North-South - Cuba Slide Show 2020

North South Studies Field Trip

By Monasi Simonetta, Anders Koraen, Darcy Sabourin, Sophia Simmesgard and Frances Wheeler-Hughes

2019-2020

Havana

Nuestras familias cubanas While in Havana, we lived with host families. They were so kind, welcoming, and truly made us feel at home. We all became quickly attached to them.

They were extremely accommodating and overall amazing people with whom we all created strong bonds with.

El centro histĂłrico de La Habana Our ďŹ rst day in Cuba!

Although we were exhausted from our travels, we had the opportunity to explore Old Havana. The colourful buildings and historical architecture were a spectacular sight to see!

El Centro Martin Luther King During our stay in Havana, we spent a lot of time at the CMMLK. This center became our second home where we taught English to local Cubans. Our students were very passionate and motivated to learn, making it a truly enriching experience. Saying goodbye to them was deďŹ nitely one of the hardest parts of the trip.

Visita de la Fรกbrica de Arte Cubano This popular museum/night club had exhibits of many types of art including paintings, fashion, photography, cinema, and music.The art was really impressive and open to interpretation.

Museo de la Revoluciรณn We had the opportunity to visit this museum dedicated to the Revolution. Our tour guide gave us all the information we needed to successfully understand this historical time that marks Cuba to this day. A tour truly packed with lots of history!

Trabajo de mujeres We had the chance to visit this inspiring local business run by women. We chatted with these entrepreneurs that are part of this incredible organization that ďŹ ghts against patriarchy and addresses the issue of violence against women. They additionally work with the disabled in order to help them reintegrate into society. This was a very heartwarming talk.

DĂ­as en playa We got to spend two relaxing days at the beach. We all went swimming in the calm turquoise water. It was a blast! No better way to start the New Year than with a day at the beach with all your best friends!

Proyecto Comunitario Muraleando We visited a community center that was originally a garbage dump. All around the center were old recycled items from the dump that were turned into art. It was extremely impressive.

We additionally helped them clean the premises by raking leaves.

Trabajo en el OrganopĂłnico en Alamar We visited a farm that supplies a wide variety of foods to the people of Alamar.

We spent 2 days working hard, helping them pick out weeds in the ďŹ eld.

FundaciĂłn FĂŠlix Varela, proyecto de reciclaje y limpieza de la Coste Norte We visited a cleaning and recycling project where we helped pick up garbage on the beach. The area is known for its coral reef crest that is extremely important as it protects the island.

Organizaciรณn Oscar Arnulfo (sobre genero) We assisted a conference that explored the theme of gender in Cuba. This organization has many campaigns dedicated to increasing awareness on issues of gender violence and harassment. It was a very eye opening talk.

Puerto Esperanza

Viaje en la Guagua

After a long and exciting 10 days in Havana, many of us were tired and used the bus trip to catch a few z’s and work on our cuadernos. Sandor and Polo were having a great break from all of us, chatting and laughing together the whole bus ride.

El Campamento de la Iglesia el Pesebre The campground we stayed at was a paradise. There were chickens, goats and even horses to keep us company. The sunsets and sunrises were absolutely beautiful. We spent lots of time doing homework together in our shared dormitory!

Explorando Puerto Esperanza This town was the closest knit community we have ever seen. While we were walking down the streets, people would smile and greet us as if they had known us for a long time. The town itself was buzzing with activity with children playing soccer, people ďŹ shing o the dock and the dogs running around town.

Visita a la Vega de Tabaco

We got an exclusive tour of one of Cuba’s famous tobacco farms. Here we got to see the process that they go through to produce their cigars and additionally got to try them out ourselves! Not only did we get a tour of the farm but we also got the chance to go horseback riding around Viùales, which was spectacular!

El Proyecto La Camorra This organization was created to help kids living through diďŹƒcult times. The children of this center were full of energy, joy and love.

They performed numerous dances for us and we danced along with them! We additionally gave them a workshop on the environment.

Senderismo en Viñales

We went on a hike through the hills of Viñales and admired the breathtaking scenery. This area was apparently created by a meteor and is truly unique. We walked through fields and even went to explore a cave.

Late Night Shenanigans There weren’t as many activities to do during the night in Puerto Esperanza, which left us having to entertain ourselves. These nights were ďŹ lled with star-gazing, card games, jokes, hide and seek, and tag with our host siblings!

ComitĂŠ de Defensa de la RevoluciĂłn We had the opportunity to have a discussion with the members of the CDR, which was a very pertinent and interesting talk that helped us understand so much more about Cuba after the Revolution. On top of this, we were surprised by the children from La Camorra who put on a show full of singing and dancing!

Familias cubanas We spent 2 days with host families in Puerto Esperanza.

Their hospitality and friendliness was immeasurable. With our families, we participated in various activities including snorkeling, cooking, exploring of the town, playing dominos, horseback riding and of course riding on carriages (Caballooooo). This opportunity allowed us to experience the Cuban lifestyle in the countryside.

CiĂŠnaga de Zapata

Experto en CiĂŠnaga de Zapata We had the opportunity to attend a talk with a conservationist to discuss the conservation of the wildlife in Cienaga de Zapata.

This area contains extensive and varied ecosystems that are important to protect!

Proyecto Cultural Korimakao At this art center, we had the opportunity to watch dance, theatre and musical performances. We additionally viewed their art gallery. This center’s goal is to bring art to all parts of the country, even to the most remote areas of Cuba that don’t have artistic structures.

El Museo de Playa Girรณn This museum gave us the chance to learn all about the Bay of Pigs Invasion. We got to see the Cuban perspective on the famously failed U.S. invasion.

Beach bums!

The best part about our stay in the Bay of Pigs was the fact that our casas were right on the beach! We spent our nights watching the sun set, playing limbo and doing handstand competitions in the sand!

Santa Clara

H ospital visit We visited a cardiac hospital in Santa Clara where we attended a conference with a doctor who informed us about their world-renowned healthcare system.

We also got a tour of the hospital!

Centro de Inclusión Social (El Mejunje) At this LGBT cultural center that promotes social integration, one of the organizers talked to us about the activities they oer to the community, as well as their social campaigns. This place is great because it is an open space that is inclusive to all no matter their sexual orientation.

Memorial al Che Guevara This memorial houses the remains of Che Guevara and 29 of his fellow ďŹ ghters killed during Guevara’s attempt to spur an uprising in Bolivia. We learned all about this extraordinary revolutionary, from his birth to his death.

Escuela Primaria For the last activity of our trip, we

learned about the education system in Cuba. When we arrived, some of the children prepared an impressive dance performance! We had the opportunity to partake in a conference with some of the faculty, visit classrooms in which classes were taking place, and even got to meet some of the students!

Cuba 2019-2020, a trip to remember forever!