Our First Lecture

We started the warm winter day of January 6th by listening to our first lecture of the trip. Early that morning we entered a small room with the distinct sweet scent that reminded me exactly of an old veterinary clinic my family used to bring our pets to when I was a young boy. It was pleasant smell that made me feel at ease. We were introduced to CIPS, the Centro de Investigación Psicológicas y Sociológicas (Psychological and Sociological Research Center). Following the introduction, we began our first lecture on the topic of contemporary Cuba. In this lecture, the professor spoke to us in Spanish about various aspects of Cuban life and how they exist in modern-day Cuba, which our translator converted to English for us to follow along.

Lunch

After finishing our lecture, we headed straight to lunch. As we entered the building, we were greeted by a flight of stairs. While ascending I was startled to see a man staring directly at me — only to realize it was my own reflection in a well polished mirror. Eventually we reached the top which rewarded us with a beautiful rooftop view and incredibly comfortable couches.

For lunch I had 3 tacos, each filled with a different type of meat. The first taco had crab, the second had beef, and the third had chicken. Each taco was in a tortilla wrap with vegetables and one of the meats. Finally, for dessert I had the greatest of all desserts: flan. Words cannot describe my love for flan — I was even ready to cry tears of joy after hearing it was an option. After quickly scarfing down the delicious treat, we headed back to the busses. It was time for baseball!

Baseball

Near Ernest Hemmingway’s old house in Cuba, we played baseball with a group of local schoolchildren. In 1938, Hemmingway founded a children’s baseball team and allowed the kids to play by his house. It still exists as a free program for the children to join. However, to remain in the program, they need to maintain good grades in school.

The game began, and I found myself positioned in the field by first base. I had not played baseball since my tee-ball days in early elementary school, so I was a bit nervous about how I would perform. However, I quickly regained my confidence once I reassessed the situation. As it turned out, only one person in our group had much baseball experience, so we were all struggling together. We swapped between hitting and fielding a few times, and eventually the game was over, with my team destroyed beyond recovery. Following that, we headed over to the Hemmingway house.

The Hemmingway House

Our next stop was the Hemmingway house which was just a quick walk up the long driveway. Hemmingway lived here for 21 years of his life, and it is where he wrote two of his most famous book, “The Old Man and the Sea” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. The museum was closed when we visited but an exception was made for our group, so we basically had the museum to ourselves.

It was very interesting getting some perspective into what Hemmingway’s daily life may have looked like. It was a beautiful house with a beautiful view of Havana. We were also able to see Pilar, the boat that influenced Hemmingway’s books such as “The Old Man and the Sea”. While the boat would normally be by the harbor during Hemmingway’s time in Cuba, it was brought to where the tennis court as part of the museum after Hemmingway’s death. In front of the boat was the graves of Hemmingway’s 4 dogs.

Dinner and the King’s Day Ceremony

After we finished going through the Hemmingway Museum, we had a brief moment of breaktime before reconvening for dinner. We went back to the restaurant Razones y Motivos which we went to for most of our dinners. I decided to change up my order by getting some beef, which I think was a great choice because the meal was quite good. After we finished our dinner, we headed over to the King’s Day ceremony.

We arrived at an impressive fortress and walked our way up to a bridge that was high above a moat. After waiting for a few minutes by the bridge, a group of men dressed up in old British military gear marched their way over to us. One of the men stood at the edge of the bridge, close to us, and recited a speech from a regal looking script. Once he finished, we were able to enter the fortress.

Inside the fortress was an expansive path of stone road and walls encapsulating us into an area that was surprisingly cozy. Following the path, we eventually found ourselves by a group of market stalls. There was a cute baseball hat made of leather that I spotted that I would have loved to have bought. Unfortunately for me, this was the only time during the trip I did not bring my wallet. After a little more exploration of the markets, I went with a couple friends in our group to explore the rest of the fortress. We walked up the side of the fortress and saw a beautiful view of Havana. There was also a park, and what looked like what could have been a jail cell of sorts.

The Cannon Shot and a Goodnight

We eventually went back to the market area, and just as we arrived the soldiers from early began marching with a torch towards a cannon on the wall of the fortress. We followed them for a while, but we didn’t go all the way to the cannon because we were warned that the cannon shot would be so loud it would make our organs vibrate. Instead, we walked to an area a little bit away that still had a good view of the cannon. After a little bit of waiting, the cannon finally made its shot. It was a beautiful flash of orange with a loud bang. The noise was actually not quite as loud as I had expected, and I wish I had gotten a bit closer. But regardless, the ceremony was over. I met up with the rest of the group and headed back to the residence.

Some people went on a trip to Old Havana, but I was content with staying at the house. I talked to a friend about music for a little while on the roof of the residence. Later, I headed back to my room, devoured about six chocolate truffles I bought from a little market, brushed my teeth, and went to bed. It was another wonderfully eventful day in the Cuba trip. I think it may have even been my favorite of the days in the trip.