When Reiko and Zulema landed in Havana, they realized that their luggage hadn’t made the trip with them. While it must have been a shame not to have any clothing, toiletries or other personal belongings, the true loss was the non-Cuban food they were carrying with them. Between the embargo and economic crisis in Cuba, […]
Public and Private
The following is the essay I wrote for my class with Dr. Fatima Sadiqi on gender issues in Morocco: From the first day of this class, we have greatly discussed the Moroccan-patriarchy as a space-based patriarchy. In this model, patriarchy exerts its control through dictating appropriate places for men and women to be and act. […]
Talking Politics
In Cuba, discussing politics is more than a social taboo at dinner parties—it’s dangerous in almost any form in almost any location. Publicly deviating from the party line can get you demoted from a your job or in extreme cases get your passport seized by the government. You might think there’s nothing political to talk […]
stuffed and sorted
Quite a familiar sight in Havana are buses stuffed full of people, smushed against each other so close you’d think they were sardines in a can – rumbling down the street. All hours of the day, every day. Roaring engines, lurching forward and screeching breaks. Black exhaust billowing behind, leaving the other cars and buses […]
money makes the world go ’round
In Cuba there are two currencies in Cuba’s monetary system: The Cuban peso also called Moneda Nacional or CUP. 1 CUP = $0.04. The CUP is what Cubans are paid in and it correctly reflects inflation since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 which led to a collapse in the Cuban economy, from […]