Edit: Closing the AMA since I am pretty close to concluding my trip and therefore will be posting pictures/reflections which will give more opportunity to ask more questions!
You probably remembered my post earlier asking about places that I need to visit while in Cuba and as I am close to concluding my trip and a few days away to fly back home, I’d like to give everyone an opportunity to ask any questions that they might have about Cuba. I’ll post photos as well as my own thoughts/reflections when I’m back home so until then feel free to ask any questions. As for proof (if it’s needed), Mods could check the IP I’m posting from as I’m currently on Cubacel. I wish I could post a photo as proof but the internet infrastructure here is 3G and therefore would consume a lot of data just from me posting a picture.
The affidavit declaring you aren't visiting because of tourist reasons makes me feel conflicted about my own reasons on why I want to visit Cuba. I suppose it's for tourism purposes, but only in the sense that I want to see firsthand how living in a country led by a Marxist-Leninist party operates, especially in the shadow of the empire I live in. I want to hear and see what life is like, instead of only what I get filtered through the internet.
What are your overall thoughts on what you've witnessed among the people? Their outlook on life, their satisfaction or lack thereof, the amount of participation in their government - were you able to get a feel on these types of sentiments?
In general, I’ve found people to be content with their daily lives but at the same time it’s still pretty dire since they don’t have access to medication because of the embargo as you need foreign currency to buy at the government stores. I’ve definitely seen a good amount of locals active within the party. It’s important to note that Cubans aren’t a monolith when it comes to political opinions. Most are pretty supportive of the government but do give criticism where it’s necessary such as regarding the bureaucracy or the existence of MLC stores. A very few have a pretty negative opinion of the government mostly due to the dire situation they are in and believe the government is full of elites that are just sucking off money from government owned hotels.