After a night of putting our salsa skills to the test while exploring the nightlife in Cuba, I woke up to sunlight coming through the frosted windows and the sound of roosters. While some of my peers were annoyed by this untimely alarm clock, I found some comfort in this sound, having grown up raising chickens in Central Massachusetts. Now in a foreign country, I found myself seeking familiarity, even in the smallest of things that seemed of complete unimportance or even, like the roosters, a nuisance.
Before the Cuba Study Abroad Program, I had never set foot in a plane let alone traveled far outside of New England. Upon telling family members and friends when I signed up for the trip, many expressed apprehension and weariness that over time spread to me. However, after exiting the plane in Havana at the Jose Marti Airport and riding the bus to La Residencia where we would be staying, I slowly began realizing I had made the right decision in signing up. If anything, I now worry that future trips to other countries might prove underwhelming, lacking the everyday excitement and challenges we faced as a group in Cuba. I also doubt that I would find such an amazing group of friends to share the experience with as I did during this trip.
After quickly getting dressed and packing my bag for the day, I walked upstairs to the breakfast provided by la residencia, Casa Vera. They served toast, fruits, and what I would consider some of the best eggs I have ever had. Loading into the bus, our driver, Carlos, set off for the San Jose Art Fair, one of my most anticipated destinations of the trip. The fair took place inside of a large, two-story warehouse packed full of booths and vendors.
We split off into smaller groups and began exploring the downstairs, which consisted of all sorts of typical tourist souvenirs—magnets, keychains, and pins. The vendors were persistent in trying to catch the attention of anyone walking by, which proved slightly overwhelming and stressful. Even if uninterested in the booth, in an attempt to avoid being rude, I found myself going over to the booths and briefly speaking with people which I enjoyed. After going over to a woman selling bracelets, the group of girls I went with decided to get matching bracelets made of various colored rocks. In the following days, we began noticing random splotches of bright colors on our hands, arms, and clothes, which we soon realized was dye leeching off of the bracelets. This didn’t deter us from continuing to wear them though.
Moving upstairs, there were rows and rows of paintings and photographs. With each artist’s station consisting of fairly unique pieces, this contrasted greatly with the repetitive items downstairs. Many paintings depicted the music scene in Cuba, such as a man playing a trumpet or a group of colorfully dressed women with drums, while other paintings illustrated the streets of Cuba, such as the old 1950s cars or the crowded streets of Old Havana.
One piece I bought was a watercolor painting of a hummingbird made by a kind, soft-spoken woman. With my Spanish speaking skills questionable at best, we spoke English as she told me about the technique used in creating the painting and the type of hummingbird, a bee hummingbird, which is native to Cuba and the smallest bird in the world, depicted in the piece. Despite her calm demeanor, she expressed pride in her work and made sure I could see all of her pieces up close, taking them down for me to hold.
Before leaving, some students stopped off at the bathroom where, to our surprise, required us to pay. In order to enter and receive toilet paper at some places in Cuba, you have to pay some unfixed amount of either Cuban pesos or US dollars. Also, it was important for us to remember to not flush the toilet paper because the pipes are too old to handle it. Many of the bathrooms tended to lack either a toilet seat, proper lock, or soap, but by the end of the trip, this became normal. We would prepare by bringing tissues and hand sanitizer just in case.
Next, we headed off to Guanabo, a small beach town in the Province of Havana only forty minutes out from the city where we were to listen to a lecture from a Cuban Marine Biologist. Upon arriving and viewing the sand and water, I was shocked by the contrast between the streets in the city, typically filled with people and the smell of diesel, to the sight of the quiet beach. During the lecture, we learned about coral bleaching which is the process of coral turning white due to different stressors including changes in light, available nutrients, and water temperature. Another issue for coral along the coast of Cuba is white syndrome, a disease resulting in lesions, tissue loss, and potentially death for the organism. Mangroves are also vital to the Cuban coastal ecosystem. In general, marine biologists are working to mitigate the damage being done to these coastal ecosystems by climate change, pollution, and other factors.
After the lecture, we finally headed into the water which seemed like the perfect temperature; however, according to one of our API program managers, Sarah-Lis, the water was way too cold. Many of us commented on how easy it felt to float, only having to slightly lean back, as a result of how salty the water is. We ended up playing chicken, or attempting to since it proved challenging to get up on our partner’s backs. Many of us either ended up hanging on for dear life as we slid off or seemingly drowning our partner underneath as they couldn’t stand back up with the added weight. While swimming, it didn’t feel like we were in any specific country or location, it just felt like I was spending time with a group of friends. We could have stayed there for hours on hours if we were able to.
Getting out of the water, we noticed that at the adjacent house, a man was cutting open coconuts and selling them. A group of us headed over and entered the backyard, surprised to find a small, young crocodile in a caged area. Heading back onto the beach, a group began playing soccer, eventually trading a coconut for an actual soccer ball, while a few others and I went to walk down the beach. There were seashells and sea glass along the shore which we collected, as well as chipped pieces of tile and trash.
Noticing a storm coming in, as the winds and waves intensified, and the sky darkened, we headed in to eat. A buffet-style meal with rice, beans, vegetables, chips, fish, and lobster was waiting for us. While I initially worried that I may not like the food in Cuba, I found the complete opposite to be true—I miss it greatly. From the croquettes to the taro root to the coconut ice cream, nearly every single meal was delicious. Typically at restaurants, the service seemed longer than one would expect in the US, but the quality of food usually made it worth the wait. Every meal concluded with some sort of dessert and a small serving of coffee.
Having to leave the beach in Guanabo was bittersweet, but there was always something planned next on the itinerary to keep us busy. After returning to the residencia to clean up and have a quick meal, we drove out to el Morro fortress for the Canonazo Ceremony. Every night at 9 PM, a cannon is shot off to alert the closing of gates intended to protect the city from enemies. The men performing the ceremony dress in traditional style attire as they march over to the cannon. While we were able to get a good viewing spot, I was slightly worried about being so close since we were warned many times about how loud the shot was. Prompted by the playing of a drum, the shot rang out as I blocked my ears and felt the vibration from the cannon.
Looking out over the fortress walls, I could see the water and other parts of the city lit up in the night. Despite these lights, outside of the main streets, it was fairly dark at night which made walking on the cracked and hole-ridden sidewalks a daunting task. Our program manager advised us to walk in the middle of the road as a safer option, which we followed and found to be true.
After the ceremony, we went back to La Residencia to play some Uno. One game took nearly an hour to finish, possibly due to my bad shuffling but we will never know for sure. We ended up teaming up to try to get anyone to win. While going out at night was always fun and eventful as I got to meet locals and explore a new city, the nights playing Uno were just as memorable. From visiting Cuba, I learned how my own everyday life in the United States is not the reality for many people. While the material standards in terms of amenities and resources were less, the collectivist mindset of Cuba was an improvement in my eyes from the individualistic mindset in America. A sense of belonging and community can greatly improve one’s quality of life. This and the group of friends I made during my time in Cuba are what I will miss most, but I am excited to continue traveling—learning and engaging with communities across the world.