Totally agree with you soccerguy315. It’s interesting that I have mentioned this post to a few people and the word zoo has come up more than once.
Interestingly enough, Cubans might describe our medical care of the less advantaged as a zoo. Not to mention our education system when compared to a resourceful Cuban one. The country is still a vile dictatorship.
I spent some time in Cuba the spring of 2002, actually during the same time they were transporting the September 11 detainees to Guatanamo Bay. I was there working on a thesis, originally revolving around the criminal justice system but eventually became a study of the education system due to legalities enforced upon me and limiting my studies.
For me, the best parts of Cuba were the country-sides: Cienfuegos and Trinidad. Very entertaining to watch the children in their underwear and cowboy hats riding horses around the streets of Trinidad. Although very poor according to US standards, the children in Cuba were the happiest children I’ve encountered anywhere. There are beggers but I went with plenty of pencils, bubble gum, and dollar bills to hand out.
Most people are in awe of the vintage automobiles. My husband owns a business where he restores classic cars. We entertain the thought of going to Cuba so he can work on those cars but know that most have no value, no matching numbers, etc…essentially kept alive by junkyard parts and anything the owners can get their hands on.
Canadians and Europeans have been going to Cuban beaches for decades now. Americans most often go through the Mexican Yucatan (illegally but easily).
For those unfamiliar with Cuban history, the Literacy Campaign is quite interesting. Also Google “Operation Pedro Pan” to learn how children were sent to the US in the early 1960s without their parents.
Unfortunately both the educational and health systems live in a dream of past glories. A large percentage of the medical/health personnel is sent to other countries in deals where the Cuban government gets all the money (dollars) and pays the Cuban doctors a pittance in Cuban currency. It’s a policy of “we trained you therefore we own you.”
Many qualified teachers quit their jobs and work as private tutors in the underground economy thus the children are left with highly unqualified “instructors” barely out of high school themselves. Doctors and engineers fare no better and the most desirable job is in something tourism related where they have access to the occasional pen, pencil, bubble gum or dollar.
^ Some might not agree with the last observation:
https://ed.stanford.edu/news/cuban-students-excel-latin-america
I read the article.The studies are from 1997 and 2007 a significant number of years ago when the country is in an economic tailspin (plus Venezuela’s own tailspin) that has forced the government to negotiate a rapprochement with the US. By the way, if you look up statistics from around 1959 you will find that Cuba led the way in education already compared to most of Latin America.
2007 is yesterday in educational research. Just think how often people quote the Espenshade numbers and use it as gospel. Education systems move slower than molasses.
That might be true in a country with built in check and balances. Repressive dictatorships have very different dynamics and changes can happen overnight. In any case we are digressing from the OP. My last suggestion to anybody going to Cuba is to make it a point to visit bathrooms, whether public or private You might learn a new appreciation for running water.
We Americans take our plumbing for granted. Even in Western Europe you can find some interesting set-ups in the bathroom.
The plumbing set up, interesting or not, is not the problem. Official newspaper Granma is not just for reading.
http://blogsemdestino.com/2012/04/18/cuba-guide-money-bathroom/
Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve travelled with my own TP.
If Target has been selling travel-sized rolls of Charmin - there has to be a market for that! 
Biting my tongue because this seems determined to become political.
Absolutely, dragonmom! There are some very hard-core Charmin haters out there!!!
Up thread, someone asked what to bring and suggestions were pens, etc. Perhaps mini tp rolls would be better. 
No politics, just stating that Cuba doesn’t have a monopoly on interesting rest room situations. There’s always Disney for the less adventurous traveler.
I’m trying to remember accurately, which bathrooms were worse…Disney or the ones I came across while traveling through South America? I think I’ll take the Incan toilet.
I would go to Cuba if I could convince someone close to me to do it. The private university near mine got to go to Cuba when my study abroad trip was looking into countries to travel to. Lucky ducks.
I’d like to go to Cuba. I’m thinking it would be similar to the rural parts of Puerto Rico, which I really liked. Speaking of bathrooms, we saw some very questionable ones in China, and I would still choose them over a couple of porta potties here in the US.
When my son went, the professors suggest these items to bring: a couple of old textbooks, a baseball and a used mitt, an extra set of personal care items (the store shelves are quite lacking in these items), a pack of new boxers/panties, new or gently used shirts/tees to leave behind. He said the hotel maids are not allowed to be in possession of these items, but the hotel management gives them to the grounds crew or the maintenance staff. I don’t know how fast things are changing, but they were asked not to bring tee shirts with logos or sayings. (just in case they were not allowed, they didn’t want to get the recipient in trouble)
Post 52–not political dragonmom. It’s only the truth. Cuba is a beautiful place, good people and a horrible government. When you visit and spend your tourism dollars don’t expect that it’s helping a local economy. It’s illegal for residents to have american money, Hence the take bubble gum with you. Just know that before you go.
The worst public toilet I’ve seen was in a museum in Italy; let’s just say it was a hole in the ground and it looked like s**t hit the fan shortly before I arrived. The ones in China, though similarly simple, were mostly clean and offered TP for purchase near the entrance.
In travel to Cuba we are limited to only 2 nights, one upon arrival and one before departure, outside of the set conference dates. Most of the Cubans we will interact with will be agricultural professionals, so I’m thinking panties might not fly as an appropriate gift. Do they search luggage upon arrival? Not sure how many new thumbdrives and flashlights I can pack. We’ve got our flights to Miami so far, still waiting for the travel agent to confirm we’ll be on one of the charters to Havana.
Few American students are interested in studying agriculture any more and most graduate programs are dependent on foreign students to carry out research and fill positions in industry and academics. Hopefully it won’t be long before students and visiting faculty from Cuba can include the US as a training ground.