Kooba

We were planning on going to Cuba for spring break (Semana Santa), but hadn't saved up enough dough to accomplish such a task. So, we decided that perhaps the summer break would be better. By that time we would have received our "fondo de ahorro," a fat yearly payout of the money they take out and match from our paychecks. Instead, however, I'm going to make a trip to Pensyltucky to see the folks (it's been a while). After making this decision I read an article in Newsweek about the conditions in Cuba and what the author, a Mexican talk-show host, had to say about some of his callers and their perspective on Mr. Castro as his resignation has made the news recently. It was interesting to read how disparaging the views where between those callers who had visited the communist island and those who had not. Those who had had nothing good to say about the place, quite frankly, placed the Cuban plight squarely on the shoulders of the stubborn dictator. The other group however see the victorious revolutionary as an icon of American resilience; a proletarian hero in the face of insurmountable odds. The difference of opinion between these two groups obviously turns on first-hand experience of the place. Who are you to believe? On a related note, the more I've learned about Cuba, the more I've grown to scoff at those who sport Che Guevara shwag.

Stupid Gringo, you can't go to Cuba! On the contrary. American Law disallows spending dollars in Cuba without a license. I wouldn't have been spending dollars. How can I spend what I don't have? I earn good ol' Mexican pesos, amigo. That's what I'd burn. Besides, the Cuban authorities don't stamp American passports. If they scare off American tourists by documenting your stay, then they don't get your money. But, you can't enter the country without a visa. The solution (between the horns) is stamping a card that you can carry with you! All this aside, I'd be returning to the US after mah main man Barak Obama is in office, the dove I've been hopin' for.