If you’ve ever considered signing up for a Learning Across Borders (LAB) trip through Pingree, I highly recommend it. I had the opportunity to travel to Havana, Cuba, last year with my middle school. Though it wasn’t organized though Pingree, it was an incredible experience that I’ll appreciate for the rest of my life.
Our first flight from Boston eight in the morning, the next at three in the afternoon from Miami, and a six PM landing time, we had arrived. Havana, Cuba. The trip of a lifetime, and what my entire grade had been looking forward to for months and months.
We started off strong. Getting to our first Airbnb, exploring the area, and getting ready for our first night out in the more historical part of town, Old Havana. We then headed to our dinner reservation, at a tourist-only restaurant. The food was amazing, the music and people were lively, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. We were all so confused because the plastic caps on the water bottles don’t come off after you’ve unscrewed them.
On our second day we got up pretty early to go visit a program that helps children who are malnourished or disadvantaged, about a twenty minute drive from our Airbnb to Guanabacoa. We brought bags of toiletries, candy, school supplies, and more necessities. In Cuba, it is harder for the people who live there to get basic supplies and essentials. Because of this, my school had always made sure to bring many extra suitcases of things that people would often take advantage of in America. After singing, playing with blocks, and doing some educational activities, we headed back to the house for a quick cool-off swim in the pool. Following our dip, we went back to our separate houses to get ready for a trip to the British Ambassador’s residence – an exclusive chance to have a Q&A with a Diplomacy Officer and other government figures. Though I can’t disclose what was mentioned during our session, the information was eye-opening.
It was definitely hard to sleep that night, which was not good because we had to get up super early to get back on the road to make our snorkeling reservation at the site of the Bay of Pigs invasion.
After a sharp wakeup at 6 in the morning, we got ourselves into the cars at around 7:30. The ride was about 3 hours, and mostly we slept, ate, or talked. The ride actually took longer than it was supposed to because of the road conditions and how people drive in Cuba.
A common stereotype in Cuba is that everyone drives old cars, dating back to the 1960’s. This is only true because they haven’t been able to trade with other countries for almost 70 years. Since these cars are almost a century old, the Cuban people need to drive very, VERY carefully to keep them in their condition.
When we arrived on the sunny beach, there were instructors waiting for us. After what felt like a million safety measures and lots of sunscreen, we finally hit the water. It was so much warmer than anyone expected, and the color was a beautiful teal blue color, almost neon looking. After figuring out our gear and how to breathe underwater, it felt like a dream. The clear water, the swimming fish, and all of the history around us. The guides then took us above and around a shipwreck, which was honestly one of the best sights I’ve ever seen. The balance between scary and beautiful underwater is spectacular.
We spent the entire day in the water. After getting out of the ocean, we only crossed the street to find this huge sinkhole filled with warm water. The deeper you went, the colder it got, which was proved by backflips and dives. The guides told us it went down to around 500 meters.
After living out the real-life experience of 49 meters down, we packed ourselves up and back into the car, to head to, yet another beach. The drive was definitely not long, and totally worth it. The water was a gorgeous teal color, and it felt like you were walking into a pool because it slowly receded deeper. Since the water was so shallow, it was the perfect place for my friends and I to lay down and tan or to play taps. After our long, sunny day, we headed back to Havana for a quieter dinner on the sunset.
We got up bright and early the next day for a private tour of the Fábrica de Arte, an art museum in Havana known for its sustainable pieces and named one of Time Magazine’s greatest places in August 2019. The most interesting exhibit there by far was a large canvas pierced with spoons. There were 66 spoons, each one representing one year since 1959, when the revolution started. Each utensil had about a teaspoon of rice in it, showing how the people of Cuba barely scrape by with the government-appointed rations.
After our thought-provoking tour, we took a short car ride to the Capitol building, El Capitolio, Cuba’s most well-kept building. The premises is around the same size as the building back in the US, but the dome on top of El Capitolio is taller by about a meter. After taking many, many photos in front of the impressive building, our teacher promptly told us to get in groups of three or four. After pairing, we were told we were going to be riding in some of the old cars I mentioned earlier. For everyone, that was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. Riding through the historical streets, our hair blowing furiously in the wind, and the incredibly loud horns the cars had, made for some of the best memories from that trip possible.
Overall, my too-short trip to Cuba was one of the most unique, unforgettable, and amazing experiences I have ever had. Not only was it incredibly interesting, it changed my perspective when we got back to the USA. I realized how lucky we are to have opportunities, a good education, or even just the freedom to buy whatever kind of food we want. It was one of the most unique and cherished trips I’ll ever have.
