However, like their counterparts here in Bridgewater, Cuban students also must complete student teaching in the schools before becoming certified. The delegation also had the chance to get a sense of what every day life is like for Cubans, and both President Tinsley and Vice President Mohler-Faria said that the effect of the U.S. embargo against the country is apparent everywhere. The embargo has been even more keenly felt in the country since the fall of the Soviet Union, which, along with Soviet-bloc countries, had accounted for 70 percent of Cuba's trade. Basic necessities such as food and soap are in short supply, she noted, and are rationed. Life in Cuba is very controlled, and because the poor economy caused so many people to move from the country to the city, citizens are no longer allowed to move without permission from the government.
School children await the start of another school day in Havana.
However, Dr. Mohler-Faria also said Cuba does not have the vertical economic structure found in America. He said he didn't see any homeless people during the visit, and noted that all Cubans have free medical care. And, despite the economic difficulties that have resulted from the U.S. embargo, both President Tinsley and Vice President Mohler-Faria said the Cuban people were very friendly to Americans. Cubans we met on the street were very friendly. The educational delegation to Cuba was the first visit to the country for all the participants from BSC, including Mr. Clark.