Program dates: 02/18/2015 – 05/27/2015
Academic study focuses on the study of the construction of the Cuban nation with emphasis on issues of race, slavery, socialism and relations with the U.S. The 9 students in Cuba had excursions to Santiago, Trinidad and Pinar del Rio. Students lived in dorms or residences near the ISA.
Recent posts [display all posts]
Cuba is and should be free - Cuba es y debe ser libre Elliott Young On my last night in Havana, I walked along the Malecón after a gluttonous meal at La Guarida, a rich paladar, and the set for the film Fresa y Chocolate, nestled in the poverty of Centro Habana. The Detrás del Muro project dots the seaside boardwalk with […]
Double Doubles - I turned twenty-two years old on May 22nd. Even in Cuba they call that a golden birthday. To celebrate the momentous event, our group decided to attend a U.S. Interests Section cocktail party at the Chief of Mission’s home in la Habana. To clarify, the United States does not have an embassy in Cuba. The […]
RAIN CUBA - All quieted in the city of Habana today when a tropical rainstorm hit the city for more than three hours booming and blasting over the entire landscape. Some of the students were lodged in the Presidente hotel our usual haunting ground for internet where apparently taxi cabs were literally bobbing up and down in the […]
KCHO - KCHO (Alexis Leiva Machado) is a contemporary Cuban artist whose work has been exhibited across the globe including in the United States (most notably in the MoMa). In the Havana neighborhood of Playa KCHO has constructed a huge studio where he invites other Cuban artists to collaborate with him in his workshop, exhibits Cuban works […]
Public art - We were lucky enough to be in La Habana for the 12th annual Biennial, a multi-week, bi-annual celebration of art in Havana. My last full day in Cuba, I took a stroll by myself down the Malecon, from Vedado to Habana Vieja. As part of the Biennial, there was a series of temporarily installed “public […]
The dramatic differences I’ve noticed since leaving Cuba - Life in Cuba was at times very difficult logistically. Without wireless internet or data, and costly phone plans, coordinating or completing simple tasks is difficult. For various reasons, long lines and bureaucratic nightmares made trips to hospitals or banks long excursions. At first, I romanticized the crowded buses and yelling “Ultimo” to figure out who […]
To be a Tourist? - Why do people travel? Is one reason more justified than another? Who is judging you when you are abroad? As I have been writing this research paper theorizing on these questions in the Cuban context, I have found it to be a struggle to place myself inside the research. In a number of ways the […]
Reflections on My Three Months inCuba - As I reflect on my entire experience in Cuba, I find it incredibly difficult to choose one anecdote or one theme to elaborate on that could serve as an explanation of my time here. Unfortunately, readers, I don’t think it’s that easy. I don’t think I am able to sum it up in 300 words, […]
Rural Ruins - Cuba is as filled with ruins as Greece. No, there is no Coliseum or Parthenon, but all around the country, there are ruins of projects started with the hyper-excitement following the triumph of the revolution, or ruins of a wealthy colonial past existing no more. Ruins are as much a part of the Cuban landscape […]
Home is Where the Pepperonata Is - We are at a unique point of the trip where I am finally feeling settled, and completely comfortable living here. I noticed this the other day as I was walking back from Toscana, my favorite restaurant here in Havana. The entire staff there knows me personally, knows what I order, what I am doing here, […]