Opportunities

In June, I had the opportunity to visit Mexico City and Cuba with an art history class, attending the Havana Biennial.  We were in Mexico City for the first few days and then in Cuba for the rest.  It was an amazing experience, as it always is and will be to travel where customs and beliefs differ from your own.  Don’t fear differences but embrace them.  If we were all the same, we couldn’t teach each other anything and it would be a pretty boring world.

I wanted to share a couple of photos of the trip, these were both taken in Cuba.  One was taken on the most amazing day.  We traveled into the country, away from Havana’s tourism.  We stopped at a quaint little fruit stand on our way to see a mural and a cave.  Our group was supposed to eat at a more tourist-approved restaurant later, but the family was awesome.  Across from the fruit stand (which had the most amazing mango and pineapple and now fruit in the U.S. just disappoints me) was their home where they also had a restaurant.  Unanimous decision: stay and eat at this family’s restaurant.  Most awesome decision ever made.  J  It was peaceful, and they treated us like family even though we were basically tourists.  One of them began playing his guitar for us.  They did improv as well as traditional songs.  We stayed there for so long, we just didn’t want to leave.  The food was incredible, and we had freshly squeezed fruit juice.  We sang along with them and just hung out until our tour guides told us we really had to get going.  I will never forget this day. 

The other picture was taken when we had some free time and went to the beach.  I believe this was the day that one of our group members placed a dead fish under our professor’s things while he was swimming.  J  Professor = unimpressed, but he got his revenge.  The same member of the group also climbed a coconut tree while at the beach….he didn’t actually get a coconut off the tree, but the family nearby who gave him the inspiration gave him a couple.  I think they were impressed that a tourist would even attempt climbing the tree.

*Kristen