What Would You Do?
Early in the morning, you get up and prepare for the day ahead, a work day. You're just an average person, living in an average home. Except you don't live in an average country. You live in Cuba.
Just imagine how it is there. The first thing is you use the toilet, but keep in mind that because the plumbing has not been updated for 40 years and the water supply is low, you cannot flush the toilet. And it's been like this for months. So you defecate in a plastic bag and throw it out the window. What little water you have is not enough to take a bath, so you do the best you can with a little wiping down. You try to remember the last time you enjoyed the luxury of a good bath and it seems a long time ago. You dress, and prepare for breakfast. That is if you still have food to eat. If you're lucky, there's a small portion of rice and beans, you give this to your children and will away the hunger gnawing at your gut. The kids are off to school, getting their daily ration of casstro propaganda. You leave for work. A long walk to transportation and then a long line. Finally you get to work. You are just a number in the totalitarian state. A drone, there is no personal reward. There is no incentive, you are paid a set wage by the state and it's not enough to buy the goods you need to live and feed your children at the prices the state also sets. There is no food for lunch. Finally the day ends, and you wait in another long line for transportation home. Your children are waiting, in the dark because the power has been shut off. You are exhausted. You have no food, no water, no electricity. You can't stand it anymore.
What would you do?
Just imagine how it is there. The first thing is you use the toilet, but keep in mind that because the plumbing has not been updated for 40 years and the water supply is low, you cannot flush the toilet. And it's been like this for months. So you defecate in a plastic bag and throw it out the window. What little water you have is not enough to take a bath, so you do the best you can with a little wiping down. You try to remember the last time you enjoyed the luxury of a good bath and it seems a long time ago. You dress, and prepare for breakfast. That is if you still have food to eat. If you're lucky, there's a small portion of rice and beans, you give this to your children and will away the hunger gnawing at your gut. The kids are off to school, getting their daily ration of casstro propaganda. You leave for work. A long walk to transportation and then a long line. Finally you get to work. You are just a number in the totalitarian state. A drone, there is no personal reward. There is no incentive, you are paid a set wage by the state and it's not enough to buy the goods you need to live and feed your children at the prices the state also sets. There is no food for lunch. Finally the day ends, and you wait in another long line for transportation home. Your children are waiting, in the dark because the power has been shut off. You are exhausted. You have no food, no water, no electricity. You can't stand it anymore.
What would you do?
3 Comments:
Reading that post makes one understand the helplessness of the Cuban population in facing their daily survival. It makes you wonder why even more of them don't steal from the government, become prostitutes and take their chances on a raft to freedom. Today I will make it a point to again thank my mother for having had the courage to send me out of that indoctrination camp during the Pedro Pan program.
Now lets remeber that when you wake up , you did from a sleepless night because there were no fans and the temperature was 95 with a 90% humidity , the mosqiotoes will attack you as if you were in some god forsaken swamp. The roaches and other insects FLY into your bed so you MUST cover yourself with a piece of sheet that youve had for 4 generations.
To follow up on Zivas post . When I revisited the lil 2 bedroom home we left behind there were 7 people living in it all part of my family + 2 "wives" n Kuba if you move in together youre inmediately "married" .
When I wanted to go to the bathroom , (the only bathroom I ever knew in MY Cuba) I noticed something was ammised , then I realize dthe bidet had ben removed.
I asked why.
The answer was .. they needed the space to put a tank of water ( just a big rusty barrel) .
To acoomodate ME they had been manually flushing the toilet everytime I went to the bathroom , On the third or fourth day I was there , i needed to go and they forgot and when I walked into the bathroom I almost puked! So I kidded that "someone" forgot to FLUSH . My family specially my Aunt ( who is an aunt in law but I grew up next door to her) was so mortified by this, that *I* had to see this, so finally the truth came out . They had been using ALL the little water they had to keep a fresh toilet for me !!!!
I was devastated, so I asked whta the hell I could do.. they said NOTHING , cause they are not allowed to have exteriot tanks anymore !
That is partialy, live in Kuba.
and YES Jose your Mom my Mom and all of those Moms who put their children in a plane , with no clear destination but with the clear goal of getting them out of that hell hole , were some of the bravest women we will ever know.
I was separated from my Mom for over a year and once a month she would kneel and on her KNEES walk the 200+ feet from the entrance of the Rincon ( San Lazaro) to the altar as a petition that she would again see me safe and sound.
WELL SAID,I LIVED THOSE MISERABLE TIMES IN CUBA, NOW IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE SOMETHING TOO HORRIBLE TO BE TRUE!!
THE LACK OF WATER, THE BLACK OUTS, THE UNSANITARY CONDITIONS IN HOMES AND PUBLIC PLACES. TOTALLY DISGUSTING!
HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THOSE POOR PEOPLE WAIT? HOW MUCH LONGER CAN THEY CONTINUE TO LIVE IN SUCH INHUMANE CONDITIONS?
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