Day 7 Today we were treated to an amazing surprise, THE BEACH! After our time in Viñales we were able to spend a day at the beach exploring the beautiful sands and water of the Caribbean. It’s amazing how close this amazing beach was to Havana!! We were able to read, relax, and reflect on our time in Cuba, in preparation for for some powerful storytelling we will be doing on Friday. Tomorrow we will be exploring some new sights and sounds in Havana. Day 8 Day 8 began with a trip to the Fuster Project, an amazing collection of mosaics taking up several city blocks. It was impressive to see the immense amount of color and detail in each piece, representing many parts of Cuban culture. After Fuster we returned to Keracom to complete a community project. We were able to paint with the other students and just spend quality time with this great community. A thunderstorm interrupted our reflective time in the afternoon forcing us to find a rooftop spot where we were able to hear Senora’s moving leadership story. It gave us some things to consider in preparation for our own on Friday. We ended the day with a trip to a local theater company where we were able to engage in an acting workshop and spend time talking with some impressive young actors.
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Day 6
Today we began our day with breakfast in Viñales. Then we continued on to the bus to the tobacco farm. There Noel, the owner of the farm, showed us his beautiful and spiritual wooden sculptures that were spread throughout the farm. Noel then led us all on a hike, which was a new experience for most of us, and told us the story of his journey from a farmer to a community builder. While on the hike we stopped to hear his spiritual awakening which happened at the very place we ended our hike in the “house of miracles” he has since built. There at the house of miracles Noel asked us to take a brief moment of silence to reflect on our hopes and dreams for the future. After the silence Noel ended with the sentiment that “we had a lot of life to live and a lot of dreams to have” because we are so young. After the descent we enjoyed a quick snack and continued touring the farm. We learned from Noel about the tobacco process and his personal business. We got to see the drying house and we even got to learn how to roll a real Cuban cigar! We then enjoyed a delicious lunch before playing our daily game. We then began on a reflection guided by today’s question, “How has your experience in Cuba affected the way you see yourself?”. In this reflection we also began the process to begin to tell our own stories which we will be sharing all together on Friday. We facilitated this by participating in a dyad style conversation where one person was the listener who could not respond until after the other person, the speaker, was finished. We then returned to our home stay in Viñales in the pouring rain to relax before going to the Botanical Garden. We walked to the Botanical Garden where we saw a variety of native and indigenous plants. For example we learned about the tree rat which is protected species in Cuba which we were able to see right in front of us! After the exciting excursion at the Botanical Garden we got to try fresh pineapple and mango. On the way back from the Botanical Garden we stopped at an outdoor market we’re several locals were selling handmade goods. We returned to the homestay to eat dinner and participated in a talent show on the rooftop lounge area. During the show we got to see examples of the variety of talents each of us in the group possessed. From saying the alphabet backwards to yodeling we are one talented bunch! Jasmine, Kobii, and Doris Día 5: Journey to Viñales
As you all know, today was Father’s Day. During breakfast, we pulled people aside for “personal check-ins,” where we had them sign a handmade card for our resident father, Fabris. He was doing the tough job of spending Father’s Day with us rather than with his two year old daughter. Today was also a day full of change as we packed our bags and took a two and a half hour drive to Viñales. As we looked out of the van window, we saw the beautiful green mountains and rich farm life that was very different from the community in Havana. In the afternoon, we arrived at Patio Pelegrín, where we learned about very important community projects and painted pre-made ceramic pots and jugs. We learned that there were no public libraries in the area or culture projects, so they built libraries for the kids in the community of Puerto Golpe along with places for them to do their homework. We then had a delicious lunch there and danced and played maracas afterwards. After saying goodbye to the community project, we drove to a large mural on a mountain side that was meant to represent the evolution of the world. After drinking piña coladas and quizzing ourselves on different flags, we finally drove to our homestays in Viñales. This time we were staying in what is more like a hotel as we all get to share rooms in the same house. After we had settled into our homestays, we decided to take a small walk around the town. During this time we saw a lot of scenery that differed from what we had seen in Havana, and we even got to stop at a small market where we were able to buy small jewelry and trinkets. Finally we presented our Father’s Day card to Fabris during our nightly ANCHOR session where we expressed our appreciation for him. To end the night, we had a two minute silent meeting as we looked at the stars and reflected on the day and how the meaning of community has changed now that we are in Viñales. Question of the Day: What does community mean to you and how does that meaning change when you’re in a new place? -Amaris and Melita P.S. Happy Father’s Day! Día 4: A Relaxing Day for Self-Reflection
We started the day with yet another delicious breakfast from the wonderful cooks and then made our way to Karacom Community Project. There we learned how far the project has come starting from an abandoned building and now is a place for kids and young adults to work with ceramics and pottery. After learning about the project, we got hands on and began doing ceramics with local kids. The theme for that day was underwater plants, animals, etc. When we finished we designed backgrounds for our clay objects and wrote messages to the students. After the art project, we sat down with them and ate lunch before heading off to our next destination, a park called Almendares. There we did an activity called True Colors, where we were given statements and had to decide if they described us or not. Based on our choices, we were given a color, which in turn represented our personality type. After this activity, we thought about what makes leaders and good groups. We decided that a good leadership group contained a factor from each of the four personality types and needed each one to strive. We discussed leaders in our lives and how our own roles of being a leader might change depending on the setting. After this time of reflection, we did some journaling before heading back to our home stays. Since we had a few hours before dinner started, many of us went to Veronica and Angie’s house, students who live in Cuba, and watched a movie. Then we had dinner and packed our bags to go to Viñales. Question of the day: During our time here, what is something new you’ve discovered about yourself? Anika and Sophia-Joy P.S. Happy Birthday Dad (KJ)! Día 3: Bonding and New Experiences
Today was an exciting day for all of us. After another delicious breakfast, we headed into Old Havana to a shop, Clandestina, that was started by a local woman 3 years ago. There were silk screen printed shirts, bags, pillowcases, and graphic art. After the shop, we took a break at a local juice shop. From there, we headed to El Malecón for filling lunch. During lunch we bonded with each other while keeping in mind the daily prompt: what have you learned, what do you want to learn? After reflecting on our busy morning we visited Lizt Alfonso Dance Studio where local children and adults presented some of their routines to us. Amaris, Sophia-Joy, and Kobii were eager to hop in and exchange a few of their own dance moves. The dancers were quick to learn the moves, and our visit with them ended in a dance battle. After a quick snack at a local park, we went to the circus. Their stunts kept us on the edge of our seats, and we were excited to talk to them after their performance. From the circus we went back home and enjoyed get another delicious meal. Today our group became closer together by learning, listening, and talking with each other. We are excited to see what tomorrow has to bring. Día 2: Culture Shock
Today was the first full day in Cuba and it set an exciting tone for our stay here. We visited Old Havana (Havana Vieja) and visited four different squares. We ate lunch in Callejon Hamel and watched a performance about Santeria, an Afro-Cuban religion. After that, we spent some time reflecting in the Garden of the Tropics. It rained and was amazing. We then went to Clave de Sol where we got to meet boys and girls our age. They sang for us and played different instruments for us. We came home to refresh and had a delicious dinner. We’re tired, but ready for the rest of our stay in Cuba. :) Word of the day:¿Qué hiciste? (What’s up?) Question of the day: Why are we here? Lourdes and Cecily |