1. Education. The Cuban education system, according to experts, is very weak. The fact is that in schools there is a catastrophic lack of qualified teachers – mostly former high school students with a low level of knowledge teach there. In addition, many subjects such as biology, geography, chemistry, etc. are united into one subject called “Ciencias naturales”.
2. Cuba has only free universities! In order to enroll in any higher educational institution, you must successfully pass the examinations in three subjects: the history of Cuba, the Spanish language and mathematics.
3. Free medical care. For all Cubans, medical care is provided absolutely free of charge. This applies even to dentistry, which on the Island of Freedom has reached a very high level, and services such as abortion.
4. A strange policy regarding contraception. The oddity is that condoms are recommended to be used only in case of fast contacts and solely for protection against diseases. But the protection with a constant partner is perceived as an insult. Because of this, the number of abortions among Cubans reaches incredible proportions.
5. Medical tourism. Cuban medicine is considered one of the best in the world, besides the cost of treatment is relatively low. These two factors attract a lot of foreign patients to Cuba with serious or rare diseases.
6. Food cards. In Cuba, so far, some products are sold with using cards, the so-called “Libreta”. These cards allow Cubans to buy essentials, such as rice, beans, butter, milk powder, sugar and others, at an affordable price in specialized stores.
7. Salary. Probably, the system of purchases of some goods using cards has not been preserved until now, because the average salary on the Island of Freedom is very small. For example, the salary of an official of the middle rank is only $ 20 per month.
8. Windows without glass. Almost all residential buildings in Cuba, with the exception of several Havana high-rise buildings, do not have glass. Here, instead of glazing, wooden or metal blinds are usually used.
9. Hot water. There is still no central hot water supply system on Liberty Island. The inhabitants of the country mostly wash under the cold, although, given the climatic conditions, after the tanks stay under the sun in the day, the water becomes warm enough. Well, those who want and have the opportunity, put in houses boilers.
10. Cubans are very neat people. Despite the lack of a central hot water supply, they take a shower at any convenient opportunity. In addition, the inhabitants of Cuba change at least twice a day and regularly use perfume.
11. Favorite women’s clothing. Favorite clothes of Cuban women are denim shorts. Young girls wear mostly short shorts, and older women – with knee length.
12. Cuban men very pedantically care about their appearance. In beauty salons, there are even procedures for male epilation of various parts of the body and plucking of eyebrows.
13. Rest on beaches. Despite the tropical climate and the constant air temperature, the Cuban beach season does not last year round. Mass trips to the beach are only in the summer, in autumn, in the winter or spring only some individuals bathe, which cause surprise to other citizens.
14. Cellular communication in Cuba is very expensive – a minute of talking on a mobile phone costs about 1 dollar. In addition, every citizen has the right to issue only one SIM card for a mobile phone. Actually, the mobile operator here is one – Cubacel.
15. The Internet. It’s even more difficult with the Internet for the Cubans. Only foreigners who permanently reside in Cuba can have such a service at home. The local population can go to the worldwide network only from the workplace and only to a limited number of sites.
16. TV. On the central channels of Cuban television, you will not see ads, it’s simply not there. Instead, the ether is saturated with educational, popular science and music programs, sports broadcasts and novelties of world cinema.
17. Currency. In Cuba there are two national currencies: the Cuban peso and the convertible peso CUC. The first option is used only by the Cubans themselves, and the second by foreigners. CUC is used mainly by tourists, easily exchanging dollars or euros for this currency.
18. In Cuba Coca-Cola was not sold for 60 years. Legally to buy this carbonated drink became possible only recently. The second state in the world where they do not sell this soda is the DPRK.
19. Guantanamo Bay. The US annually pays Cuba a rent for Guantanamo, which is only $ 4,085. Despite the accumulated amount, the Cuban government has not yet cashed a single check for rent.
20. Christmas in Cuba. Despite the fact that most Cubans are Catholics, Christmas had not been an official holiday in the country until 1997. This changed only after the visit of Pope John Paul II.