My Unforgettable 2 Weeks - Kayleen Babel

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It’s taken me a while to make a coherent record of this trip, partly because we did so many things, and partly because I miss it so much that it hurts a little bit to think back to those two weeks. I also struggled to write this because I don’t think my description of Cuba does it justice. There’s so much more to the country than what you see in photos, or what you could ever imagine from my account of it. If you’ve been to Cuba, you know what I mean.

That being said, instead of giving a chronological account of my journey, I’m going to try my best to convey the feelings I had and the lessons I learned while abroad.

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Warm. I think that’s the best way to describe my experience in Cuba. Obviously, it was very warm in terms of temperature. Unless you have the luxury of an air-conditioned hostel like we did, you’ll almost always have a bead of sweat trickling down your neck. But besides the literal heat that was always in the air, there was a different warmth that was constantly radiating around me – the warmth of the Cuban people themselves.

From the minute I set foot in the door, the owners of our hostel made me feel like I was a member of their family. I quickly felt right at home in Matanzas, in my little room at Hostal Azul. The food was fresh and home-cooked every day, and you almost feel like the women preparing it for you are your aunts or something. 

When I walked down the narrow city streets, I somehow felt connected with the strangers I walked past. I think it had to do with the fact that no one is looking down at a phone in their hands, and the way Cubans really look at each other. 

Part of the cute little hostel I stayed at in La Habana

Some of the wonderful fruit we got every single morning 😍

I rarely ever felt like a foreigner. Even when people knew I was American, they didn't treat me any differently. Honestly, I only felt like a tourist during our weekend trip to Varadero, where lots of tourists from around the world stay. Other than that, I felt very welcomed among the Cuban people. 

Some of the girls trying to make the most of Varadero's beautiful beach by waking up to see the sunrise 

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On top of the sense of warmth I felt, I definitely learned a lot — a lot more than I anticipated I would — and what I learned went way beyond getting a better grasp of the Spanish language. 

I learned how influential the internet is.

Traveling to Cuba is in some ways a trip back in time. I’ve heard people say it has characteristics of “a simpler time” – one without everyone constantly being glued to their phones or obsessing over social media.
I think this is partially true. 

Instead of sending emojis, we kissed each other on the cheek when we saw one another. Instead of commenting on each other’s Facebook posts, we had meaningful conversations. We talked to locals instead of Snapchatting. I can’t think of the last time I had moments like that back home, where I felt truly connected to the people I was with. 

Enjoying each other's company 😚 ... and taking up the entire restaurant (oops)

The lack of technology did have some drawbacks. It’s obviously a little scary to be in a foreign country and not be able to reach anyone in an emergency. This meant that you'd always want to stay with at least one other person in case something were to happen.

It's also hard to keep track of the entire group of students and plan activities on our own, because we were all spread between different hostels without any means of communication. Even so, we made it work and didn't have too many issues (even on the nights when some of us had one too many mojitos 😂).

I learned that it doesn’t take much to be happy.

Free from the grip of technology, I was really able to enjoy everything that was going on around me and appreciate the little things. Like water. Seriously. Some good old Ciego Montero was all it took to keep me happy. 

having a great time with my agua 😂

In all seriousness, I really did have a lot of fun, even just walking around the city and sightseeing. Cubans themselves make around $20 (USD) a month, yet for the most part they're pretty happy people. It made me realize how easily we get lost in material things, even though there are people with so much less than us that are able to be content.  

I learned to be patient.

There were definitely times when my patience was tested. In many ways, Cuba is not as fast-paced as the United States. Sure, there are always cars and motorcycles zipping down the street, but life in Cuba doesn’t have as much of the sense of rush that Westerners are so accustomed to. Sometimes things were slow. Sometimes things were unbelievably slow. Like when our meals at the Jazz Club took over an hour to come out. Or how we had to wait for the entire group to meet up somewhere before being able to going out. Or when a dance show we watched took an hour to get started. These moments were obviously not the most pleasant, but they taught me to have patience and empathy. When a huge group comes into a restaurant with a tiny kitchen and a couple of cooks, it's certainly hard to accommodate us all. Instead of being angry for the delays, you learn to be understanding of their cultural and technological differences. 

Enjoying some tunes at the Jazz Club in Havana

I met beautiful and inspiring people.

We were really fortunate to have 4 young Matanceros show us around the city in the evenings and take us to places the locals of our age group would go. All of them were incredibly kind and special in their own ways, but one of them was particularly influential to me — Jean Marcos. We bonded pretty quickly because we're the same age, and because he and I are both dancers. In the States I grew up hearing that unless you’ve been training for years and go to a professional school, you can’t make it as a dancer. Jean Marcos threw that whole theory out the window. 18 years old, and only dancing for 2 years, he was truly one of the best dancers I have ever seen. The way he gave himself to his art and was so deeply connected to it was really refreshing. When he dances, you can tell he’s enjoying every second of it.

Jean Marcos 💛

I got that feeling from a lot of other artists we met in Matanzas. When we worked with the poets at Ediciones Matanzas, I saw how passionate they were about writing, and it was really beautiful to see them recite their own work at the end. I also saw people's passion in some less "traditional" art forms, like the drag shows we watched.

My translation partner, Andrea, and me with our poet, Alfredo Zaltívar

I was also fortunate to get to know Josh, Rachael, and Yesenia, some of my fellow Cougars, who never stopped amazing me. There's Rachael, who spoke so eloquently, yet is one of the most down-to-earth people I've ever met. Yesenia, who was always so confident when talking to locals and could always have a great time in any situation. And Josh, who always made me laugh, and is one of the most unique and beautiful people I know. Even though we're all different ages and at different stages in our lives, we all understood each other really well, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to meet them.  

amigos having fun on our last night! (from left to right - me, Rachael, Yesenia, Josh) 

I didn't really know anyone from the group when we left Houston, aside from a couple of my classmates, but at the end of the trip I felt like we were all one big family. From being squished together in tiny buses, to taking long, sweaty walks around the city, I think all of us got pretty well-acquainted with each other! 

family photo!

getting cozy on our ride from the airport😏

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Prior to my trip, I didn’t have many expectations about Cuba. I had some knowledge about its history and some aspects of its culture, but I really had no idea how much it would transform my life. By the end of the two weeks it felt like home. After spending just a short time there, I was overwhelmed with sadness when it was time to head back to Houston. I’ll admit, there were tears in my eyes when our bus pulled away from Hostal Azul and we waved goodbye to our beautiful new friends – new friends who I felt like I had known for years. 

The last sunset over Matanzas

The first full day back in Houston, everything felt surreal. The air conditioning in my house felt foreign. Everything felt foreign. Everything made me feel overly privileged. I felt privileged driving around in my 2016 Mazda when knew most Cuban cars are at least 30 years old. I felt privileged when my WiFi automatically connected in my house, because I knew back in Cuba they pay for theirs every single time they use it. I felt privileged putting my clothes in the washing machine when I knew Cubanos were probably washing theirs by hand. 

Cuba changed me. I don't use my phone as much. I really listen and look at people when they're talking to me. I'm grateful to have filtered water, and I don't think I'll ever take air conditioning for granted. 

I'm so incredibly thankful for this opportunity, and for all the amazing Cuban people who made the trip so special. Gracias to the owners of our hostels, to the poets who worked with us at Ediciones Matanzas, to Hector, Elizabeth, Adrian, Jean Marcos, and so many more. I'm especially thankful for our fearless leader/Professor, Mabel Cuesta. She did her best to give us a true taste of Cuba, and I wouldn't change anything about the trip.


I hope to return someday – maybe sometime soon – to uncover more of the mysteries that Cuba holds. There's no way it'll ever be the same, but the feelings from the first time will always live on in my memories! ¡Hasta luego, Cuba!