Dear World:

This is not an angry post

I am angry, absolutely! But I'm writing mostly to get it out there in the open. And because I can. Like my father would say : "This is a free country" (So far anyway).

Last year Obama's administration opened up an American embassy in Cuba, and with it, an officially open negotiation between the two nations. Since then, there's been a marvelous flow of famous people, stars, icons, amateurs, artists and plain curious people of all kinds passing through to enjoy the newly found freedom of exploring the island.

On June 7th, Cuba's capital city, Havana, was officially named one of the World's Seven Wonder Cities.

Not one day passes by without another famous, or photographer or tourist posting something on the Internet about the beauty of the island "lost in time".

And maybe I should be happy, like many others, for this open door to the world, a great opportunity to share of our rich culture and heritage with everyone else, like never before in history. And I AM, partially happy. Especially because like never before, people are more interested in the REAL Cuba, the everyday life, the common barrio, instead of the scheduled tour of the fixed up places. Like never before people are interested in staying at casas particulares as opposed to government owned hotels, interested in eating at privately owned paladares, instead of state owned cafeterias and restaurants. And I like that, because it means one less dollar in the pockets of the thieving dictator.

What's not to like then?

There are so many things that make me boil up inside, but for the sake of not writing a book on the topic, I'm only going to refer specifically to the way Cuba is perceived.

Maybe this comes from a place of pride. Heck, who am I kidding, this ABSOLUTELY comes from pride. But I cannot stand whenever I hear the "island lost in time" thing. 

We didn't get lost, we were robbed, kidnapped from time, imprisoned in a bubble of ignorance, poverty and dirty politics. 

We are a generation of brainwashed kids, growing up deaf and blind to the world, being taught to hate capitalism, and the United States, and everything that it stands for. Chanting the lie that we are free, that we are "better than them", that the revolution brought us liberty and purpose and autonomy. The lies that we don't need anyone, that there is nothing wrong, that the embargo is to blame for EVERYTHING, the lies that our forefathers fought and died for this communism that we "enjoy" now. Lies lies lies...the Castros sit on a throne of lies and have been repeating them to us, whispering them in our ears since birth.

We did not get lost in time. We were kidnapped.

And don't get me wrong, I am absolutely in love with Cuba, it will always be home for me, and in my eyes it is beautiful and wonderful in many ways.

But don't give me the crap that Cuba is a paradise of ruins lost in time. Those are ruins, actual ruins! Where people live and struggle every day! Havana is destroyed, trashed, sad, dirty and drowned in misery. Don't use your #vintage and #oldfashioned hashtags on it. We are talking about actual poverty, real misery, 

Don't romanticize the struggle, don't call cute the pain of my people, don't idealize the ignorance of those who don't know any better.

Havana was named one of the wonder cities, great. Sixty years of communist regime have brought us there.
Congrats on your viral Instagram picture of my people's misery as a backdrop .

Excuse me if I don't feel like celebrating.