¡Hola! Our day began very rainy. We got to sleep in because of the rain but unfortunately this meant that we could not go to the caves. That being said, we still had a really full day.
After breakfast, we went to visit a tobacco farm and sculpture garden near where we were staying. The owner of the property, Noel, who is also a wood sculptor, showed us the process of growing and drying tobacco, which was really interesting. The process of growing tobacco, from when it is planted to when it can be rolled into cigars, takes about a year. Another interesting thing that we learned is that tobacco leaves are used as fertilizer and a natural pesticide for tobacco plants. After lunch, which included a full roasted pig, we got to roll our own cigars. Some were better than others, but we all had a lot of fun. We also had the opportunity to buy cigars from Noel's farm, which was really cool. After the tobacco farm, we went to a Prehistoric Mural in Viñales that was painted by a group of artists in the 60s. We also went to an overlook where you can see a mountain formation in the shape of José Marti's profile. Next we visited a professor who lives in Viñales and collects fossils. We then had a few hours of downtime, which some of us used to walk into downtown Viñales. Viñales is very touristy so there were lots of restaurants, bars, and gift shops. There was also an internet hotspot in the central square, where almost everyone was on their phone. This was really interesting to watch, as we have grown really accustomed to not having our phones. While the internet is an amazing tool and great privilege that we often take for granted, it has been nice to unplug so that we can be more present during our time here. After our walk we had dinner in a restaurant near our houses. During the dinner, we sang some Jonas Brothers, Kesha, and, of course, our favorite song, Despacito. We also hijacked the restaurant's speaker and danced, which was so fun. Viñales was a lot more buggy and rural than Havana, but it was incredibly beautiful. We had a lot of fun dancing, exploring, and meeting with local artists. ¡Hasta luego! Lily and Amick We began Day 6 of the program by returning to Pelegrín for our final visit where we participated in art workshops of our choice such as painting, dancing, ceramics, food, and environmental awareness. I (Nicole) spent the day working with the group painting ceramic pieces created by local volunteers. Despite my lack of artistic experience, I managed to paint two ceramic jars which I designed myself. This showed me that taking risks like this helps you learn more about yourself and that taking the time out of your day to work with local communities on projects makes the experience even more valuable. While at Pelegrín, Maya and I worked together to create a ceramic plate for Fabris for Father's Day. It consisted of a hibiscus flower on it with the words "Felíz Día de Los Padres." When he saw it the next day, he loved it!!
Meanwhile, I (Camilla) unfortunately wasn't feeling well in the morning, so I stayed at my homestay on Day 6, but this doesn't mean that I wasn't able to learn more about Cuba and it's culture. I witnessed the generosity and support of the people within the Viñales community when many of our neighbors, none of which I knew, offered to take me to a clinic. Fortunately, this wasn't necessary, and instead I spent most of the day speaking Spanish with Carlos, our in-country coordinator for WLS, as well as with my homestay host, Noharis, who happened to be specialized in medicine and had me feeling better by the end of the day. Through our conversations, I learned about Carlos' inspiring trips around the world, and about the wonders in Noharis' own back yard. For example, the way to tell that an avocado is ripe is by shaking it -- if you can hear the pit shaking too, then it's ready to eat!! I also had some time to read the newspaper, where the Cuban government had released a statement about Trump's recent speech and decision about Cuba. In it, they wrote that they would still be willing to have good relations with the US, but they criticized the fact that Trump is looking down on Cuba for human rights violations while simultaneously taking away US citizens' own rights to even travel to Cuba. With the added responsibility we both feel because of the fact that we may not have another Cuba program for a while, our day at Pelegrín and in Viñales was an experience we'll never forget. We're very grateful to the communities that have welcomed us, and we're excited for these next few days in Cuba! Hasta luego! -Nicole & Camilla Today was a busy day! After breakfast, we boarded our buses and made our way to our newest destination: New Havana. First we went to the Cuban Revolution Museum where we were shown beautifully detailed rooms that had involvement in the Revolution, like the president's office. We were surprised when we saw Anti-American books and books about the conspiracy of Che's death in the gift shop. Then, we explored La Plaza de Colon and had a fun challenge where we had to race to find different places on the street. After a bit of relaxation and journaling, we had lunch at "Habana Retro", which was decorated with old school vinyl records, jukeboxes, photos and posters. We had a very delicious lunch (and dessert) and headed to a circus! The kids who performed were so talented, especially since they were only 12 to 17 years old and had very busy schedules. Some kids had only been practicing for months and others for over five years, but they all had the same level of amazing skill. After the show, we had the chance to talk to the kids one-on-one and learn more about their practice. After dinner, we split into groups to have conservations with three generations of Cuban people, each group with different views and experiences. We learned a lot from each generation. To celebrate our time in Havana, we had a dance party during dessert and had a fun time. We prepared for our journey the next day to go to Viñales, and went to bed excited for the fun times tomorrow. We're looking forward to it!
Olivia and Maya Our day started very early as we were on our way to Viñales at 8 am. The ride from Havana to Viñales is three hours but we took two stops on our way. The first was at a local art project called proyecto fuster in which a local artists uses mosaics throughout his home and his neighborhood. The surprise us how how detailed and eloquent the project was. All of the tiles used were imported from Latin American countries. It really made us realize the power of art and community can transform what is a simple fishermen town into a touristic and jewel of Cuba. And the next stop was in the rural town of Pelegrín where we visited a local community project in which art classes of all types are available to young people and the elderly. Some examples of these are health classes, environment classes, dance classes and ceramics just to name a few. The sense of community and art persisted to be a focus and theme that can be used to describe the Cuban people. While in Pelegrín, we received the news of the travel ban/possible embargo Trump announced today. The effects of such a major change in the countries connections will directly negatively effect the Cuban people. Although this news quickly changed our spirits, it helped us understand and place into perspective the role politics has and how it continues to trump the daily humans connections similar to those we have been making in Cuba. The news definitely made us closer to each other as well as the members of the Cuban society that are making our stay what it is. Through uno tournaments laughs over Ropa Vieja during dinner and dancing in Pelegrín it is clear that our personal connections have grown stronger through the forms of art and culture like the Cuban community. Due to the fact we know our stay is special here in Cuba and we may never come back it is vital for us to continue to peruse connections through art and hope to appreciate the five days we have left. -Ashley and Hannah We started the day today similarly to our previous with breakfast at 8am with the usual suspects (mango, guava, papaya, eggs and bread). After breakfast we went in the car to go to the Fumero project where we got to use typical Cuban red clay to make ceramics. We could create our own clay pieces or use stencils for our end project which would be a wind chime. After creating our pieces we went to lunch and had a blast talking to the waiters. We went to a park after lunch which was located in the forest of Habana. The park was filled with many trees especially mango and palm trees. We began our leadership story in the park but we were interrupted by a tropical. The group then traveled back to the main house where we were supposed to finish the leadership story right away but instead a few of us decided to dance in the rain and get soaking wet. Finishing the leadership story we had time to get dry and go back to our homes and journal and reflect about our leadership stories and why we are here. The next adventure we did today is is it The University of Habana. This was really interesting because we were able to talk to a few students about the experiences they share in the school and they seemed to really enjoy attending it. This lead to a discussion on education in Cuba and the different options if you would not attend school. Next, we got in our vans and traveled to Hotel Nacional de Cuba. It had an incredible view of the water and we were able to sit and journal a little bit. We just finished the wonderful food and enjoyed talking about the rose and thorn of our days, even though we did not have many thorns. Now we are walking to a house to talk to local women in the neighborhood to talk about gender in Cuba.
Love Adeline & Natalie Our trip to Cuba started off at a run. We were slightly late to our first flight and sprinted through the airport in Providence! Once on the plane our flights were smooth and easy. We all enjoyed the various free movies and games built into the plane screens. When flying over Mia was surprised by the amount of farmland as the photo we had seen of Cuba were mostly of cities. There’s definitely a lot of countryside. The water was also darker than we expected. When we landed the airport was smaller and more relaxed than expected. We were hungry when we arrived and so we headed to our home base in the neighborhood. This is where we meet for breakfast and dinner and have various meetings and activities. After that we went to meet our home stay families and moved in to our rooms. Belle’s family has two daughters and she and Miranda have really enjoyed getting to know the family. We have done various WLS activities. Belle’s favorite was an activity where we had to answer different questions.The questions got progressively more personal and it was a great way to get to know people better. Mia's favorite activity was traveling to the orchestra school, and talking with all the children that participate in it. The first day we visited old Habana and it was fun to see the different art and architecture. Although some of the buildings are in disrepair it is easy to see the beauty they once were and how they could be again. We also passed by a technical school where students were learning to restore the beautiful old buildings. We ended our traveling yesterday with a visit to the revolutionary square. Various government presentations are held here and its size and surrounding buildings and sculptures are quite intimidating. By the end of both days we were exhausted and were happy to return to our homestays and beds.
XOXO Belle & Mia Hello! I spoke with the WLS instructor this afternoon and the students are having a great time. They have enjoyed learning from the local leaders in Havana and are looking forward to heading to Viñales tomorrow to explore the countryside of Cuba! Internet is still very spotty but please check out the Lincoln Twitter feed since we are having better luck getting twitter to update. https://twitter.com/lincoln1884
Erin Hawk Executive Director Hello family and friends of the Lincoln program in Cuba. As expected a strong internet connection for blog updates is difficult to find. I spoke with our Coordinator this morning and the program is going very smoothly. All of the students are happy and healthy and enjoying their time in Cuba. The weather is hot but bearable. We will continue to update the blog when we hear from the instructors and coordinators but 'no news is good news'. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions - 303-679-3412. Thank you for your trust and support!
Erin Hawk Executive Director The group has landed in Cuba, and they are already enjoying a snack with their homestay families! Please do not hesitate to call with any questions 303-679-3412. Thank you for your trust and support.
Sarah Binger Program Coordinator |
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