Katharine Meinhover
I have been assigned the seemingly impossible task of writing about our “return” to Minnesota after two weeks in Havana, Cuba. How do I summarize all the experiences from our busy daily schedule listening Professors from the University of Habana, enjoying the local cuisine, wandering the streets of Vedado and Habana Vieja, observing the beautiful Spanish/European inspired architecture, watching the 1940’s/50’s style automobiles drive by, saying “Hola” and “Bueno Dia” to almost everyone we pass on the street, and many shared experiences with our host families… well, I can’t summarize all the experiences, but I think all of our blog posts give a great idea of our amazing collective experience!
I am writing this blog post from my favorite coffee shop in south Minneapolis- watching the snow fall while listening to Cuban Reggaeton music I downloaded yesterday. I just finished reading a Smithsonian Magazine article about the 60th Anniversary of the January 11th, 1959 announcement that signified the beginning of the Fidel Castro Regime and Cuban Revolution. An interesting narrative to compare to our experience in Cuba the last two weeks.
I can confidently say the MAOL Global Studies Abroad trip to Havana, Cuba was the most eye-opening international travel and educational opportunity I have ever experienced. Many of my personal overseas travels have been solo, spur-of-the-moment adventures, which is very fun, but very different than visiting a country for an educational exchange/academic focus. Our course curriculum focused on the cultural context of leadership, U.S./Cuban Foreign Policy, and Cuban history. Sharon and Marisol expected each of us to reflect on our daily experiences using the guiding principles of “the ladder of inference, critical reflection protocol” and critical reflection worksheets. While it seems daunting to have homework while traveling abroad, I believe it challenged us to observe and gather data from our new surroundings in Havana, Cuba, ask the Journalist’s questions “Who? What? When? Where? How?” and embed ourselves in the Cuban culture for two weeks. Our professors told us, “expect to leave Cuba with more questions than when we first arrived.” I think that was true for many of us.
On Thursday, we had our last group class at the Center for Jose Marti (CEM center), and we talked about what it meant to “transition” back to our Minnesota lives… an important takeaway, let’s do it by supporting each other, sharing memories and staying in touch! Thanks to this experience, I think our group developed many deep and meaningful relationships with a lot of really interesting, professional people. All in all, an amazing experience!