On the second day of the study abroad trip in Cuba, I woke up excited, but unsure of what was to come. It was our first full day in Havana since we arrived after dark the evening prior, and I’d viewed the itineraries, but had no concrete expectations of our plans. After breakfast, we got on the bus to go to CIPS for the first time. CIPS is the Center for Psychological and Sociological Research and we had a welcome lecture from which we got to learn more about their mission and their role as a host institution to support us and other study abroad programs.

I found it really cool to hear about the research they were conducting as well as how a big part of the institution’s role is to spread awareness about the research going on in Cuba along with the history of Cuba. They also provide a platform to encourage education about these topics to foreign students. Like most things in Cuba, CIPS is government-funded and I found it interesting how there was a wide range of research that was sponsored by the government and used for substantive purposes to improve the country.

Following this, we got to learn more about religion in Cuba through a tour of Ocha-Ifa, which is commonly known as Santería, but in Cuba, Ocha-Ifa is the most accurate and preferred title for the religion. We walked around the city and visited altars while we learned from the tour guide, Elias Aseff, a local anthropologist. Ocha-Ifa is a syncretic religion derived from a mix of African and European influences which is practiced around the world, but particularly popular in Cuba. First, he told us about the sacredness of the sequoia trees in a park we were in which I found interesting due to the connection between nature and spirituality in Cuba. He also talked about Cubans wielding religion as a weapon or a solution to a problem which I found to be a rather thought-provoking perspective. We were welcomed warmly inside these religious spaces because as we were reminded, they had nothing to hide, and this lack of any sort of secrecy around the religion I also found refreshing.

The altars were really interesting to look at and the talk was very informative, but just walking around Central Havana with the tour guide was even more enlightening on the spirit and state of the city. Everyone was extremely friendly, to the point where I kept questioning if Aseff

somehow knew everyone because he greeted many people he passed on the street and they talked to each other like they were lifelong friends. While walking in the street, we also saw a lot of street animals, particularly dogs and cats, which was saddening, but many were cared for and treated with kindness from the Cuban people. There were also large piles of trash on the streets which highlighted a waste management problem in Havana which was a bit surprising because in other manners, there is a lot of innovation in Cuba. As part of this tour, we also went down the Callejon de Hamel which was home to vibrant murals and art pieces. Here, we also saw a cultural performance where the young performers again exhibited a friendliness without any sense of expectation on us, with the young girl dancing over to many of us and even placing her hat on several of our heads, including mine.

After this tour, we headed to lunch at El del Frente, a rooftop restaurant which gave me a first taste of the many courses and interesting foods available in Cuba. Then, we returned back to the residencia, Casa Vera, where we took a Cuban dance class. We struggled a bit, but the instructors helped to give us tastes of different types of Cuban dance like the salsa and rumba, and it was a fun high-energy activity that strengthened my appreciation for Cuban music and dance. Later in the trip, we had the opportunity to go to a salsa club to apply our very amateur skills, and we ran into some of the salsa instructors who were again very supportive and encouraging. The people dancing there were very impressive and learning Cuban dance styles and immersing ourselves in the Cuban dance scene was such a lively experience.

After this, we went on the classic car tour. Personally, I’ve never been very into cars so I didn’t think this would be my favorite event, but it by far surpassed all of my expectations. Earlier in the day, we’d seen several classic cars that were very cool looking in all sorts of bright colors. The cars that we were able to drive in on the tour were just as unique looking and in even better condition. There was this sense of personality infused in them that I found so refreshing in comparison to the cars in the U.S. which are much more uniform looking. I was able to drive in a pink convertible with eyelashes on the headlights that me and my friends loved. Our driver promptly told us her name was Lola and riding around in her was such an unforgettable experience that I think will go down as a core memory for me. Touring the city with the wind running through my hair and the music playing and seeing all of the unique architecture and vivacity of the city was such a cool perspective. Our driver even ventured off the path to avoid traffic which briefly made me think we were getting kidnapped, but ended up just making the tour that much more unique and amazing. We stopped by the Jose Marti Memorial which was an impressive sight to behold and got to look at more cars from other tours. Our driver spoke very little English which he apologized profusely for, even though if anything I feel like we were the ones with the responsibility to learn more Spanish, but despite the language barrier, we were able to connect. He showed us a photo of his daughter, and told Rory that he thought she looked like her and was very kind to us the whole trip. After the memorial, we continued the tour and were able to see the lush forest areas in addition to the urban side of the city, and even got to see a beautiful sunset over the ocean during this trip. It was a picturesque evening that was a highlight of the entire trip for me!

After the tour, we went to the welcome dinner at El Idilio with the staff of the API program who coordinated many of our activities in Cuba. We had more good food and were tasked by API Cuba’s resident director with sharing some of the innovative things that we saw that day. There were several to pick from, but an interesting point brought up was how there’s new innovation in the old of Cuba, from the restoration of classic cars to the maintenance of historical buildings. Havana may look like it’s stuck in a different time period, but in reality, it is a lively and vibrant city with the new infused among the old. This duality was really interesting to witness and be a part of on the trip. After the dinner, we returned to the residencia and were exhausted from a great, but tiring day. We decided to stay in and started an UNO game that grew to include many of the students on the trip and helped form bonds and friendly rivalries among the group. It was already growing to be a trip to remember and I went to bed, excited for all that was to come on the rest of our journey.