Summer in Cuba: The End, Perhaps
The final week, as I expected, was somehow both too slow and too fast. There were no more big group activities scheduled, as we were encouraged to go wherever we’d like in our own free time and finish up all remaining class work. This involved a lot of hunkering down and spending many hours in the previously mentioned Hotel Presidente. Most of this was writing, brainstorming, and editing. Not one person had perfectly kept up to schedule of daily reflections, though some did better than others. Consuming Cuban cultural products like films and plays, reflecting on them and their place in broader Cuban context and history, then writing our authentic thoughts about them in Spanish is exhausting for a person still learning the language, though very rewarding once completed. Once I finished all of my reflections, I felt a wave of relief and pride in my own efforts wash over me. My accomplishments made me savor my last few meals in Cuba even more.
The second thing we all had to do was create a final “movie” for the film class that reflected on our experience in Cuba and makes somewhat of a comment on Cuba as a whole. One of my classmates did hers on the many stray cats throughout the Cuban streets, another did his on the best meals that he had. For me, I did mine on Cuban night life, piecing together brief clips of Cuban partiers and dancers before filtering it all into black and white for an artsy effect. For this project, I was most inspired by the music of the Obsesión duo who had visited us in the second week. Another classmate, whose film was my favorite, made hers about gender relations on the island. I aided her in gathering clips of some of the more unpleasant experiences. What I know now is that gender relations anywhere, in Cuba or in the United States or whatever country, are not perfect. No country is truly as progressive as it’d like to portray itself as. The path towards equal treatment, in the entire world, is a long one, one you can’t stop trekking.
That Thursday, our final class day, in each class we reflected and ruminated on the past month. After a rocky first week of adjustment and traveler’s sickness, we realized the month had zipped by us before we could really grab at it, hold it with us. All I could say is that I’m glad I came, I’m glad I got through it, and I’m so thankful for all I’ve learned and experienced.
We then presented the sum of our work, including discussing what our final papers would be about (due about a week after our return to the United States) and our films. Some were a bit humorous, others were sad. That evening we went out to a restaurant with all ten of us and our professors. I had also wanted to go out after, but an “empanada,” or this restaurant’s strange (but delicious) pizza stuffed with muffaletta ingredients had absolutely taken me out for the night. I fell asleep that night satisfied, but with a bit of a brick in my stomach from my large meal and anxiety – I was going to be home in about thirty-six hours.
That Friday we had no class, as was usual for the month. Some went to Old Havana to shop for souvenirs, others went to a bakery. I stayed in, talking a bit with some of the employees of Casa Vera. I sat still in the Cuban sun that beamed down and just took it all in. Recent news in America meant this might have been my only chance to visit this little island, at least for the foreseeable future. A lump was in my throat.
That night, the Casa cooked their final dinner for us. It was chicken, black beans and rice. A delicious classic. I had never eaten so many beans and so much rice in my life as in the past month. I think I’ll miss it, just how organic and fresh everything was there. The owner of the casa, Aleida, gave us a heartfelt speech, saying that we were a great group of many different personalities, and that she and her employees would all miss us. Some of us teared up. We ended that night with a slice of coffee cake.
As for what to write here: what can I? In this final paragraph I could not do justice to my very complex feelings about Cuba, its history, and its current situation. I don’t want to perpetuate stereotypes or assert I know anything more about it than others. I only stayed there for a month, in the context of an educational environment, and with my U.S. dollars and U.S. citizenship giving me special privileges. I know two things for sure. One, whatever someone wants to say about the country and its government, it is not a wasteland. Impoverished, sure. Needing improvement? Yes, as does every country, I would say, though more than others for sure. Two: whenever it may be, however long it may take for me, I’d like to revisit. There are still more towns to visit, and still more people to talk to and foods to try and dances to…attempt. There’s always more to experience and more to love about a country and its people. Cuba is no exception. In every place and every country, rough times do not dampen the human spirit.
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Summer in Cuba is a 4-week summer program sponsored by the Stone Center for Latin American Studies and the Cuban and Caribbean Studies Institute at Tulane University. It caters to undergraduate Spanish students seeking a unique, immersive linguistic and cultural experience in Cuba. You can learn more about the Summer in Latin America programs here.
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