What I also saw was that this place is devastated. Creeping capitalism is ready to pounce the minute Castro is gone. This is a country at the brink. 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. Despite these difficulties, Smith says the people seemed happy. We didn't see people waiting to escape. We saw people going to work and taking their kids to school, walking and shopping in the market. As a sociologist interested in poverty, Smith sees great possibilities for study in Cuba.