Rain, A Justification for So Many Things

Published June 11, 2016 | By Cubaverdad

Rain, A Justification for So Many Things / 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez

14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Generation Y, 10 June 2016 –“Why did you bring
the girl if it is raining?” my friend’s daughter’s second grade teacher
asked when she brought her child to school on Wednesday. Although the
school year should continue, many elementary school teachers took
advantage of the precipitation this week to hasten its end. The
bureaucrats used the excuse of the bad weather to delay paperwork, while
countless medical clinics opened late due to the weather.

Many state employees behave as if they are sugar cubes, or watercolors
about to dissolve, or allergic to water when the rain comes. This
reaction is laughable given that we live in a tropical country, but
there is also a lot of drama involved in the serious damage the rains
cause to millions of people. Over and over again, public services behave
as if each rainy season was the island’s first.

The banking system, dysfunctional throughout the year, collapses almost
entirely when two drops of rain fall from the sky. The Nauta email
service – operated by the state phone company – is thrown into crisis,
and urban transport outdoes itself in terms of problems. A drizzle and
schools suspend classes, retail markets barely open, and even the
emergency rooms in public health centers work at half speed.

All this without a hurricane, or 60-mile-an-hour-plus winds, or one of
those heavy snows that keep nations further north on edge. The
paralyzation of life here caused by the rains is more than a
justification, it is an alibi, one that allows many, during these days,
to do what they most desire: Nothing.

Source: Rain, A Justification for So Many Things / 14ymedio, Yoani
Sanchez – Translating Cuba –
translatingcuba.com/rain-a-justification-for-so-many-things-14ymedio-yoani-sanchez/

Posted in Cubaverdad, Health, System, Transport | Tagged health, school, transport

6 Responses to Rain, A Justification for So Many Things

William Read on June 11, 2016 at 8:30 pm

An intriguing article; I have never noticed of been aware of these delays/problems attributed to “bad weather” but if accurate, it again indicates inefficiency and laziness amongst the service providers. As a foreign tourist in Cuba I have been shielded form many of these inefficiencies, but as Cuba moves into more and deeper international contacts, it will need to improve rapidly if it wants to obtain the vital foreign currency that tourists bring.

Reply
- Cubaverdad on June 11, 2016 at 10:55 pm
  
  Indeed, William, as tourist you have been “shielded” from reality. We who have family in Cuba aren’t. that is why you think you have a right to disagree with us.
  
  Reply
  - William Read on June 13, 2016 at 9:59 am
    
    The service provided for foreign tourists in Cuba is, of necessity, of a level that these tourists will accept and be prepared to pay for. The fact that Cuba can, with a few exceptions, provide perfectly acceptable facilities for tourists indicates that there is no inherent problem in the provision of good services, hotels, transport, food etc. Such better standards need to be extended to the rest of the Cuban infrastructure so that ordinary Cubans can enjoy them. The Cuban population should not have to accept second best in their own country.
    
    Reply
    - Cubaverdad on June 13, 2016 at 2:51 pm
      
      Lots of feedback from tourists that went to Cuba contain extreme complaints over levels and quality of service, William. Cuba, especially Havana with its doubling / tripling of hotel prices, is way to expensive for the service offered. That will soon impact tourism. Tourists aren’t prepared to pay over 150$ a night for a hotel that has no toilet seats in its main lobby.
      The facts that even paying tourists are “screwed over” just shows that the Cuban people, in the other part of the apartheid system, are a lot worse of as informed sources (not you) confirm.
      
      Reply
      - William Read on June 13, 2016 at 8:05 pm
        
        I have stayed in two star hotels in Havana and in Holguin for $20 per night B&B which is perfectly acceptable. On my last trip I stayed one night in the Hotel Saratoga, Havana, five star B&B for $80. I shall be interested to see what is available, and at what price, when I am there in September.
      - Cubaverdad on June 14, 2016 at 3:22 pm
        
        The Saratoga now is 200+ Euro a night. Prices, especially in Havana are exorbitant.

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Rain, A Justification for So Many Things

6 Responses to Rain, A Justification for So Many Things

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