Ralph Quinonez

My latest trip to Cuba was a quest of inquiry, I was curious of what Cubans felt about the opening of relations with the United States. Although the embargo is still formally in place, the Obama administration has eased financial and trade restrictions to the island. It will also be easier to travel to Cuba, and an embassy will be reopening in Havana. Overall, I perceived a sense of optimism, with most of the people I spoke with voicing approval of the change. “The change will be good,” one man told me, nodding his head in approval. “Well, Maybe things will change,” said another. “I would like things to change for all the people of Cuba, as we have been living in poverty,” he told me. As I walked the streets of Havana, I did take notice of an upsurge of paladares (family-run restaurants). “What’s happening now is the families are moving out of the paladares, so the entire house can be used as a restaurant,” my guide informed me. “Many restaurants are opening now, so many foreigners,” a Cuban photographer I met said. “The Cubans marry Italians for example, and they start a business,” she explained. Interestingly, the fastest growing businesses are urban gardens, where produce grown at home is able to be sold to both state and private restaurants of choice. Of course, I met a number of skeptics through my travels. “Nothing will change until the Castros are out,” one man told me. “People are worried Cuba will be less safe,” said another. My guide expressed concern of Cuban’s keeping their national identity. She did seem hopeful however, that the impending changes will ultimately be good for the country. “Cubans find a way,” she told me. “Cubans find a way.”