Over the last decades, our society has been riding increasing waves of materialism. Little awareness is needed to observe how this development has gradually dimmed many of us into less lively beings. The dependency on materialistic comfort comes with obligations and routines that blind us to the beauty of simple experiences in the everyday life. A reason why we need bigger and intenser escapes to experience that what we mistakenly refer to as happiness.
Stripping off layers of materialism while letting go the illusion that our happiness depends on it, enables one to gradually return to simple joys of life, which are abundant and come without obligations and without dependencies. Havana is a place where one can experience this at a deeper and wider scale. The scarcity of materialism there though is more a result of the economic landscape than a conscious choice. Its widely known vibrant experience of daily life is layered on top of struggle and hardship. An accomplished blend that makes Havana an experience of humbling reminders.
The first steps in Havana guided me into Vedado, a neighbourhood that captivated and grounded me for the following 10 days, swirling and immersing me into its rhythym of contrasting moods. Over these days, I saw myself sharing life with diverse indviduals and families, warmly opening up their lives and homes to me. The story that follows here focuses on the economics of life in Vedado. An interest sparked by a conversation with a school teacher early on in the journey.
Meet Marta. Our paths crossed as she was winding along restaurants, inquiring for a job as a waitress. Marta is about to quit her job as an English teacher. Her teacher salary turns out to be 20 CUC (~20 USD) per month. While the waitress job won’t pay a better salary, she is confident that tips from passing by foreigners will. The following days, similar conversations followed with doctors, engineers, lawyers, artists, cooks and musicians. A doctor earns 25 CUC per month and a cook roughly 15 CUC.
The cost of living is not an affordable one. Taking our ritual of a coffee on the way to work as an example here: When a doctor in Havana would indulge in this morning routine, by the end of the month, roughly half of the doctor’s salary will have been consumed by the coffee.
The situation used to be even worse in the 90s, when the fall of the Sovjet Union brought a painful drop of export and foreign subsidies along. Today’s hardship is mostly an echo of that event. The government, aware of the enduring hardship of its people, is now gradually relaxing the rules. Casa Particular (private homestay), although strictly regulated, enable people to earn valuable bits of money off tourism, in addition to their meager government salary. The contrast here is confronting. Meet Maria Victoria and her family. As a manager of a large government owned boutique shop she earns 16 CUC per month. Meaning, the five days I stayed with her have paid more than half of her year salary.
Privately owned restaurants are now gradually permitted too, the first time since the revolution. Although these relaxations bring breezes of relief to the people, they also induce skewed proportions in the society. Meet Carine. While her parents are doctors, she works as a waitress in a restaurant frequented by foreigners. On some days the tips she receives total up to 5 CUC. Meaning, five of these working days would yield her the month salary of her mum. Most of her money goes towards supporting her mum’s household.
There is another bothering downside to the gradual opening of the economy. Meet Alex, a professional dancer, and Michael, a talented painter. I crossed paths with Alex in a guesthouse, where he works as a housekeeper. The occasional tip he receives from foreign guests exceeds the modest money he was making as a dance performer. Although this allows him to decently support his family now, it has aslo taken him and many other talented artists away from their skill and passion. Away from contributing in an artistic way to the Cuban society.
Some do choose to stay faithful to their talent and passion and are prepared to embrace a life of struggle and hardship. Meet Anna and Alessandro, both dedicating their life to journalism. The 10 CUC they make per month is barely enough to cover their apartment rent. More remarkable though, is their lively way of compensating the scarcity in financial means with a generosity towards living life. The long midweek night I shared with them constituted a festivity and appreciation for life that is rare to find in our society.
Times of hardship provide opportunity to practice optimism, patience and determination. And creativity, too. Those aware of this, will always find a way. Larissa has found a way to earn a living on the streets. Rolling up peanuts into plain sheets of paper, she sells them for 1 peso (0.04 USD) on the street. Though at first glance the amount seems modestly little, it does imply that she only needs to sell roughly 25 of these rolls per day (~3 per hour for an 8-hour working day), to earn more than a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer would have earned that day.
The hardship goes beyond the challenges of earning a basic living. There is a serious scarcity of food and basic provisions. Empty shelves in shops and markets with a few scattered products are a daily phenomenon in Havana, making it even for those that earn money a challenge to live a decent life.
Equally striking and disturbing is a growing gap between the affordable and unaffordable. While a visit to the cinema for 2 pesos (0.08 CUC) seems affordable for the average, entrance to Casa de la Musica for a live performance of the popular local band Havana d’Primera costs 15 CUC. The latter is indeed equal to over hundred and fifty visitis to the cinema or, over half of the month salary of a doctor.
Another example are Havana’s widely known oldtimers (machinas), which run as taxis up and down the streets, sputtering oxygen depriving fumes, caused by a lack of (money for) maintenance. The 1 CUC that is charged for an average ride also rises the question about the affordability of these services for the local people.
Aside of all the hardship, the most memorable experience is what comprises the wealth of the people of Havana: Their vividness and their warmth, generously radiated through their smiles.
