Because the U.S. blockade prevents the free flow of goods that would keep prices down, most Cubans can't afford or get access to things that Americans would consider basic, like Tylenol. The Wake Forest group observed refrigerators being sold for a thousand dollars when many Cubans live on less than forty dollars a month.
New cars are also out of reach for most, as are parts for old cars that break down.
Most of the Cubans who do have material goods get them from family members who live in the U.S., and that's why it takes so long to board a charter flight to Cuba. Cuban-Americans traveling to see their families are loaded down with bags of medicines and toiletries, and all those bags have to be weighed and checked before the flight can leave. Wilkerson said Cuba is also the perfect place for business students to learn about business issues in a developing country, foreign investment in an increasingly global economy and cross-cultural ethics issues. A business study tour would almost certainly include a tour of a cigar factory, one of the places the Wake Forest group visited. They had horrendous working conditions.