It was hard for me to leave Jamaica. I had such a great time, I met a lot of great people, even met a nice girl J! I got her email address so we can stay in touch and perhaps see each other again some time. But anyway, now here I am in Havana, Cuba. Everything looks a little bit the same like in Jamaica. The people look similar, they speak the same language, But still Cuba has a lot to offer.
If you think of Havana you think of cigars. The most popular cigar from Havana is the Cohiba. Its an exclusive cigar that was initially made for Fidel Castro and other high officials of the Cuban government. Its uniqueness comes from the extra fermentation process. What people dont know is that Cuba was also known for its sugar production in the late 50s. Cuba once was the largest sugar supplier in the world. 80% percent of the export consisted of sugar in the 60s. Cuba had a contract with the Soviet-Union which said that they could sell their sugar above the market price. After the fall of the Soviet-Union in 1991, the sugar export of Cuba also dropped. We can say that Cuba is a country that lived and still lives for the export. Once sugar was very important (during the Cold War), later Cohiba cigars. But besides these two products, Cuba also exports other products. Rum, nickel & salsa music are also wanted by countries like Canada, China, Holland and Venezuela. Because of the fact that cigars are one of the most important export products, I went to visit the factory of Cohiba in Havana. I must say it was very interesting to see how they are made. First of all they select the finest tabacco in the area. When they have selected their tabacco, it undergoes a number of unknown processes to get more flavour. Eventually the cigars are rolled on their laps!
Im enjoying my first Cohiba now and I must say, the taste is unbelievable See you at my last destination, Mexico!
Hello
everyone!
We almost reached our final destination. But before we will discover the great
country Mexico, we stop first at the beautiful country Cuba.
We were
really looking forward to its culture and apart way of living. Before we
arrived at this country, I wanted to know what the current situation is. Thats
why Ive searched for an article about the economy of Cuba.
Raul
Castro, the president of Cuba, has done some large-scale market reforms to
revive the struggling economy. Next to that he also wants that the role of the
state reduces in some areas. In that way workers are allowed to be
self-employed or to set up a small business.
Earlier this year, Castro already launched a scheme under which hairdressers
are allowed to work for themselves. This scheme will now also be launched in
more areas in Havana.
He also
warned that unproductive or under-employed workers in the state sector should
look for another job. In that way he wants to stop the rumour that Cuba is the
only country in the world where you can live without working. He also wants to
reject the reports that he is planning a reform based on capitalist recipes.
Economy
minister, Marino Murillo, said that while the state would reduce his role in
small business, it would continue to get a centralised economy. They want to
reach an economic model in which socialist economic priorities will be the most
important, and not the market.
A reform is really necessary, since the economy has been gripped by a severe
crisis the past two years. Thats also the reason they were forced to cut their
imports.
I think
those reforms are very important for a country as Cuba. But those little
reforms are just a small thing of the whole package. The main problem is still
that they are a communistic country. In that way its very difficult to do some
reforms that also will have a good impact for the people.
In my
opinion they have to go slowly to a more capitalistic economy, otherwise there
will still be a crisis for years. But as weve read in the article, isnt
Castro planning on launching capitalistic ideas.
I also dont think its our task to help that country. The only thing we can do
is advise them things. Its their choice if they want to follow our advice or
deny it.
We have to
stay positive. I think its already good that Mister Castro is planning on
doing some reforms that are good for his country. For example the fact that
people will be allowed to set up a small business. In that way the commerce can
reborn and that will also be the start of a new economy.
May be due
to this condition Castro will admit that capitalism isnt so bad after all.
This was my
blog for this week! Next week we welcome you to our final destination, the
fantastic Mexico!
Were now
in the República de Cuba! All
we did until now was simply visiting the touristic areas of the cities. But
today, we did something different! We went to a primary school, where we could
maybe help out a little bit.
We arrived at the school and we were immediately in love with all the
children. They have to wear a uniform, but they look all very cute in it! Some
of them were dressed in red and others in blue, but this depends of their age.
Every year has a different colour.
We were there only 5 minutes, when a very sociable principal welcomed
us at his school. He gave us a guided tour around the school and told us
everything about the revolution of the education in Cuba.
Earlier everybody in Cuba
was illiterate. There were no schools, so it was impossible for the kids to
learn how to read and write. Even if there would have been schools, nobody
would send their kids to it. Most of the kids work at home and the people dont
have enough money to pay a school fee.
But suddenly, the government started up a revolution for education in Cuba. They made
a lot of schools, all with very good teachers and all the kids could go to
those school FOR FREE! They also made sure that the kids can combine school
with their work at home. I think this is just amazing. In Belgium and other
Western countries you have to pay a lot to go to school. Because of these high
school fees, poor children cant enjoy a good education.
The schools in Cuba are very well organised, so we couldnt help at
all. Seeing all the kids so happy because they could learn and enjoy a proper
education, made us smile as well. And this made sure that we enjoyed our time
at the school.
