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difference between pero (but) and perro (dog), he says, all comes down to a roll of the tongue. He invites the entire class to practice their rolled R's out loud, causing the room to hum like a giant bee hive with a few struggling la-la-la's in the background. Some blush at their difficulty, but Castillo-Diaz reiterates that practice makes perfect. "I tell my students to not be embarrassed because I have to practice too," he says. "We all are learning together." W www.shafox.com orking his way through the American education system has been an education in itself. In Cuba, education is free from kindergarten through college, and it is centralized. A Ministry of Education — a national team of advisers, methodologists and specialists — develops uniform curricula for all levels, including college. "I think the cost of edu- cation is very high here," Castillo-Diaz says, "and is one of the causes why many students do not continue superior studies." Despite the cost, son Yoel is working to- ward his Ph.D. in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Te oldest child, An- dria, graduated last year from Salem State University in Massachusetts with an empha- sis in graphic design. Te youngest, Roberto, who graduated from Shawnee High School, is a truck driver and the father of two little girls. Castillo-Diaz sends money to his fam- ily and friends in Cuba. Just like a water bill or electric bill, he pays what he calls a "Cuba bill." "It has been nine years since we left Cuba, and the situation in Cuba is the same or worse," Castillo-Diaz says. He furrows his eyebrows and his cheeks turn pink in ag- gravation. His voices shakes. "My reason for leaving was economic, not political. It is not that you are one dissident or you are one revolutionary or you are one that they call traitors, people who leave the country. Abandon. Tis is the word that they use. You abandon your country. Why? I never aban- don my country. I send money for my fam- ily, I pay attention to things and I make my investment from here. You are beneficiary to my dollars. I don't abandon my country." Castillo-Diaz returns to Cuba every July. www.ypal.org [50] LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 11.12 "I have been asked why do I not write a book about my life," he says. "I would never be- cause if the government thought that I was speaking poorly of them, I wouldn't get to see my family, and they would suffer. I've worked hard here. It is my soul and heart to come back to teaching full time, and I am doing many things that I never thought I could do after I left Cuba." Additional reporting by Skylar Korby.