January in Havana

We are just finishing our fourth week here in Havana and so far, it’s been so amazing. We finished our two week Spanish courses and have moved on to our development classes. As of tomorrow we will have finished a two week course titled ‘Political Economy of Cuba’. In the class we studied the colonial, neocolonial, and Revolutionary, the Soviet Union collapse, and present day politics. It’s been hard for me to keep up with everything; our professor speaks very fast and his classes are very fast moving. It’s been great for my Spanish though!

Every week we go on some sort of field trip. Last week we went to the Museum of the Revolution. What I found the most interesting is that the museum is in the old presidential palace so there are still bullet holes in the walls from the fight to take over. Each room had a different theme or different time frame of the Revolution, along with lots of pictures and memorabilia. Outside there was also replicas of the tanks/jeeps/and boats they used. We all had to reflect our thoughts the next day in class and we all agreed that it was very one sided,  but that we had all learned a great deal.

I have had the chance to explore a bit of the most popular religion here called Santeria. When slaves were brought over from Africa during colonial times they wanted to continue worshiping their Gods but were not allowed. In order to make it look like they were worshiping their new Christian Saints – they paired each of their Gods up with one of the Christian Saints. This religion is now called Santeria, which is a mix of Christianity and Afro-religion traditions, practiced by more than 70% of Cubans. During our Spanish classes my class went to the museum in Old Havana that has replicas of each God and our tour guide explained what the significance of each one is. Also, every Sunday there is a dance/ceremony/party close to where we live where musicians perform and people dance these amazing dances that are a form of celebration to each of the Gods.

We’ve been to the beach a couple of times now. It’s about a 30 minute bus ride out of the city – but so worth it. It hasn’t been too touristy yet, but within a month I’m sure it will start to pick up. The water has been amazing, and the general vibe of the beach has been great. Musicians walk up and down the beach and play traditional and popular Cuban songs as well as a lot of Beatles to please the tourists.

We’ve been having a lot of fun going out in Havana. Some of the girls live with other Cubans around out age who have taken us out to the non-touristy places at night which has been fun. So far we’ve been to a big club called La Casa de La Musica (the house of music), which has a live band ever night and a huge dance floor; Turf, a reggae ton bar; and La Cecilia a huge outdoor bar with a big stage with dancers and huge screens projecting music videos. Other nights we have just spent hanging out along the Malecon.

This past Friday was the torch march for Jose Martí. Martí could be called the first revolutionary of Cuba. He was hugely involved in the war of Independence in the early 1900s. It was Martí’s work that Fidel based many of his revolutionary actions on. This night is to honor his work and legacy. Students started gathering at the steps on the University then after a ceremony they walk down San Lazaro, then turn the corner and walk down to the Malecon. We stood on the street and watched as the youth marched yelling ‘viva Fidel, viva Raul, viva Jose!’ with all of their lit torches. There was easily hundreds of youth. After about a quarter of the crowd passed us we ran around the corner to Andrea and Mariah’s house who live at the top of an apartment building – so we ran up to the roof and watched the majority of the rest of the youth come around the corner and continue down the street. Then we decided to join in! We didn’t have torches and most were already out by the time we joined, but it was still so amazing to see. The march ended at the Malecon and then all the youth spread themselves all over the wall and streets leading to the Malecon – I’ve never seen anything like it.

Life in Havana has been great so far. We’re all adjusting and getting into daily routines which make it easier. The lack of internet is hard for all of us since we are so used to being in daily contact with family and friends. Also the phone connection is bad and very expensive. A side from that, the food is amazing, the city life is exciting, and our families are all so welcoming and wonderful. It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month!