🇬🇧 Why I don’t want my future kids to be raised in Cuba (at least as it is now)

This post like many actually was inspired by a Facebook group I’m in. It’s an amazing support group full of people that are in the same situation I was few years ago. Some of these guys are already like me together with their love in their country, some (most of them) are still travelling back and forth to Cuba.

A lot of issues are raised in that group. And the last one inspire me to tell you why I don’t want my future kids to be raised in Cuba.

You all know how I love that Caribbean island and if I could I would be there every weekend. But even if my heart is in Viñales, my responisble me convinced Fidel to live in Poland.

One of the reasons were my parents who are getting older and especially my mum who lost her sight needs our help.

But the truth is I don´t want to raise my future kids in Cuba. I want them to love it and spend every summer there. And know about their heritge. But not live there.

Why? Well, apart of how dificult the live is in Cuba and how many things are lacking, what really concerns me is the education.

Cuba is proud of their system and the sends hundrets of doctors abroad every year. But is it really that good? Fidel was telling me how when he was a school kid the teacher would not give them a proper lesson. Instead they would turn on educational program in TV and leave. They thought it was really modern at the time. The result? Almost no one I know can write a sentence without a mistake! Yegar instead of llegar, vallas instead of vayas, aser instead of hacer – normal.

In Cuba teachers are not paid very well. So it`s not like a dream job. In Viñales I know 18-19 year old girls who just finished the school are teachers in the primary school. With no preparation, making the same gramma mistakes. 

People in Cuba don´t have much access to the information and don´t want to have. I didn´t see people reading – they were actually laughing at me when I was doing that. They go online but not to seek information, they don`t want to know what`s happening in the world. They go online and spend their time on Facebook. Like most of the teens her I know. But at least they get the information at schools and at homes.

I also think that it is better for their future to get their education in Poland than in Cuba to have a career. I don´t want my kids to stand out from the rest. Imagine how quickly all new technology and stuff come to Europe or US. To Cuba not so quickly.

Kids in Cuba don´t know how to use tablets and mobile phones, true. But would they know how to write their CV´s or create a simple signature in gmail? Would they know how to use all the apps and stuff? Would they know how to create a blog or something? Will they be on top what´s new out there? Not sure of this one here and I want my kids to be able to know all this.

I want my kids to have the same professional opportunities as others. And I really don´t think Cubans educated in Cuba have the same knowlege as we have. Unfortunatelly. But maybe things change one day.

Some of you may think about homeschooling.  I can´t say anything about it. Not sure if it´s legal in Cuba. Here in Poland only 100 kids out of 6 million stays at home. The rest goes to school. I don´t know anybody who is homeschooling their kids. So can´t tell much about it. Communism in Poland ended 30 years ago. Will Cuba be modern enough to accept this form of teaching kids?

I know when we`re visiting Cuba (even if it`s often and for long periods of time), we look at it as it´s a paradise. And it is if you´re on holidays with the perspective of going back home. I think we idelize it too much. We see this perfect life next to our Cubano in the Caribbean. Slow life, cheap rum, people who care and the atmosphere. Yes, most of us can see themselves living there happily ever after.

But what´s next? I could totally live in Cuba, but I would also want my kids to have the same if not better conditions in life. And in opinion this is not possible in Cuba. Not now.

What are your thoughts? Thinking about living in Cuba or living abroad?