Cuba is more than a beach. ~ Susan Lord Okay, so today was a whirlwind of emotion. After breakfast, a few of us grabbed an early taxi so we could go to the absolutely gorgeous Playa Santa Maria (Santa Maria Beach) for the entire day. The weather was beautiful and the hot sun beating down definitely signified a great day at the beach. The taxi ride there was a bit awkward, because our cabbie got pulled over once for speeding and we all watched in amazement as he forcefully argued over the ticket with the policeman (even tapping him on the arm repeatedly!). Jeez, in Canada if you so much as brushed against a police officer you will probably get arrested right then and there. Anyway, in a move of defiance, the cabbie jumped back in ... read more

"A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past." ~ Fidel Castro Today’s schedule was a little bit different than usual. We boarded the bus at 8:30am (no morning lecture) and set out on the 2.5 hour drive from Cuba’s northern coast (where Havana is located) to the southern coast, to Playa Giron, more commonly known as ‘The Bay of Pigs.’ On our way down the highway (which has no lines painted on it, or signs along the side of the road), we saw a multitude of hitchhikers holding wads of money in their hands as they waited for a pickup. Ernesto mentioned that hitchhiking is very common and safe in the country because Cubans see it as a way of showing courtesy to their fellow ... read more

“Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love.” ~ Ernesto "Che" Guevara Today was my favourite day in Havana yet! First of all, this morning our class was honoured to have the famous Cuban scholar, Rafael Hernandez, co-author of The History of Havana, as our guest lecturer. He talked quite a bit about how the geographical location of Cuba shaped a lot of its social, political, and economic policies. After our three-hour lecture, our class boarded the Havanatur bus with our guide, Ernesto, and drove through one of Havana's two underwater tunnels, under the bay, in order to visit the Spanish fortress that was built to protect the city from pirates. From the fortress you could view the entire coastline of Havana along the ... read more

"Condemn me, it does not matter, history will absolve me." ~ Fidel Castro Today we awoke bright and early for our first lecture in Havana about Cuban Independence and Democracy. Our classroom is on floor twenty-three of ENSAP in a very hot and stuffy room. The two air conditioners at the back were working their hardest, I'm sure, but not to the point of noticeably cooling the room down. Our lecturer talked about the social inequities that still exist in Cuba today. Although the Revolution was successful in eliminating institutionalized sexism and racism, the Revolution did not, and cannot, eliminate the learned prejudices that exist within people's subconscious. Hence, as in the rest of the world, there still exists (to an extent) discrimination against women, peoples of African descent, and members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, ... read more

"In truth, men speak too much of danger." ~ Jose Marti I have arrived! Touching down at the Jose Marti International Airport (15 km southwest of Havana) was cause for a huge personal sigh of relief. I had successfully lasted the 1am four-hour Coach Canada bus ride from Kingston to the Toronto Pearson Airport and then the 3.5 hour flight from Toronto to Cuba, and I (thankfully) did it all without losing my passport. Stepping off the plane in Cuba was like stepping into a hot oven. The heat just hits you like a brick wall. It reminded me of that uncomfortable feeling you get when you accidentally inhale some hot air coming out of a furnace vent. Or somewhat akin to the suffocation you feel when you drive in a car that has been sitting ... read more