Long time no see, UBC Blogsquad! I’m going to contribute to the list of Blogsquadders who have been travelling during their summer vacation. My choice of destination for 3 weeks? Cuba. Yes, Cuba, this great island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, the land of Revolutionaries such as Fidel Castro. I wasn’t in Cuba as a tourist, but rather as a student who had access to places and people that ordinary tourists would not have, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Through Land and Foods Systems 302, I studied sustainable agriculture but also had a lot of fun. I had many experience in Cuba, but I will discuss something that I’ve been grappling with since I returned to Canada two days ago.
All of the material things that I brought back from Cuba sit in a small corner. As I glance at them, I can’t help but regret not purchasing more items. I’m starting to regret the decision that I made not to buy souvenirs for my friends, because I didn’t want to leave anyone out. The way I saw it, I didn’t want the products that I brought for them to experience a surge in its social value in the moments and few days after I gave them to my friends, but have them sit there and be donated to the Salvation Army as new relationships drifted in and out of the area of importance. Also, I didn’t want to perpetuate the cycle of production and consumption, because products are replaceable, and I value memories and symbolisms more of the friendships that my friends and I share. In other words, I think the fun adventures that my friends and I share are worth more than anything I could buy them when I’m not with them.
But why the regret? I realized the decision not to buy many things has to do with how I view the commodification of my Cuban experience.
Distance
Some say that distance makes the heart fonder, and I think that as I realize the geographic distance that I have to buy souvenirs from Cuba increases, the opportunity that I have here in Canada to revive and remember the Cuban experience that I had decreases. When I was in the country, I didn’t have to worry about having something to remember it, because I was in the society and surrounded by all its material goods and structure. I think that wanting more commodities from Cuba is a symbol of how much I miss the country, and how part of me wants to go, and be back there.
Income
One of the first things that I learned about Cuba was that the average person who works for the state (the majority of the population) earns about $10 Canadian per month. I think this fact affected my subconscience a lot, and this didn’t occur to me until I was on the plane thinking about my discourse when I was in Cuba. I think that for every product I saw sold, I subconsciously calculated how much of an average Cuban’s monthly salary they were, and how I saw myself as a very privileged young woman who really wanted to try to live a life as authentic to a Cuban’s as possible. While Cuban’s salaries are very low, especially in comparison to BC’s minimum wage of $8 per hour, Cubans receive free healthcare, education, housing, and the products that they need to survive, such as hygenic items and food, are heavily subsidized by the state. Cubans also don’t have to be bombarded with constant advertisements encouraging them to buy more and buy new.
Limitations
While this trip was worth it, it also cost a few thousand dollars, including airfare. With the present economic status, I was worried about having enough money and jobs to pay for this. I spent less money than I brought to Cuba, but I was worried about how I am going to pay for it and my future spending money. Some students on this trip were able to be subsidized for a bit from a Land and Foods Systems faculty grant, but I don’t think there are anything like this in Political Sciences.
It’s funny how when you’re talking-or rather, when you feel like your parents are talking, or lecturing to you, it’s easy to dismiss their comments. I realized how ingrained my parents’ opinions are when I was away from them. For example, there were many extremely beautiful bags sold at the markets, but what held me back from falling into the temptation to buy them was that I heard my mother’s voice in my head and her reaction exclaiming how I have so many at home already.
Thinking that you could find something better-one piece of advice I would give to people going to Cuba to shop is that going around and seeing every stand first is not necessary, whether to compare products or prices. Prices are normally the same in every stand for the products they sell, and if you like it, buy it. I drove myself crazy because I saw things that I liked but could not remember how they looked like or where the stand was-all I could remember was the feeling and the general object. I think if I had purchased things during my first walk around the market, I would’ve brought a lot more.
Answers. I wanted to know where these products were made. I think that I felt that since I was in Cuba, the leader in sustainable agriculture, I put it on a pedestal, even after I saw and thought about the country’s fallacies. I wanted to buy products in a fair trade economy, not goods made in China. I tried asking with my limited Spanish, but got no answers. I still don’t.
Cuba is a wonderful country, and I had an amazing experience not only learning, but I grew up a lot too and learned to take care of myself more. It’s also a very safe and warm (literally, and in terms of the community) country. I think that having these regrets and thoughts tumbling in my head just reaffirms how much I enjoyed being in Cuba.
