Colors of Cuba

Ekka
May 30, 2019
4 min read

Updated: Feb 4, 2020

Cuba has been a place I have dreamed of visiting. Three years ago, I got the chance to travel to this captivating island. The Business School at Saint Peter's University offered this trip as a travel course. My friend, Dessa convinced me to go on the journey with her; I was hesitant at first, but her determination persuaded me. I was still new to traveling the world, on my own, but I knew this would be a trip of a lifetime.

As the day of the trip approached, my mother helped me pack my luggage. My mother is the best person to pack for trips. I need to learn from her lol. Both of my parents accompanied me to get dropped off at JFK airport. Once we arrived at the airport, we had to go to a different level to check in our bags. Since Cuba is a Communist country, there is a separate ticket counter for the country. Once we arrived at the ticket counter, I met my friends there and said my farewells to my parents.

One of my friends, Kevin, checked in his luggage and the woman in the ticket counter told him that his luggage was overweight. I laughed because he looked like he was going to be traveling for months. He had to pay an extra fee because it was overweight. Once he finished paying, my other friends and I waited with our professors for everyone else to finish checking in.

Before we knew it, it was time to board our plane. The trip took about two hours to three hours. Our first stop was Havana, the capital of Cuba. We stayed in an unusual type of hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, I noticed that my phone was unable to work. Then all of my classmates and I were located in different buildings of the hotel. We had to go outside to go back into the hotel; the structure of the hotel was odd.

The hotel also had limited time for Wi-Fi. So, there was no way of getting in touch with my family back home because my phone was useless. Luckily my friends allowed me to use their phone to communicate with my family.

Despite the accommodations of the hotel, the tour of the city was astonishing. The country has not changed for the last fifty years. The old cars turned into vintage taxis; coco taxis were another type of vehicle used to transport people from place to place. During our stay in Cuba, we got to visit two cities, Havana and Varadero.

In Havana, my classmates and I explored the plaza; where local artists showcased their art pieces and crafts to sell to tourists. I bought a large and colorful watercolor painting of Old Havana. I was not sure how I was going to pack this painting inside my luggage, but I will manage to make it fit. LOL

The following day, we explored local museums and a fortress. We witnessed the changing of the guards, where they fired the cannon, back in the old times.

Cuba has a different political system, compared to the United States; it a communist country. Communism means that there are no social classes. The education system in Cuba is free to all of its citizens. Cuba is also known to have the best medical schools in the world. It was interesting to see how other countries function compared to my home country.

We also got the opportunity to explore one of the prestigious universities in the world, the University of Habana. Students from all over the world, who wish to study medicine, make an effort to study in Cuba.

On our last day in Havana, we got to witness an Afro-Cuban salsa dance at a salsa club. It was the life of the party! We also got to dance with the dancers, it was a lot of fun!

The beach was just a few walks down our hotel room. The beaches had clear water and gorgeous sunsets. he best beaches in the world. We stayed in a villa; the villa is the hotel room. My classmates and I were thrilled to be staying in the villas; it was like living in paradise.

The beach was just a few walks down our hotel room. The beaches had clear water and gorgeous sunsets.

We explored the coffee plantation site and small artesian shops. One of those artesian shops was a painter that made beautiful cards and paintings on recycled material. Before we left the shop, I bought a few pieces of art for my mother and myself. :) With only a day left of our trip, the professors wanted everyone to come together and enjoy one last meal I hope to travel to Cuba again. I had a great time making new friends on this trip and exploring the rich history of Cuba.

Cuba is a country with vibrant colors and grand beaches. It also had delicious foods such as ropa vieja- a national dish in Cuba and croquetas, and pastelitos. I'm the only one in my family who got to travel to Cuba. When I came back from my trip to Cuba, all of my family and friends asked me about the trip.

My grandparents (especially my grandpa) enjoyed all of my pictures, especially the architecture, the beaches, and the cars. Cuba converted the vintage-styled cars to taxis. One day, I hope that I can bring my grandparents to this extraordinary country.