Whither the People?

I asked many, many Cubans I met, 'How is your life in Cuba?' Answers ranged from those like the ones given by my young friends William and Guillermo ('desperate for change') to expressions of deep love and gratitude for what the Cuban Revolution has brought, to places in between (the system has its problems but it has done good things for Cuba too). I was impressed by the numerous older people, in the cities and the countryside, who told me that the Revolution gave them a better life, lifted them out of poverty, and provided dignity to the country's poor, particularly in the countryside. 'We would never go back to the way it was before 1959' was a common sentiment. More on this topic to come.