My Experience in Cuba
Flying is one of my least favorite and greatest things about travel. In life, there is nothing like going up into the air and just flying through the clouds.

Day 1 of Cuba was one of my favorite days for a few reasons. Everyone gets to know each other to whatever degree they can, and suffering is a great way to get to know people. However, the interruptions were interesting, the delayed flight was an interesting time. Everyone got to talking and discussing their interests and such. I got to know Charlie and Ainsley better, and both of them are interesting people. I knew some people from this trip, Mike K was in my Middle Eastern History class, and it was just as complex as it sounds. Then I met many other people from the class, but eventually, the plane was going to board, and the plane ride was a time and a half. Three hours in the sky was wonderful seeing the clouds, seas, and land. Leaving Boston was something I enjoyed doing to a degree. Heading up into the sky into a country that is so different from my own and with different views as to what is normal. I knew very little about the culture of Cuba. I just knew their films, and state-produced films never give a good view of culture. The presentations helped but this would be applying knowledge that we researched to a real culture to real people. However, my thoughts about this would be interrupted by our arrival in Miami, and we had to sprint across the airport to the gate for our flight to Havana. I did arrive in time thanks to a late pilot. The other members of the group would arrive soon after, but the plane stalled for us which was good. Boarding the plane to Havana was something unique compared to many of my other travel experiences. Australia, England, and America are all places where the average citizen can visit without any trouble. However, Cuba is not like that they are in constant conflict with the USA, and yet the Cuban people seem so focused on the crisis, but uncaring about their government.

The major difference between the US and Cuba that was immediately noticeable was how kind the people were compared to large portions of the North. Growing up I heard the saying “not nice, but kind” about Boston and Mass people in general. I believe the statement to be true, but I never noticed how uncaring we are on a day-to-day scale. Arriving at the hotel was a great experience for that reason. The food was wonderful, and much different from the food at home. In the US there is a lot added to even bread, but in Cuba, they seem to use the bare necessities to make the meal. The tastes were different and delicious all the same. However, the amount of beans was worrying at the time. Then we had a presentation about the culture of Cuba, the more worrying aspects, and common scams. I decided to go out with some people I just met and explore Havana. Havana was a unique city, and I enjoyed the grid system. City design like that is quite common in designed cities but Havana seems organized for a historical city. I went to a bar with a few of the people in the group, and I did not drink so I got to witness one of our students getting scammed. The very thing we were told to pay attention to, and it was quite funny from a certain perspective. However, this taught me a pretty good lesson, people are very nice but extremely opportunistic. The island’s culture seems to promote the idea of taking care of others when possible but taking care of yourself.

The first day in Cuba was busy and helped me work through a few things. From the desire for new experiences, and to challenge myself by forcing myself into new environments, and this was accomplished in many ways. The first day was a way for me to start analyzing a foreign culture and gain a further understanding of the world, history, and social connections. I ended the day with writing about it all and experiencing the joys of air conditioning, and the lack of issues with my room’s air conditioning. The Cuban experience was truly unique, and nothing I could replace with any other trip.