Hola Cuba! ~ My Lessons Learned

Hola Cuba! My Lessons Learned
by Ayla Coles

Get out of your comfort zone and get into the world. 

As someone who was born and raised in the United States (and used to the standard of living such an upbringing entails), our initial arrival in old Havana was quite a shock. After getting picked up by our taxi from the airport, our driver drove us through the city to eventually drop us off at the Casa Particulares we were staying at. At first glance, all I saw were the crumbling buildings and stray dogs patrolling the street. But as we got settled and familiar with the city, I began recognizing the deep and rich cultural history found in our surroundings. The buildings, although in disarray, were monuments of another era. Many of them had been converted into museums- showcasing the histories of previous owners, natural sciences, or Cuban history. The cars were a similar story.. their bright colors and antiquated styles had our group feeling like we’d been transported 50 years into the past. It took a little while to get comfortable, but once I got over my preconceived notions and ideas about how life in Cuba ‘should’ be, I was able to see it for what it was: beautiful, painful, deep, and rich.

Local Experiences are the best experiences!

Because our trip was curated by a tour company (and guided by the restrictions a US visa carries), we didn’t have much time to explore on our own. Therefore, it was crucial to interact with locals whenever the opportunity arose. Luckily, since we stayed in Casa Particulares, we were able to meet and hang out with local families that gave us unfiltered insights into everyday life in Cuba. Additionally, we visited a few cultural projects on our tour- one site in particular allowed us to meet and speak with one of Cuba’s most renowned artist- Lester Campa. While visiting Lester, we were able to ask him about his opinions of the world, his life in Cuba, and his political inspirations as an artist. It was experiences like these that really captured my interest and sparked my love for this complex but loving country.