Saturday, September 01, 2007

Going home - a Cuban tale

After 3.5 years of being denied the simple pleasure of receiving a kiss from her mother or a hug from a father who works 12 hour days 6 days a week and who at 52 years old looks older than my 70 year old father, my dear wife has made it to Cuba.

Of course I couldn’t go see MY family because I have NO family in Cuba according to the USA government. Never mind that my cousins and I grew up as brother and sisters or that I am as close to my in-laws as any real son would. Never mind that we could not be there to see my sister in law have her “quince” or that my wife could not sit next to her mother while my mother in law went through a cervical operation that almost cost her life.
My wife is in Cuba, Holguin to be exact and today I received the first email written at 5AM from a friend with access to the PC of a local Hospital.

This kind woman has told us tales right of Dante’s inferno as to the treatment of patients in that hospital, she has also been conducive to pretty much BUYING $3,000 worth of medical services for my mother in law when her life was in peril. Had it not been for that money which we sent to save a dear one and at the same time made us in eyes of the USA government, criminals.

The first email opens with the most devastating description of what life is still like in the areas of Cuba that are not commonly visited by tourists.

Never mind the new A/C buses in La Habana, my wife’s family has not had running water in 5 days , one of her little dogs recently had died for lack of antibiotics and my 18 year old sister in law has dropped over 40 lb in 2 months and the docs do not know why, “nerves” they say and gave her the most used drug in Kuba, Diazepam (Valium for you and me) seems that the only medications easily accessible in that paradise of medical technology are PPG & Valium ! If you can not cure your ailments with those two wonders of medicine you are FUCKED!

BUT.. to MY surprise (although we have been getting some hints about this) her entering into KaSStroHell was a lot more simple, civil and humane that it had been in the past.

Apparently under new laws, you may bring ANYTHING you may want to bring into Kuba as expensive as you want and there is no “tariff” imposed on it. The tariff used to be an incredible duty tax on goods brought into the country. A tax were you would have to pay the estimated (by government agents) value of an item in hard currency. So a DVD player you may have bought in the USA for $120 would be taxed $120 upon entering Kuba.

Well that is no longer imposed. In fact my wife says her bags were not even opened , and as a REAL surprise .. NOTHING was stolen ! It was an expected occurrence to get your luggage and notice that a side of the bag had been slit with what must’ve been a surgeons scalp because these cuts would be done on the sturdiest of materials and the ransacking would take place in the time you walked from the plane to the immigration counter , not more than 5 minutes and the “proletariats workers” had gone through your belongings faster than you could say “whattafuc…” But not this time , everything was PERFECT , TOO perfect!

As my wife was getting ready to open the 6 pieces of luggage bringing medicine, clothing a couple of teenage trinkets for her sister (a brand new new pair of Reeboks which was to be our present for her "quince" 3 years ago) and a DVD player for her dad, one of the most depotic policemen in Kuba , an "ORIENTAL" told her in extremely polite tones that there was no need to open the luggage unless she wanted to check if everything was intact . in other words that she had not fallen victim to the fastest thieves in the commie paradise , KaSStro’s NEW MAN …. Trained to strip off the tires of a jeep while going 50 MPH!

My wife thought this was strange but opted NOT to open her luggage.

And then the REALITY of being in Kuba hit her…

She was put on a line and when she arrived to the counter she was asked to turn over any USA dollars so they could be exchanged for “Chavitos” . Chavitos is the Cubanese for the “convertible peso" which technically at least in Kuba is worth more than the USA dollar . Chavitos also is the name we gave to the money that used to come with the game Monopoly. So at that moment she had two cards to play.. Take her chances and say she brought lets say $50 with her or tell the truth and say she brought $2,000 . We had been advised to go with $500 (NO LESS) thus avoiding a body inspection. For her $500 dollars she received $400 so as far s the Kuban government is concerned the Kuban convertible is worth $1.20 USD.. NICE!

The rest of the money would be spent in the black market at rates that go as high as 30 cuban pesos per dollar. Since there is no plans to visit any “Tourist” stores she will do very nicely exchanging her dollars to regular Cuban currency. After THAT whooper of a fee she was sent to another counter where she was to pay 50.00 from the convertibles she had just received as an Airport duty tax ! This apparently is the way the ñangaras make up for the fact that they do not charge tax on goods, EVERYONE is equal in Cuba $60.00 USD to get in! After you realize that it costs almost $400 to get a Cuban passport with the permanent Visa ( yes a Visa to enter the same country which passport you hold !) you figure that $60.00 is not THAT much.

And then she was out in the Cuban air and the Cuban wind tossed her hair and her family wrapped themselves around her like Cuban families are wont to do and there they stayed for 15 minutes just delighting on the fact and almost miracle that the daughter had come home!

I started missing my wife the second I saw her taking the walk down the corridor at JFK on her way to Miami . Now, I admit I am inconsolable and I have no idea what the fuck I am going to do for two weeks without her.

So I can just imagine what her parents and sister have gone through.

Chances are this will be the last time she goes back until Cuba is free , there’s too much pain involved , there is a certain guilt of having broken USA law by bringing more money that you are allowed, there is also the fear that once in Kuba , she is at the mercy of the KaSStrist regime.

She was ready to give this news to her parents and we knew that a certain amount of hatred will be directed towards the USA government probably as much hatred as they have for the Kuban government, because NEITHER government acknowledges the sanctity of family, neither government respects our culture our heritage our most treasured customs. FUCK the family it is all about politics and economics. That is the relationship between the USA and Kuba. In the meantime my wife has two weeks to soak in as much as she can of the land that saw her be born , two weeks to bring back with her as much love for her family as she can and at the same time leave behind as much of herself as she can because god only knows when she will see her family again. In the meantime, it will be hard for me to breath.

I MISS YOU BABY!

16 Comments:

Charlie Bravo said...

Soon, these tales are going to be a thing of the past and we all will be coming and going as we please.....

Sunday, September 02, 2007 4:52:00 AM  
Miguel Vinuesa said...

Let's hope everything goes well, friends.

Cheers to her, she's got guts to make that trip.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 6:10:00 AM  
Sandra and Lidice said...

I'm happy your wife was able to make it to Cuba to see her family.

L. made it as far as Santiago airport to see her dying father, and was sent back to Miami (the CUBAN interests section people forgot to put the habilitacion in her passport).

Sadly, her father died without seeing her; when she got back to the US she sent her passport back to them, and he died while she was frantically trying to find out why it was taking so long.

Her passport has been in their hands since May 24th. Needless to say, her suffering never ends.

I pray for all of us who were never able to go back to Cuba to see their relatives before they passed away.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 8:29:00 AM  
KillCastro said...

S&L
I can NOT begin to imagine the pain of what happened to L.
I mean, we speak about political prisoners, and we speak about lack of freedom and we speak about the generalities of the system (I should say BOTH systems) but we forget the inhumanity that takes place day in and day out to INDIVIDUALS. The pain that at least ONE individual must endure DAILY just to go back. These are the stories that do not see any front pages nor receive any notice . These are the stories that those without family in Cuba forget. These are the stories of total disregard for the Cuban family that both governments seem dead set in perpetuating.

My wife was solidly on the phone with the Kuban Interest Section in Washigton for 4 months. Of course they NEVER pick up the phone but we hit on an unconventional way of getting through. As the answering machines did its thing , my wife would just punch digits at random and invariably she would reach an extension whose owner would ask .”How did you get MY extension?”
After 4 months of not knowing where her passport was nor the state of her habilitation my wife FINALLY hit someone who had some rank and a bit of heart.
The Gentleman (and he did turn out to be a gentlemen, advise us NOT to go to Washington to get the papers (waste of time and pisses them off) that he would research.
My wife’s paper work had been sitting in a box at the Interest section , the passport had to be sent to MEXICO for issuing (the new Cuban passport are an exact copy of the USA passports, all the holograms and magnetic striping , like anyone wants to fake THAT piece of shit of course they do not have the technology in Kuba to produce that passport) so the paper work is sent to Kuba for “approval” then sent to Mexico for the actual construction. When the passport was back in DC , she was told that now it had to go back to Kuba to get THAT all powerful habilatacion stamp! It is true that they have sent a LOT of passports out without that all important piece of paper, but the gentleman at the Interest section made sure that it went back to Kuba to get that all mighty decal on it (at a very expensive little price)
Between one thing and the other it took my wife 6 months to get a valid passport. In high contrast it took her overnight to get the USA permit, we filled a form online, the next day there was an email that we had a file we could download and print. Thank YOU Mr. Bush for the courtesy!

Now why 6 months to get a passport?
Since the new regulations took effect, the Cuban staff handling immigrations matters was cut by 75%! It also is a sort of “pay back” to the USA government. To show them that they REALLY do not need the money. To make things as difficult as possible because the USA is doing JUST that! The net gain in propaganda value goes to the KaSStrist regime. “You wanna fuck with us ? “ guess who you are REALLY hurting and we will make sure that hurt goes a LOT deeper than you ever imagine . The results are clearly, a state of immigration that the USA has imposed on Cubans never before seen with any other nationality and the KaSStrists are more than happy to oblige! Again, strategies against the KaSStro regime that only serve to hurt the Cuban people, “los de aqui y los de alla!”
L. must be devastated , but do not tell me that in the middle of all the propaganda battles NO ONE has sat down with the KaSStro government and discussed special circumstances. Do not tell me we (the USA) does not have leverage to make certain demands. Do not tell me that 80 million earmarked for Cuba can not pay for a special unit to handle these cases!. Nah, it doesn’t matter it is ONE woman’s pain and there’s rice, and wheat, and poultry and meat to be sold to Kuba, why discuss the pain of a daughter whose father is dying!

We have been principal witnesses to the inhumanity of TWO governments dead set in playing a game where the winning pot is solely based on human suffering. As CB says ONE day this shall stop, but the wounds will be there and those wounds were inflicted by the arrogance the total lack of sympathy of not only the two governments at hand but of our own countrymen at both sides of the orillas , because those on this side who support this outrageous state of affairs , do not give two shits about a daughter who can not hold her father’s hand as he dies. THIS is the movie that our professional Cubans should be making!
Tell L. our hearts ache alongside hers and that yes the only thing left for ust to do is to pray together!

Sunday, September 02, 2007 10:55:00 AM  
Vana said...

KC:

Your post moved me to tears, your love and concern for you wife is so palpable, I could touch it, this state of affairs we find ourselves in is intolerable, both countries have been playing a game that tugs at our hearts, and makes us bleed for those over there, and we here who sometimes have to break USA laws to make it to our relatives, its a fucking hassle to send money also, this shit needs to stop, it can't possibly last much longer, the tyranny is dying, but is also killing us and our brethen in the Island, as you say all is left for us to do is pray!
But cheer up my friend, you are one of the lucky ones, soon she'll be back in your arms.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 12:37:00 PM  
Charlie Bravo said...

"Fantomas said...
"We have been principal witnesses to the inhumanity of TWO governments"

I understand your concern sir,but most of the blame should fall on fidel castro and not the USA government

from 1959-until los viajes in 1978...NO CUBAN AMERICAN WAS ALLOWED BY CASTRO TO VISIT DYING RELATIVES..MANY OF THEM DIE..LETS NOT FORGET THEIR PAIN ALSO...

Sunday, September 02, 2007 11:08:00 AM"

Fantomas, give Ceasar what's Ceasar's and give God what's God's.
The Cuban tyranny is to blame.
And for your information, the American government is to blame too.
Because they are limiting, defining and legislating WHO is my family, impossing on US things that are totally straneous to our NATURE as a NATION.
Then, the US Government WITH the complicity of a bunch of CINOS (Cubans in name only) are limiting the amount of cash (which they don't give me as a gift) that can be taken to Cuba, when can I go to Cuba, and for how long, as if the LIMITATIONS OF A COMMUNIST TYRANNY weren't enough.
Then, hell, travel was not possible before, can you tell me why the status quo has to keep on being like that?
Can you tell me if any of the Cubans who went in mass to Cuba in the seventies were NOT the same ones who arrived in exile in the sixties?
Yeah, many people died without seeing their loved ones ever again. Why do we have to keep it like that? To please who?

PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU READ IN THIS BLOG THAT WE ARE SAYING TO FORGET WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SUFFERED.

AND ALSO TELL ME WHY ON FUCKING EARTH IF SOMEONE ELSE SUFFERED THE REST OF HUMANITY HAS TO SUFFER THE SAME.

For your information:
1- I can't go back to Cuba (forbidden by the Cuban government as a stamp placed in my Cuban passport clearly states)
2- Many of my loved ones, not necessarily who the American government and their CUBAN IN NAME ONLY advisors define as "MY" family died in Cuba, without a chance to look at MY eyes for the last time. CASTRO AND THE US GOVERNMENT ARE TO BLAME FOR THAT. EQUALY.
3- Just because all of the above happened to me DO I HAVE TO BE A FUCKING SINGAO and say that NOBODY ELSE CAN DO IT AND THAT EVERYBODY ELSE HAVE TO GET FUCKED THE SAME??????

Sunday, September 02, 2007 2:00:00 PM  
KillCastro said...

And in your ridiculous, lizard IQ Fantomas , the way to handle the cruelty of the Kuban government is by imposing the same type of cruelty on behalf of the USA government? THIS you see as progress, as a humanitarian step to counter arrest KaSStro's stronghold on the people of Cuba?
People like YOU and the "historical exile" are at the root of this evil that now we face from BOTH governments.

We ALL know that KaSStro is a BEAST, why keep banging THAT drum, but how is it that the Bush administration, an administration for which I tirelessly campaign and contributed with amounts of cash that now I feel ashamed to even think about, how is it that this administration has seen to set regulations more onerous and inhumane that that of any other administration before it?

And now, sir please DO TELL us what advances have you seen in the tumbling of the KaSStro government since these regulations went into effect? Give us numbers! ‘Cause

*I* have numbers and it has NOT hurt the communist regime in the VERY least, on the contrary it has helped them politicize a strong propaganda campaign against the USA.
But, in your utter stupidity you will probably think that KaSStro’s illness is a direct result of this inhumane brain fart of the Bush administration, backed up by the hyphenated three and their cadre of “first wave refugees” The regulations were and are maintained to placate a certain group of the AMERICAN/cuban populace whose idea of a Free Cuba is that of a FREE Cuba under THEIR rules and whimsical mandate.

It is inconceivable that we have found ourselves in a position where we have to actually excuse the USA government by comparing it to the barbarism of the KaSStro government. Do you (and yours) in your infinite stupidity realize what a tremendous disservice you are bestowing onto the greatest country on the face of the earth ? How you have tainted the USA’s humanism with a façade of 3rd grade vengeful stupidity?

Now, explain to all of us oh you stupid dolt why the CIA has admitted that the GDP of Cuba has increased by over 10% (more like 500% , according to other sources) since the regulations took effect. !

Do you have ANY idea how easy it was for KaSStro to make up the withdrawal of remittances and shortage of direct flights from the USA to Kuba? I mean do you have ANY FUCKING IDEA how easy THAT was!? No you do NOT , cause you do NOT think , you are a rabid dog blinded by hate and fueled by vengeance and animal not any better that The BEAST himself!

Now, let's see the reaction of the Cuban people to the USA government, or for that matter to Cubans like YOU who think this is one hell of a honky dory idea, separating family, killing the slaves to get rid of the slave master. It is shameful, it is immoral and if the special interests self serving agenda driven Cubans that are manipulating these strings had an OUNCE of compassion it would END, it would right along with the wet/dry foot travesty.

In the meantime , keep on defending the USA policies by pointing out , like a 5 year old kid "well THEY started it" it only shows your naiveté ,ignorance or MOST likely your hatred towards those Cubans in the Island and their families in the USA. But a day will come when people like YOU will be judged side by side with the CDR pricks and on THAT day GOD will decide how cruel misguided and inhumane your strategy was.
We suffer NOW, but trust me YOUR time will come!

Sunday, September 02, 2007 2:18:00 PM  
Charlie Bravo said...

And to add something here: whoever feels ANY contempt towards the Cubans of the Island is feeling that very same contempt towards the two authors of this blog. The difference is that we can and will respond!

Sunday, September 02, 2007 2:49:00 PM  
Vana said...

Can you believe the utter STUPIDITY of fanto, that head is empty, we waste our fingers on the keyboard trying to explain things to that idiot, what I cannot believe is he claims to be a Marielito, yet he does not want for our brethen what he has FREEDOM, he hates the balseros and our people in the Island, he claimed to not know anything about the Wet Foot/ Dry Foot he wants them to STARVE, I for one have given up on that ass hole

Sunday, September 02, 2007 3:05:00 PM  
KillCastro said...

And that is YOUR argument? That is always your retort whether at Tellechea’s blog or any place else you deem it necessary to display your utter stupidity. I asked you for PROOF that Bush's strategy has made a fuck of difference in bringing down KaSStro and you answer with a demand for respect...you dolt! You do NOT deserve anyone respect you are a fucking Parrot cantando the Parrot danzonete. You are a puppet who likes a hand up his ass; you are seeking the approval of those you feel are at this time in control of the situation and want to gain their approval. You do not have an original, intelligent idea in that space between your ears because any semblance of a cohesive intelligent idea would make your skull explode like a siquitraque.

When you come back with solid facts that back up your capricious political standing PERHAPS you will receive some respect.
And I bet you SOMETHING.. And this I SWEAR. I will see to it that SOMETHING happens to you and all of those who feel like you do with respect to the Cubans in the island. . If NOTHING else to forever carry the ignominy of being a traitor to your country and countrymen.
Think about THIS socotroco. Just a list on the internet of EVERYONE who defended the policy of family separation, with names and details. Make your way to Cuba, see how welcome you are going to feel.

And to save you time.. remember how easy it was to delete your fucking pabulum from our blog the last time you felt compelled to hijack us … get ready for round 2 , you committed the cardinal sin of insulting one of our favorite CUBANAS and HERE we take care of our OWN!, check-fucking-mate

Sunday, September 02, 2007 4:02:00 PM  
Charlie Bravo said...

Fantomas, get the hell out of here idiot. Don't come here insulting people.... You're out of this blog. Go to the ones who allow you to suck up to them, OK?

Sunday, September 02, 2007 4:37:00 PM  
KillCastro said...

This Fantomas prick is NOTHING but a bipolar fuck.. Same, knee jerk attacks of hysteria followed by moments of contemplative thought and traces of humility, followed by attempts to humor. But NEVER self deprecatory! Too much for such an overblown ego with a massive sense of self importance.
Me thinks we ARE dealing with somebody we all know and consider the biggest self-serving moron of all Cuban/American blogs.
Oh and BOTH show a great deal of pleasure while being inflicted intellectual pain. Track the masochists in the midst and you will promptly see the pattern.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 5:24:00 PM  
Sandra and Lidice said...

KC & CB,

On behalf of L., thank you. I will show her your comment, but perhaps not today. Today has been a particularly difficult day for her. We went to church today to light a candle for Pedro Angel. And I am not very religious, but I felt like I needed to do it. CB, you are also in my thoughts: you have been through this yourself.

Sometimes I wish I weren't Cuban-American, actually, that it's too much to bear: the guilt of our families still suffering daily, the feeling of no end in sight. But I write what I can on the blog as a way of giving back all the love of my aunts, uncles and cousins in Oriente, and for the hope of Cuba's recovery.
It would be nice, one day, to meet you all. In a free Cuba!!

Sunday, September 02, 2007 6:15:00 PM  
KillCastro said...

We will - eventually and dramatically with tears running down our faces nad our thoughts deeply immerse in recollecting 48 years of history and wondering "how did THIS happen to us?" we will meet and we will thank GOD for having broken the chains . Because it will be GOD's will that will liberate our Cuba and perhaps just perhaps our suffering will serve to show the rest of the world what can happen when a country takes freedom for granted.
Once we release our pain we shall drink, under one of those blood red sunsets you see from El Malecon looking west. We will drink and we will know, the nightmare is over and most likely for the first time in 48 years we will also laugh the laughter of the free amongst our brothers and sisters who had to endure the torment through its history We will laugh WITHOUT the shame of having EVER condemned them to a life of misery so that our own agenda would be served.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 7:02:00 PM  
Charlie Bravo said...

Yes, and as KillCastro says, the rest of the world shall take into account what can happens when a nation takes all for granted.
Sandra, Lidice, the weight of the pain will vanish with our liberation, and only with our liberation.
Freedom is not free.

Sunday, September 02, 2007 7:31:00 PM  
Vana said...

Ah KC good choice, El Malecon de La Habana, what a nice site to gather when this fucking nightmare is over, as you say with tears in our eyes, but with such exuberant gladness in our hearts, aye, I dream of that day, no one I would like to celebraye it more, than with my family, and you my friends, may we soon meet en el Malecon Habanero, and toast to the death of the tyranny and the tyrant.

Monday, September 03, 2007 12:51:00 AM  

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