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| The Capitol building in Havana. |
We were sitting in an old LADA from the sixties, a car make I
had never even heard of until then, with no air conditioning and no seat belts
while listening to the Beatles. This was truly unreal. The driver was a doctor
and the person sitting in the passenger seat is the one who makes all the deals
with the tourists. They were our personal guides and chauffeurs for the day, in
fact, for our last two days in Havana. They offered to take us to our
destinations for a good price, and considering we were running low on our cash
and did not have access to more in that country, we agreed to skip the
excursions or hiring a government cab driver.
A country known for its rum is where we found drinks at the bar
were watered down. A country with access to free education for all, but where
most do not take advantage of it. A country that thrives on tourism, but where
the service is mediocre. A country free of American big business and
advertising, but is full of political propaganda. A country whose
infrastructure seemed to stop developing in the sixties, but whose citizens
have not.
Cuba is a country where a doctor needs to drive two
"broke" college students around to their destinations to help make
ends meet. Cuba is a country where we meet retirees who are afraid to get a
personal phone installed in their house for fear of wire tapping, and who try
to sell us politically influenced boot-leg DVDs about the “real
history of Cuba.” Cuba is a country where we saw a lot of roadwork being done
to improve the streets, but were then informed it was only because the Pope was
coming.
My travels to Cuba were filled with so many mixed emotions. On
one hand it was amazing to get to experience such a rich culture filled with so
much history. On the other hand, we were just tourists, and life in Cuba is a much
different reality for its citizens. We got to leave after a few days, while
many of the people that live in Cuba have been repeatedly denied visas to exit
the country. We got to buy meals at restaurants, something our drivers only do
when tourists take them out to eat as a “thank you.”
Our last day there, I had a woman who was with her two young
children ask me for the rest of my soap, deodorant, and feminine products. It
really made me think about the things I take for granted here in the United
States that many people in Cuba may consider a luxury. Things like air-conditioning, refrigeration, Wi-Fi,
tampons, toilet paper, and hand soap are just a few of the things I grew to
miss during my short time there. Now, I sit in my room and I see all of the
items I possess, and I think back to that woman who wanted the sliver of my bar
of soap and I almost feel disgusted with myself.
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| People sit outside of hotels to use their Wi-Fi. |
Traveling really makes you reflect on life. On what you have,
what you don’t have, and what you want and what you want to see. I met some wonderful people in
Cuba, people who made our experience there unforgettable. I realized how
although I grew up in a low-income household, I have so many riches in my life.
I saw how although I am in so much student debt, my education will lead me
somewhere great.
Our time there was just a snap shot we were able to take of what
Cuba is like for visitors. No doubt, reality is much different for the people
who live there, and much different for the people we were not able to talk to.
One thing is for sure: Cuba is an experience worth experiencing, and one I am fortunate
enough to have experienced at my age.
