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I took a one week trip to Cuba in October of 2002. I had originally planned to stay for two weeks, but by the end of the first week I was ready to come home. I know that lots of people have a great time when they travel to Cuba, so this story isn't meant to discourage possible travel there. I'm just sharing my experience of the country.

Havana

Jennifer Radcliffe
2005-11-12 11:09:04

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Poverty is entirely demeaning. Maybe I got used to the sight of poverty in Asia, or maybe it was a little softer around the edges than here in Cuba. It's more pressing here, more relentless. At least in Asia people had hope - they were free to make money and to better their lives if they had the opportunity, but in Cuba people are stuck under a government that attempts to provide a basic level of care for everyone, but ends up depriving everyone. It's very sad. I have to be honest and say that Cuba is my least favorite country so far. It could just be culture shock because it usually takes me 2 weeks to get used to a place and I've only been here a week. However, I can still say that I don't particularly like it here. If I had written this last night, I would have said I hated it here. After 5 days of attempting to avoid hustlers who constantly latch onto me as I walk down the street, and constantly ignoring catcalls and weird hissing noises from machismo males... after all this, I had my purse snatched last night. I was walking home from a restaurant and sensed someone walking behind me, and I turned into my alcove and started fumbling with the key in the front door. A man stepped torward the door from behind me and startled me, and he pretended to try to help me with the key as his friend stood back. I felt extremely apprehensive but felt it would be rude to stop him. After I thanked him, there was a weird pause in which I guess he was assessing the situation. Then he stepped forward, gave the little purse I was carrying a big yank and broke the strap, and took off running. It was an intense moment and I was stunned. I stood still for a moment, taking stock of what I had just lost. Finally the shock wore off and I started running after them, yelling POLICIA!!! By the time I got to the corner they had turned into, they were out of sight. People were standing around on the street watching what was going on, and nobody bothered to try to help ...