The week has finally come that the group of us from American are leaving to spend a week in Cuba! We will leave on Saturday for Miami where we will spend the night, then Sunday leave for Havana on a Marazul Charter flight with our lovely Center for Global Education representative Jessica Haas!
As of now our itinerary is still tentative because it has to go through so many approvals within the Cuban and the U.S. governments before we are allowed to have any official meetings or visits with community groups. However, we are excited to be able to meet with the Ministry of Education, the U.S. Interests Section (similar to a U.S. Embassy in other nations), an agrarian university in Pinar del Rio, a women’s collective, Skate for Peace, University students at the University of Havana and the list goes on.
Our days will be filled with meetings and dialogues with Cubans about their education backgrounds and experiences as well as visits to museums like the Literacy Museum and the Museo de la Revolución. We will have some walking tours, bus tours, dances with community members, and a formal private dinner in a Cuban Paladar. We will have workshops on the theoretical framework of popular education (Paulo Freire), and an incredible time staying at the Martin Luther King Center that houses visitors from all over Cuba and all around the world who want to take part in social jsutice to deepen their understanding of Cuban culture.
As you can see our 8 days are jammed pack with all sorts of activities surround education, Cuban history, the economy, young people and community. As internet access will be spotty while we’re at the MLK Center, we cannot guarantee that we’ll be able to upload posts or photos while we’re on the ground. We will try! Otherwise, we will post daily logs once we’re back in the U.S.
A big shout out to American, the Center for Community Engagement and Service, and the incredible Alternative Break program! We wouldn’t be here without you 🙂 Can’t wait to share with all that we see and learn with our community once we return!
-Maria Schneider
American University Alternative Break to Cuba 