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a privately owned taxi, which may or may not have a permit from the government to operate. |
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| Casa Particular – | a privately owned Cuban bed and breakfast, operated with or without a government permit. |
| Chavitos – | slang for the new convertible peso (CUC) that replaced the US dollar in Nov. 2004 after 11 yrs., for tourist use, or for Cubans to purchase products on the black market. |
| Criollo – | first generation Cuban born of Spanish parents. |
| Derrumbes – | the frequent collapse of the city's old buildings |
| Dollar Stores – | although official businesses have recently been prohibited by the government from accepting dollars, the reality is that they still accept them, but since they must charge 10% surcharge on the US dollar, a dollar is really worth 90 cents at this time. Cubans continue to use the term "dollar" to refer to the new currency tourists must use (CUC or convertible peso) vs. the old peso currency they get paid in, which is worth 4 US cents. The irony of this arrangement, besides forcing Cubans to scramble to obtain CUCs to buy what they need is that Cubans know full well that outside of the island CUCs are not equal to the US dollar, as the government arbitrarily declared. |
| Gusanos – | Cubans that preferred to live in exile than participate in the Revolution. |
| Hay que resolver – | A Cuban expression meaning to sell what you can get your hands on to survive in the dual currency economy. Cubans always carry white plastic bags, a prized commodity, that they use to carry around items to sell. |
| Jineteras – | Cuban prostitutes that ply their trade with tourists to obtain chavitos to support family. |
| Mercado Subterráneo – | the black market where Cubans purchase goods with convertible pesos, as opposed to dollar stores where tourists can shop for goods not available to Cuban nationals. |
| No es fácil – | a favorite current expression that means "it's not easy" to survive current conditions. |
| Paladar – | a privately owned Cuban restaurant, operated with or without a government permit. |
| Peninsular – | a Cuban who was born in the Iberian peninsula. |
| Período Especial – | the "Special Period" or the hard times in Cuba after the collapse of the Soviet empire post 1990. |
| Peter Pan – | a program that sent unaccompanied Cuban children in the sixties to the US. |
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