My collage of dystopian truths Back in 2011, my mother & I went to Cuba; it was more of a personal missions trip than anything else. My mom left Cuba in the Freedom Flights in 1971 & had never returned. I on the other hand, had only heard the horror stories & seen the family photos. My first interaction in Cuba was with the despot Cuban Customs officer that was harassing & interrogating me because I had never been to Cuba before. If you know me & my temper, then you know it took EVERYTHING in me to be quiet. We were greeted by our large extended family; all whom I had never met. Once we jumped into the vehicle, I took out my digital camera (before DSLR) & started taking pictures of everything I saw. Murals & billboards lined the Cuban streets with Socialist Propaganda. I was warned to lay low, not say anything anti-revolutionary, or call attention to the things I was photographing. I stayed with my moms extended family & I was there for a week but, it felt like a year. I lived their dystopian truth for an entire week. I bathed with ice cold water that came from a rain water receptacle on top of the roof. The bucket I used to shower with was full of sediment. I slept on the floor, I walked their streets, I ate the same food they ate (pan que parecía un palo!). There was a ton of sweat and walking involved. A lot of “resolviendo” IYKYK because they wanted to accommodate us “YUMAS” as best as possible. Life was hard & I was only there for 1 week. I left being grateful for the time spent with family, some who now have passed & will no longer see on this physical plane again. I came back to the USA with sorrow & guilt knowing that I was free to leave after 1 week of living their life, while they continued to live theirs imprisoned. I waved goodbye to my family and the motherland. And this was the first and last time I went to Cuba. The revolution was and is a lie. The Robin Hood sentiment is a fantasy. “Take from the rich, and give to the poor”. You simply cannot impose it upon anyone to do good deeds for they must come from the spirit of charity and goodness in one’s heart. Socialism, Communism, Marxism, is used to steal, oppress and rule! #abajoelcomunismo