Articulating Cuban Complaints
(blog by Stan) The spoken word in Cuba is not easy to understand. Sentences spill out at high velocity, with the ends of many words missing, and conversations are filled with idiomatic expressions that make no literal sense. On this last month-long trip, though, there were some words and phrases that left no room for misunderstanding. Over and over again, I heard a couple of phrases in particular, always spoken slowly and articulated with precision and emphasis: NO HAY NA-DA. i.e., There is nothing . And LA COSA ESTÁ MA-LA. i.e., Things are bad . Navigating the day-to-day economy is devastating. In the stores where most Cubans have access (where they can pay with the Cuban peso), there is next to nothing on most of the shelves. But there are other stores, the MLC stores, where the shelves are stocked, but most Cubans don't have access to them. MLC stands for moneda libremente convertible. i.e., currency that is accepted around the world. To shop in these stores, you need a debit