On Sunday, January 22, students had a self-directed learning and leisure day. In this blog, three students share their experiences. You will read that these students engaged in many of the same activities, yet appreciated different aspects of their experiences. Enjoy!

Blog #1 by Andrew Frederick

I think in reflection, it is very important to be able to disconnect and find a work life balance. And today, I felt like I was really able to do that. Professionally, there are a lot of CEUs about burn out and work life balance due to Covid and that today was a great example of finding that balance. Moreover, as a leader I think that it is important to let your team know that you need to take time off, and take care of yourself, and that you should not feel bad for doing that.

Today was a day for each of us to enjoy the parts of Havana that we are curious about but maybe hadn’t had the chance to explore.

I set out to tour the Museo National de Bellas Artes with a few classmates. The visual art housed there ranged from Colonial art, Modern art and Contemporary art, from 16th century to today. While we were waiting for the museum to open, we met some local moms who were eager to watch their children perform in the museum theater.

The museum’s collections showed a wide range of talents and offered a glimpse of Cuban people and history in good times and difficult periods.

We found our way back to the Market as some of us still had shopping to do. The vendors at the booths are true sales people, and if they’re not, they probably don’t make it very long. They know how to make a quick connection to their customer, zero in on customer interest then start the negotiation. Next thing you know, you’re buying a larger quantity of your desired product for a lower unit price, making you feel like you got a good deal and they are moving inventory!

After a delicious lunch at an air conditioned restaurant, a few of us set off on a city tour in a ‘57 Chevy convertible with our new friend, Maikel. He showed us the typical highlights like the capital and Revolution Square but also the cemetery (only cemetery with a Catholic on premise), drove through a lovely neighborhood and past a park where families were enjoying a beautiful afternoon by the river.

Getting to visit with Maikel, our driver, may have been the highlight though. He talked about his required military service, his education path (free education in Cuba), how his daughter lives in the US now and is planning to sponsor him to move to the States. He wishes things could return to the Obama era when tourism was busy, greatly improving their economy.

It was such a treat to enjoy an amazing Sunday in Cuba!

Today, Sunday, was a free day to enjoy Havana, continue work on our self-directed learning projects, and relax! We are just past the halfway point of our trip and many of us share the sentiment that time is going by too quickly! We want to soak up as much of this special place as we can before we head home on Friday. As our group started to discuss potential plans for our free Sunday, I knew I wanted to spend time at one of the many art museums in Havana (my self-directed learning is about public access to art in Cuba) as well as return to the San Jose market to find some items to bring home. Lucky for me, a group of my classmates were also interested in seeing some art, so after a delicious and hearty breakfast at our casas particulares, we hailed a taxi (a 1951 Chevrolet) and off we went!

When we arrived at the museum, it was thirty minutes before they opened but the steps of the museum were already filled with groups of people. One of our classmates, who is fluent in Spanish and great at meeting new people, struck up a conversation with the group that was gathered next to us and in the process, learned that they were there with their children who were preparing to put on a production of The Lion King (El Rey Lion) in the museum that morning. Thanks to my classmate’s wonderful Spanish and relationship-building skills, one of the women in the group said she would try to get us tickets to the show and would find us later in the museum to give them to us.

With that, we entered, purchased our museum admission, which was quite affordable (We also noted that the prices for local Cubans, especially students, were even more affordable!) and set off exploring. We were in the Cuban art building and had the opportunity to view art from several periods of history in Cuba, including more current artists. The museum had three floors of beautifully lit galleries and I felt so grateful to be strolling through such a lovely place, on a sunny Sunday, experiencing art that was almost entirely new to me. Just as she promised, about 45 minutes into our time in the museum, the woman we’d met out front found us and gave us tickets to see the production! We could only stay for the first 30 minutes of the show, but it was wonderful. Children of all ages singing, dancing, and acting, wearing beautiful costumes in an auditorium filled with their friends and family (and us)… I felt lucky to be there and grateful for my classmate for making the connection for us. The woman we had met, whose son played Scar, told us they had been preparing for the production for a year! As we continue to learn more about Cuba, it’s evident that art is an important part of life here in Havana and I felt happy to have had a morning immersed in several forms of it.

From the museum, we took another taxi to San Jose craft market and quickly divided up with a plan to meet back at a meeting point in 30 minutes. For most of us, our cell phone service access in limited in Havana (in part, due to the US blockade) and we rely on visits to local WiFi access points (parks, a hotel nearby) and internet cards to communicate with our families and friends back home. This means when we are out and about with our classmates, we need to make plans, stick to them, and keep our eyes out for one another…there is no ability to text “running 10 minutes late!” So we do our best to be punctual, flexible, and look out for our classmates. So far, it’s worked out great. I spent some time on the 2nd floor of the market, which featured art for sale by local Cuban artists. I connected with an artist who had paintings of fish, scenes of Havana, and cats drinking Cuban coffee. The artist and her work were equally delightful and after deciding on three pieces (two fish and an old car), I hurried back to the meeting point and then over to lunch across the street with our small group.

We enjoyed fresh drinks, and a lunch with variety - tacos for some, pasta and risotto for others - it was all delicious. We took stock of what we’d purchased so far, how much cash we each had left (in USD and in CUP) and decided we’d dive back in for one more stroll through the market. There are endless stands filled with artists and sellers offering hand-crafted goods (baskets, bags, sandals) and souvenirs (magnets, t-shirts, drink-ware). We did our best to bargain for the best price and I enjoyed connecting with the sellers and artists, many of whom spoke English and shared about their craft or asked questions about where I was visiting from. Like any large market, it felt overwhelming at times, but our group left feeling happy, satisfied with our purchases, and ready for a rest! We took our last taxi of the day home and parted ways with plans to meet in front of our building later in the evening to track down dinner. I came home and showed my host-mom my new souvenirs, told her about the impromptu children’s theatre production, and spent some time reflecting on the day. She is always warm, welcoming, and eager to hear about our day and share about her life - I am so grateful for her!

As we look ahead to the final week of our trip, I know these days will move quickly and I am already thinking about what it will feel like to part ways with this group, our host families, and beautiful Havana. We have a group of students and professors who care for one another and are embracing this experience fully and I know it will be hard to say goodbye. I am also thinking about how we can thoughtfully share about our experience in Cuba when we return home, especially with folks who have never been to Cuba and may hold some of the same assumptions many us did before this trip. It’s not easy to summarize an experience like this in short conversations, but I hope to represent the beauty, complexity, and joy of our trip, our program, and what we have experienced of Cuba with depth, honesty, and grace.