My First Impression of Cuba

 By Anna Tripp

            On January 2, 2019 we landed in Havana, Cuba. I immediately fell in love with their royal palm trees and fresh air. The airport was not well kept and the people who worked there were not the nicest. We were told that when in Cuba, we would not have air-conditioning, we would only eat pork, rice and beans, and people would not always be friendly. I remember thinking it would be a long week. This was all forgotten the moment we got in the large air-conditioned taxi. During our walking tour we saw lots of kids playing, people talking to their loved ones at the WiFi park, lots of tourists, and many stray dogs. To me, Havana seemed similar to Quito, Ecuador except in Quito, there is no need for a WiFi park, the buildings are maintained better, and we have indigenous people. For whatever reason it was odd for me to walk around Cuba without seeing an indigenous woman carrying a heavy bag of potatoes because when I think of a Hispanic country, they always come to mind.

Kids playing at a WiFi park in the outskirts of Havana, Cuba. The adults are paying for the ilegal hourly WiFi so they can communicate with family members whom they haven’t seen since they left Cuba.

            As the day went on, I kept replaying Yoani Sánchez’ voice in my head. In her book Havana Real, she wrote that living in Cuba is difficult and that everyone has so little in their homes. While walking through Old Havana I started to look inside the open doors and could see people laughing inside with such little space and furniture. There wasn’t even electricity. Seeing such happiness in people who have nothing, made me realize even people who have something are still not as happy as these Cubans. I became more amazed and humbled throughout the trip and attempted my best to capture these moments.

A street in Havana, Cuba.