A Wake Up Call

This past month we vacationed at a resort in Varadero, Cuba. Being our first trip and not really knowing  what to expect, by all accounts we were humbled. Poverty, low salaries, getting through daily life is not the easiest for the Cuban people. Some days there were no  bananas in the  dining room for breakfast....so what... we still survived and that is basically how the people live. Many go without and of course we take so much for granted. Farms lined the road way where very thin cows and horses grazed.

I guess the biggest  culture shock was the bus ride from the airport to the hotel. I sat on my seat, speechless as I looked at the homes we passed on our journey. Shocked, depressed, saddened are only a few of the emotions I felt. How is this possible....homes in a state of disrepair, no windows, laundry strung up to dry from house to house, roofs torn off. Signs of poverty so grave that I had never ever witnessed before.

The people that we met working at the resort were amazing and hard working. We wanted to learn from them a little bit of  their lives. We discovered that many workers at the resort were former lawyers and nurses. Many professionals leave their careers to work in resorts because they cannot support their families on salary alone. Many are single moms working between 8-12 hours a day, six days a week. Most work an hour away from the resort  and ride the public bus when it shows up to and from work.

The ocean  was bordered by a pristine sandy white beach. Lifeguards  would introduce themselves to us. Rugged young Cubans who loved the ocean and their jobs. Watching them swim in the ocean sent a jolt to my heart and of course memories of Kelly-Anne in the ocean brought my eyes to swell with tears. Oh how I wished she was with us...but of course she was.

I was reminded again that that we have too much of everything. When we run out of bananas we just go back to the store and buy more; all readily available.

We were told by our welcoming travel agent that we  did not have to fear going out on our own. The crime rate is low and the Cuban government does its best to assure that tourists are safe. Interestingly the death penalty is legal in Cuba but no one has been executed since 2003.

We have alot to learn from the Cuban people....they are happy with what they have. A real wake up call for us here in North America !