Jah Bill: ///I would have to say the average Cuban I met seemed much happier than the average urban dwelling American I have met.////
That's a very important observation you've made! I think Cuban mentality is different from the US/Western mentality due to many different factors: cultural, political, economical, historical and even religious etc. But I totally agree with you. Cubans are usually hospitable and easy going. They love to of ask questions about places in the world they've never seen. Thay are really interested in the outside world while many Western people only care about their jobs, bills, bank accounts etc - just like the robots in the Matrix movie. There's almost no illiteracy in Cuba, unlike on most other Carribean islands. I miss Havanna sometimes and the island still remains a beautiful memory in my mind. The US embargo causes many problems for ordinary people in Cuba but on the other hand the Cuban system is sadly poisoned by extreme corruption that slowly devours the best Achievements of the Cuban Revolution.