CUBA: The depth of time

A city without billboards, passersby not looking at their smartphones—you are in Cuba. Time has taken on a relative value; life is constantly governed by regulations and customs, and the weight of society is immense, yet highly protective.
Life is long, people are well-cared-for, and children attend school; yet in the end, there is only the social safety net followed by the need to improvise—odd jobs and a fair amount of frustration. At the same time, there is an awareness that change will not bring only benefits to people who have lived for decades accustomed to *ahorita*—a looser, more approximate version of *ahora* (now).