I last visited Cuba in 2007 for a one week vacation in Varadero, with a side trip to Havana. Now, 12 years later - having just spent 2 weeks at Brisas Los Galeones, about an hour from Santiago de Cuba - I can see that a lot has changed in the country but not all for the better.
Cell phones are everywhere now. Most Cuban people have never owned a computer but now they have access to the wider world with a device that is much more affordable and convenient.
Apparently, there are no Cuban firewalls to restrict knowledge access, nor restrictions on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
But I wonder if there is the expectation of privacy, as there is here in Canada? Or does the Cuban government monitor and control the population more efficiently. Big Data is watching you.
Life is still hard in Cuba. Rationing of basic food staples is in effect, something I'd never heard of 12 years ago.
Salaries ($12 to $40 per month) are so meagre that a second source of income is needed to stay afloat.
There are no luxuries to be had unless you have a foreign relation to help out.
But despite the hardship, and the knowledge of how far behind they are economically, the Cuban people put on a brave face and greet you not with rancour but with a smile. They may be resigned to their situation yet they are ever hopeful of a brighter, more prosperous future.
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