some Cubans will marry a foreigner for the sole purpose of escaping this oppressed country.
I pointed out some of the negatives of Cuba — but I still love Cuba and the many great people. I’m waiting for the day when the Cuban government frees Cuba so we can all see its real beauty.
Travel to Cuba Before It’s Too Late
Viva Cuba!
Hola Parceros,
I’m the founder of Aperlust. I enjoy web development and SEO and am into snowboarding and linguistics. In my spare time, you can find me destroying my opponents in chess across the globe.
