The #FreeSiawale Movement

We have finally landed in Cuba! In our first 15 minutes, we saw just how different Cuba really was. I (Siawale) was stopped by customs and they directed me to have my luggage searched. Because I didn’t speak Spanish fluently, I had no idea what was going on or when I was going to be able to leave. While waiting for my release from Customs, this started the hashtag #FreeSiawale in our group. While I was waiting, I saw others who had to get their luggage searched. Items like flash drives, hot stoves, and camera, were confiscated. During the entire waiting time, it was somewhat shocking to see just how strict Cuba was and made me wonder why these items were not allowed in. After waiting about an hour, I was screened and Señorita Manuel came to my rescue to help me understand exactly what was going on. Nothing deemed suspicious was found in my bag and I was finally allowed to enter Cuba! The picture in the banner above is mean once I was "freed."

After leaving Jose Martí airport, we traveled to Havana Vieja (Old Havana), where a complete culture shock descended on us. There was a dance festival going on, in which dancers and musicians were on stilts performing through the city. We were fortunate enough to catch them around the park where we had a quick snack.

We then proceeded to have a quick walking tour of Havana Vieja and we saw and heard music throughout the city. There were bands playing guitars and singing well-known songs like "Guantanamera" and "Bailando" for tourist. While on the walking tour, we were able to see notable status of historical figures like Jose Marti. He is celebrated throughout the entire island with many different art pieces.

After the walking tour, we had a salsa dance lesson because in Cuba, everybody dances. Our instructor showed us just how diverse Cuba is with dance and song. There were a lot of influences of Caribbean and African sounds and it was really exciting to see how Cuba blends them all together. It was also fun to watch myself struggle with my two left feet!

To end our night, we walked to dinner at Paladar San Cristóbal where the Obamas ate when they visited Cuba. It was a pretty interesting start to our trip.