Orientation Week Part 1

Orientation Week Part 1

Hey!
Still alive here in Havana and having a blast. I am definitely starting to get the hang of things here and loving it. Viva Cuba Siempre!

We started our welcome week orientation yesterday by meeting the students from UNC Chapel Hill. They’re living about a 10 minute walk from us near to the University of Havana. We all walked to la Universidad and met our academic advisor, Milagros Martinez, who gave us a warm welcome to the school. As a group, we walked up a set of long stairs on the main campus up to the Alma Mater de la Universidad de Habana. The statue has open arms and is the face of the higher education system of Cuba, which is held in high esteem. After that, we met in the Jose Marti building for an introduction to the school and our courses. It all sounds exciting and will start next week.

After that, we went to the bank, got our student ID photos taken and had lunch. All of that was on Cuban time, meaning that it went at a slow pace, like the bank took an hour and a half, digital picture development was 50 minutes (which wasn’t too bad) and a leisurely lunch, which was actually a really nice change. A singer and guitarist serenaded us during our lunch and I got to play their gourd to accompany them.

We had some relaxation time at the residence, which turned into a laugh-fest in Cate and my room about nothing and everything. Dinner was exceptional, with fruta bomb, rice and beans, fresh tuna, plantains, custard and Cuban coffee. I am seriously enjoying this food. We headed to the bar to hang out for a while and watched soccer with the bartenders for the rest of the night.

Today, we had a tourist day in the suburbs of Habana. First, we went to Miramar (which means Oceanview, but ironically there are buildings all along the shore that prevent any view from the district) and saw a scale model of the city, including every single building with incredible detail. Then, we headed to Old Havana for the afternoon. We had a fun lunch with waitresses that salsa danced and crazy Cuban pop music videos. In total the meal took over 2 hours for sandwiches and kebabs, which was crazy, but fun. On our way back to meet the group, Martin, Joe, Mark, Katie, Cate and I stumbled upon la Plaza de la Catedral. It is an absolutely gorgeous square with brightly colored buildings and cafes that lead up to a colonial-era ornate Cathedral. Then it started raining…a lot. So we cancelled our tour of Habana Vieja and headed home.

We sat out on our porch for a while, which has turned into one of my favorite places in the house. The chairs are incredibly comfortable, there’s a nice breeze and it’s a perfect for hanging out with everyone. Then we went to la Rampa, one of the main streets here in Vedado to buy some music and ice cream…aka my favorites. Both were incredible. So was dinner, more fruit, rice and beans, meat, fried sweet potatoes and salad.

Cuba is great, definitely a lot to learn, but it’s been great thus far. We’re very fortunate in the place that we’re living and the opportunities that we’re being exposed to, but it’s also very clear that that isn’t possible for many of the people that we meet. The food ration card is very limiting and isn’t enough to live on, but on the other hand, it’s something and medical and education are completely paid for by the state. So there are a lot of interesting things here. The way I’ve kind of come to explain it is a beautiful, organized jumble. We’ll see if that lasts.

Anyway, I have to head off, but I’ll talk to you all soon!