YanquiBoy. I think the one thing your ignoring is the two people in questions ages. I think we are talking about two early 20s females. Comparing the gifts they should give amongst themselves and that of 40 year old men who have worked 15+ years is a bit different. Handing them cash seems more like "rent-a-friend" to me. I've never given any of my Cuban friends cash. In fact they would probably look at me and ask whats this for.
SDET is just trolling with his usual pay for play comments.
YanquiBoy. I think the one thing your ignoring is the two people in questions ages. I think we are talking about two early 20s females. Comparing the gifts they should give amongst themselves and that of 40 year old men who have worked 15+ years is a bit different. Handing them cash seems more like "rent-a-friend" to me. I've never given any of my Cuban friends cash. In fact they would probably look at me and ask whats this for.
SDET is just trolling with his usual pay for play comments.
What you call "trolling", I call a lifestyle choice. I'm under the impression that "rent-a-friend" is the only relationship truly available on the island. People who recognize reality don't get burned. "Rent-a-friend" is a perfectly reasonable arrangement. I am curious about people who have successfully cultivated free-of-charge relationships of any kind in Cuba. In my opinion that's just too risky, but I would love to hear from people who have taken that risk and were successful.
The soap and shampoo you get from 99 cent store is probably worse than anything they can find in Cuba and they know it.You want to give them a pig, why,Cubans can get pig all day long everyday of the year,the ages involved,huh? Computers are probably the most in demand item in Cuba besides the latest cell phone esleciay by people in that age group and cash seems to be a well received much appreciated gift everywhere in the world,the never fail gift.I think you're projecting about what you think your "friends" would think if you gave them cash.Finally ,unless you're like Trap's girlfriend who lives in the hinterlands near Santiago giving people these gifts of dollar store shampoo, soaps, band aids,etc. has a condescending I'm here to save you aspect to it ,imo,which is why I suggest cash.
LUXURY towels seem to be a hit as well. If it's a towel that you paid less than $10 for in the USA, forget it. My intentions are probably different than the OP's, but I want people in Cuba to drool when I open my suitcase. I can tell you from experience that the $89 cell phones are drool-inducing. Bring 4 or 5 of them.
I am curious about people who have successfully cultivated free-of-charge relationships of any kind in Cuba. In my opinion that's just too risky, but I would love to hear from people who have taken that risk and were successful.
I'm one of them. What is it you want to hear?
I was talking about what we use in Canada. The $7-$10 big body wash and similar priced shampoo and conditioner. Every girl I've dated in Cuba has wanted those.
It's actually usually one of the first things I get asked about. Higher end quality stuff isn't frequently available in Cuba and where it is, it isn't cheap.
SDET there are plenty of non rent friend relationships on the island but they are much easier to get when you effectively live there substantial periods of time and are hanging around people of a similar peer group. I.e. not 55 year olds and 20 year olds unless you have a much younger friend who kind of looks at you from a life advice / mentor perspective. Look at it wherever you live. Probably everyone of your actual peers and not just work colleagues is going to be in a similar age band to you with the odd exception. That band also expands as you get older. I.e. a 40 year old and a 60 year old are more likely to be buddies than a 20 year old with a 40 year old. You also have a different reason for wanting them "to drool when you open your suitcase" which is clear in just about every post you've made.
Advising an early 20-something to bring $400+ in cell phones is ridiculous. That would be likely be a lot of money for her.
The number 1 thing you can do is learn to speak spanish if you want to cultivate real friendships. Then throw in living substantial amounts of time their and some level of interest in the same activities and you should be gold. Once you get 1 legitimate friend you make friends through their social circle and it expands.
I made most of my friends through my girlfriends friends boyfriends etc. They a) tend to be similar age because my girlfriend is 3 years younger than me. So all them are +/- 5 years. b) Tend to be well off for Cubans. This is probably somewhat because her friends tend to be very attractive. c) They all live the same when I'm there or when I'm not there it makes no difference.
The big problem foreigners have is they try to make friends with people who try to make friends with them. That is a very ineffective way to make good friendships because for every guy who wants to legitimately be your friend theres 9 more vultures who want to be anyones friend who could potentially provide them some economic benefit.
I just assumed ALL Cubans were vultures, but I always got what I wanted out of the deal. The arrangement has always been satisfactory. I don't feel like I have ever been taken advantage of or ripped off. It would be interesting to try something different regarding any free-of-charge social interaction. I generally don't interact with people in real life and don't really have much in the way of social skills. I ask for undivided attention in Cuba on my terms and almost always find it at a reasonable price. I speak Spanish with no problem and would immensely enjoy spending a couple of weeks improving someone's life by spoonfeeding them English, Software Architecture, Statistics, a programming language or other advanced Mathematics.
I don't think that the females that I find could be classified as "jineteras". The level of emotional and mental attention that I demand is beyond what a jinetera is capable of providing.
I'm able to find Cubanas that provided human interaction with dumbed down social expectations. Very few people on the planet are willing to provide that socially dumbed down human interaction, even if money changes hands. I have found at least a couple of them in Cuba.
I have spent a LOT of time in Cuba and, I agree with previous posters, one can make legitimate friends.
Strangely enough, the first Cuban i ever met, in 1997, I count as one of them. He's now living in Florida, with his family. You want to buy a house in Miramar. He recently lowered his price to 500k cuc, firm...lol
His father, deceased for 4 years now, was the nicest, most helpful person you could ever meet, anywhere. I miss him, dearly.
Other than those, I have 3 others that I consider true friends.
So, over a period of 20 years I've made, maybe, 5 real friends. It's tough in Cuba and my 'friend' standards are very high, in that, screw me once, you're now demoted to socio. I'm talking shirt off your back friends.
Oh, all of them are in the same age range as I am, give or take 10 years.
I don't bring gifts, other than on 2 occasions. A hard drive to one, a pair of Kodiak work boots to another. The latter I had had for 20+ years and had never worn them. Also a pair of pumas for his son. That's it. 20 years.
Oops. Canadian whisky..lol
I am excluding close family in Cuba who have never been demanding unless it was some real emergency. Rare.