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Cuba - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture Revised edition [Pehme köide]

  • Formaat: Paperback / softback, 168 pages, kõrgus x laius x paksus: 169x110x13 mm, Illustrations
  • Sari: Culture Smart!
  • Ilmumisaeg: 20-May-2016
  • Kirjastus: Kuperard
  • ISBN-10: 1857338480
  • ISBN-13: 9781857338485
  • Formaat: Paperback / softback, 168 pages, kõrgus x laius x paksus: 169x110x13 mm, Illustrations
  • Sari: Culture Smart!
  • Ilmumisaeg: 20-May-2016
  • Kirjastus: Kuperard
  • ISBN-10: 1857338480
  • ISBN-13: 9781857338485
Cuba is a land of contradictions that is easy to enjoy but difficult for first-time visitors to decipher. The largest island in the Caribbean, it is a tropical paradise that Christopher Columbus called “the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen.” It is famous for the romantic charm of its crumbling colonial cities, the beauty of its white sand beaches, and its irresistible Afro-Cuban dance beats. But it is also a land of shortages and tight government control, which has been in a sixty-year political standoff with its superpower neighbor, the USA. The homegrown version of single-party socialism created by Fidel Castro has kept Cuba in a Cold War time warp that only now is beginning to change.

As travel restrictions are relaxed US tourists can once again visit the island. Greater flexibility toward private enterprise is opening it up to boutique hotels and high-quality home-based restaurants. There is a boom in special-interest tourism for cyclists, hikers, birdwatchers, and scuba divers, while foreign entrepreneurs are eagerly exploring investment opportunities.

Culture Smart! Cuba will take you beyond the usual descriptions of Havana nightlife, vintage cars, and hand-rolled cigars and give you an insider’s view of an island that is teetering on the brink of historic change. It offers insights into Cuba's fascinating history, national icons, unique food, vibrant cultural scene, and world-renowned music. Practical tips help business travelers gain an edge on the competition. But most of all, this book aims to show you how best to break the ice and get a better understanding of the infinitely resourceful Cuban people, who despite severe hardships and shortages over many years remain optimistic and fiercely proud of their heritage and culture.

Arvustused

Culture Smart! has come to the rescue of hapless travellers...' Sunday Times Travel, ' the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries.' Global Travel, ' full of fascinating, as well as common sense, tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas.' Observer, ' as useful as they are entertaining.' Easy Jet Magazine, ' offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world.' New York Times

Map of Cuba
7(1)
Introduction 8(2)
Key Facts 10(2)
Chapter 1 Land And People
12(36)
Geographical Snapshot
12(2)
Climate
14(2)
A Brief History
16(23)
The Political System
39(4)
The Economy
43(4)
Looking Ahead: Obama's Big Thaw and the Future of US-Cuba Relations
47(1)
Chapter 2 Values And Attitudes
48(14)
Resilience and Resourcefulness
49(1)
The Spirit of the Revolution
50(2)
Dissent
52(2)
Attitudes Toward Race
54(1)
Attitudes Toward Religion
55(2)
Men and Women
57(1)
LGBT Cubans Come Out of the Cold War Closet
58(2)
Attitudes Toward Foreigners
60(2)
Chapter 3 Customs And Traditions
62(14)
Catholic Traditions
62(3)
Afro--Cuban Traditions
65(2)
Celebrating History
67(1)
Cultural Events
68(2)
Public Holidays
70(1)
Carnivals
70(3)
Secular Wedding Palaces
73(1)
Sweet Fifteen
74(2)
Chapter 4 Making Friends
76(10)
Meeting People
77(2)
What to Wear
79(1)
Conversation Starters and Stoppers
80(3)
Breaking Out of the Tourist Bubble
83(2)
Staying Longer
85(1)
Chapter 5 The Cubans At Home
86(14)
Quality of Life
86(2)
Town and Country
88(2)
Housing
90(2)
HealthCare
92(2)
Education
94(1)
The Changing Family
95(1)
The Daily Round
96(2)
In the Community
98(1)
The CDRS
99(1)
Chapter 6 Time Out
100(22)
Food
101(2)
Comida Criolla: Popular Cuban Dishes
103(2)
Drinks
105(1)
Cocktails With History
106(1)
The Arts
107(7)
Sports and Outdoor Activities
114(2)
Shopping for Pleasure
116(1)
Cuban Cigars
116(1)
Places to Visit
117(5)
Chapter 7 Travel, Health, And Safety
122(16)
Getting Around
122(8)
In Towns and Resorts
130(2)
Where to Stay
132(2)
Health
134(2)
Crime and Safety
136(2)
Chapter 8 Business Briefing
138(12)
The Economic Climate
138(2)
Cuba as a Business Partner
140(1)
Government and Business
141(1)
The Legal Framework
141(1)
The Workforce
142(1)
Unions
143(1)
The Importance of Personal Relationships
144(1)
Be Prepared
145(1)
Making a Proposal
146(1)
Meetings
146(1)
Negotiating
147(1)
Decision Making and Follow-Up
148(1)
Contracts
149(1)
Resolving Disputes
149(1)
Chapter 9 Communicating
150(15)
Language
150(2)
Written Communication
152(1)
Forms of Address
153(1)
Direct Interaction
154(1)
Humor
155(1)
The Media
156(3)
Telephone
159(2)
Internet
161(1)
Mail
162(1)
Conclusion
163(2)
Further Reading 165(1)
Index 166(2)
Acknowledgments 168
Mandy Macdonald is an Australian writer, researcher, editor, and translator living in Scotland. A graduate of Sydney and Cambridge universities, she specializes in international cooperation with developing countries, with particular emphasis on the EU, Latin America, labour rights and gender equality. She has lived and worked in Cuba as a translator and has spent time in Central America as a worker on human and gender rights, and has written articles and books on Cuba and Central America. Her work on European development cooperation took her to Brussels in the 1990s, and she continues to visit Belgium, among other European countries, as an amateur musician and performer of Renaissance music. After a long career spent working for international and European governmental and nongovernmental organizations, Mandy is now an occasional freelance editor and writer, particularly on music. A new venture is poetry, and since 2011 her poems have appeared from time to time online and in print. Her experiences in many countries, and especially her own country, Australia, form a rich source of material for her poetry. Mandy continues to travel as often as possible, and believes that travelling with open eyes and mind and a sensitive attitude towards local cultures and customs is the best possible kind of globalization. Russell Maddicks is a BBC-trained journalist, who has spent the last 20 years exploring the countries of Latin America and publishing his experiences in print, online and in social media. A graduate in Economic and Social History from the University of Hull, England, he is fluent in Spanish and loves nothing better than mastering the country-specific slang of the Latin American countries he visits. He has worked as a reporter and editor at the Daily Journal newspaper in Caracas, the editor of a webzine aimed at the Latin American youth market called Loquesea! (Whatever!), and as a regional specialist at BBC Monitoring covering political developments and general news. In 2015, his book Culture Smart! Ecuador was awarded the Gold Prize at the Pearl of the Pacific International Travel Journalism Awards at the Ecuadorian International Tourism Fair (FITE) in Guayaquil. He is also the author of the Bradt Guide to Venezuela, and has written articles for numerous international publications, including BBC Travel, National Geographic Traveller, the Mexico News Daily, Latino Life, ArtNews, and Songlines. An accomplished public speaker, he has given illustrated talks on Latin American travel destinations at the Globetrotter s Club, the Telegraph Outdoor and Adventure Travel Show, Destinations: The Holiday and Travel Show, and at UK colleges and universities. You can follow his Latin American travels on Twitter and Instagram