Asking advice about life in CUBA

[wyq614]

I, together with other 9 classmates, am going to Cuba for further studying Spanish. The duration will be nine months.

We have heard a lot about the life in Cuba, especially something strange, for example,

it is said that the weather is very hot, hace muchísimo calor
it is said that a los hombres cubanos les gusta ligar con las alumnas.
it is said that the boys will be hot among the teachers.
it is said that the female student are welcomed to get on any car that is running in the streets, but with a risk of being raped
it is said that if you carry an umbrella with you when it is sunny, you may be considered as an unusual person
it is said that there are a lot of thieves there

are they all true? and it is also welcomed if you can give me some special advice about living in Cuba, thanks.

[tropicana]

hope this helps, i found this on the internet:-

An American from Miami spends about $8 every day on his morning coffee and fast food lunch. Just 150 kilometers south, a Cuban receives $8, his monthly salary for his full-time job as a shopkeeper in Havana, Cuba.

A meal at a McDonald’s-like joint in Cuba costs about $3, so how does a Cuban feed his family? How can he possibly buy gas for his car? Assuming he has a car.

As for food, most Cubans can’t afford to shop with dollars, unless they have relatives in Miami who send them money or they work as taxi drivers (one of the only ways to be self-employed in Cuba). Everyone else must shop with pesos at the government-run stores (peso stores), even though the stores offer very little variety and are sometimes actually completely empty. Today, it’s difficult to find ingredients for traditional Cuban cuisine (pork, fish, garlic, cooking oil) because food production is in shambles and they can’t afford to import.

Cubans get a monthly ration of food. In 1997, the monthly ration for one Cuban looked like this: five pounds of rice, three pounds of beans, five eggs, one chicken, half a pound of coffee, milk for children up to age seven, three packs of cigarettes, and two rolls of toilet paper. Along with the annoyance of not getting any fresh fruits or vegetables in their rations, Cubans spend a good portion of each day standing in line for their food.

As for buying gas for his car, a Cuban doesn’t have to worry about that. Nearly everyone in Cuba, can’t afford a car. And if they could, they probably wouldn’t be able to find one to buy. The majority of cars owned by Cubans are dilapidated American cars originally built in the 1950s.

Russian Ladas from the 1970s and early 1980s can also be seen around Cuba. The Ladas were given as rewards to model workers or party militants before the end of the Cold War. The Ladas, which comprise half of all the cars in Cuba, can’t be sold because they were given to government workers. They weren’t given as gifts, but they were offered to them at low monthly payments. If a father wants to give his son his Lada when he dies, he cannot. Ownership reverts back to the state.

American cars can be sold, but they’re expensive, at least $1000 if the car is running, and parts are hard to come buy. Mechanics in Cuba are geniuses, having to create a part when one breaks.

Because of the scarcity of cars, those in possession of them become entrepreneurs, private taxi drivers. A license from the state to be a taxi driver is nearly $400 a year (compare that to the average monthly wage of $8), but the expensive license can be well worth it, especially if the taxi drivers can get business toting foreigners around Havana.

One of the favorite pastimes in Cuba is baseball. Baseball is by far the most popular sport in Cuba. Children play pickup games in vacant lots while their older brothers and fathers meet in the city squares to discuss the professionals. As might be expected, there’s a lot of baseball talent to be found among the boys playing in the vacant lots as they spend so much time practicing.

Although Miami and Havana are geographically close to each other, the lifestyle and standard of living in these two cities differ tremendously

[HURAKAN]

I lived almost 13 years in Cuba (03/01/87 - 11/26/99) and I agree with everything that Tropicana says.

[wyq614]

Do we have to pay special attention to thieves there? And moreover, We're going to Cuba this October, If Castro dies before that time, will it be possible that we cannot make our way to Cuba because of the restrictions due to state of emergency?

[HURAKAN]

Like in many poor countries, thieves are always present because not everyone is honest and hard-working. Still, Cubans are a very friendly and fun people. What may happen after Fidel dies, I don't know but I would expect more of the same.

[wyq614]

My friend asks: He heard that it is illegal for a Cuban to walk in the streets along with a foreigner. Is it true?

[HURAKAN]

I don't really know if it's illegal but you should know that Cuban citizens can't visit touristic places that foreigners frequent. Cubans can't stay in national hotels and can't leave the island if they please to visit any place in the world.

I have been in Havana and I have seen a lot of tourists walking along Cuban citizens. Europeans love the tropical climate and beautiful flora and faura.