CUBAN TRANSITIONS

“Revolution in Retreat” proclaimed the Economist on the cover of it’s March 22nd issue. It predicted that, while the massive economic changes that Cuba was undergoing today were a good start, they were also proof that the island nation has a long way to go in order to insert itself into the global economy and […]

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Wandering the streets of Cuba in the free time we were given, Hannah, Lauren, Zan, and I discovered a different way of eating. An incredibly more personal, more frugal, and more exciting way of eating. With a pocket of only 2 or so cuc in coins, we began our journey around Old Havana looking for […]

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La Habana, the capital of Cuba, has enchanted travelers for centuries. Founded around 1515 by Spanish colonialists, the city quickly gained wealth as a stopping point for ships returning to Spain with the spoils of the conquest of the continent. The city was officially given status in 1592, and the centuries of warfare and pirate […]

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Having the look of a Caribbean woman in Cuba made my experience very different that most of our group. Going out at night with Ishaira and Jennifer provided a dramatically different experience that going out with the white students in our group. With white students, I looked more like a part of a ‘stereotypically American’ […]

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So many of the things we saw in Cuba struck me right away. I wrote them down as soon as I had the chance and sometimes I felt like drawing to express what I was feeling at the time. One of the main themes I was feeling while we were there was just confusion. How […]

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I wander the streets expectantly. I know it was around here, but the metal lattice balconies, blues greens yellows and whites of peeling paint all blend together. Persistent bells of the mototaxis, the subtle scent of exhaust, food, and people. I gaze in wonder at this humming hive of purpose. Why does it all make […]

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During our stay at Hotel Ancon in Trinidad, some of the class while lounging on the beach decided to build a sandcastle. A childhood activity that all of us are familiar with is usually a simple and childish activity but can become a complex and elaborate creation with a little effort. As highly intelligent college […]

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“Hay un son, hay un flow, hay un son que se oye en Habana” words that will be forever engrained in our memories as the theme song to our experience in Cuba. Hay un son by Orishas must have played over a dozen times on our trip, enough times for us to begin to understand […]

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Even before the two-week trip to Cuba, I knew that baseball was more than just a game to Cubans. I’d heard, for example, about the tradition of Cuban men to gather in parks and public squares to have intense debates (which might, I was warned, appear to my eyes as shouting matches) all about baseball. […]

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“Priceless libraries created over generations and libraries knocked together by upstarts; libraries specializing in the most profound, unusual themes and libraries made from birthday presents and wedding anniversaries — were all cruelly sacrificed by their owners on the pagan altar of financial necessity  suddenly felt by the inhabitants of country were the shadow of death […]

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