Cuba
"I love making new friends and I respect people for a lot of different reasons."
—Taylor Swift
I had heard of the civil rights abuses by the Batista government, and it was definitely an autocratic regime, yet the streets were filled with lively restaurants and there was jazz and Cuban salsa music everywhere. Although there were rumors of rebels in the mountains, it seemed that the general public was not concerned about nor particularly interested in what was happening in the countryside. People in brightly colored clothes were dancing in the street. These people could not have been more carefree or fun-loving.
The death of Fidel Castro in 2016 brought back vivid memories of my friend, Billy Goventes. I first met Billy in Havana, Cuba, in 1957 when I was there to sell construction equipment to companies that were doing road and airport construction work for the Batista government. At that time Cuba was engaged in a multitude of highway and airport projects sponsored by their dictatorial government. Billy, who spoke perfect English, was the assistant manager on a highway project, and after a couple of lunches and dinners together we became good friends.
When I returned to Cuba in 1960, Batista had been ousted, the Castro government was in charge and things had changed radically, although not as much as they eventually would. Billy was desperate to get out of the country and asked for my help. There was really nothing I could do but lend him a small amount of money. I learned later that Billy escaped by buying passage on a small powerboat fleeing the islands for Florida. They waited for a calm night and the overcrowded boat made the 90-mile crossing to Florida without losing a passenger.
A couple of years later I was living in Kansas City when Billy came to visit, and we caught up. After that, I was busy with my job and my family and lost contact with Billy. I have no idea what happened to him, but he was a smart guy and a good engineer so I'm sure he was successful, as were many of his countrymen.
I have always had strong feelings that our government made a huge mistake by banning all trade and travel with Cuba after the rise of Castro. Since Cuba could still trade with Canada and the major European countries, our trade ban was not that effective nor were our policies consistent. We have never gone to war with Cuba (although Kennedy tried to invade them unsuccessfully.) Yet not long after the war with communist Vietnam ended, we began trading and sending tourists to that country. I have always found the Cubans to be industrious, fun-loving people and I felt that if they had had more exposure to our culture Castro might have been ousted years earlier.
Note: the above was written before we resumed relations with Cuba. I would love to go back, but I am not sure they would accept my guide dog, nor, without my sight, how much I would get out of it.
And that's how I see it.