~If one day you wake up and find that you're missin me...~

Well, I just got done taking all the students' names off of their mailboxes. It was a symbolic way for me to say goodbye to each of them, and as I pulled of each name, memories about each one came flooding back to me, and I just took a little time to think good thoughts and send prayers and positivity their way...
One time I heard someone say that relationships never end, they only change. This is how I feel about "goodbyes". Even if you don't see that person ever again, you've still got a relationship with them, it's just different than it was before. So I'm sure I'll talk to you guys again, and hopefully someday we'll have a sweet reunion. Goodbyes don't suck as much as you might think. Really, it's just like an extended "nos vemos." :) It's just the closing of one way of knowing someone, and then new and exciting moments come into your life and you go on living and loving and growing, all the while remembering and cherishing the past good times. This is what i wish for anyone reading this...
and so if any of my LASPers are reading this, I miss you! And I hope you all have a magnificent homecoming and a wonderfully wonderful new year! :) You had the best semester ever (I hope!) so now go and make 2010 the best year ever. :)
Much love.
Laura Intern

This is the day, your life will surely change...

(click on title of blog to see pictures on Facebook)

Well, I have officially returned from CUBA, and the LASP students have all left and will be returning to their homes tomorrow. I was so sad to say goodbye to them all, they were such an amazing group of students and I am so happy that they were my first group as an intern. So if any of you are reading this, THANKS for being awesome! :)

I figured the easiest way to blog about my Cuba trip would be to just type up my short journal entries from the trip. Enjoy!

Nov. 30- Lunes

It's the last day of Nov. and I'm in CUBA! What? :) It was so weird to get off the plane last night, realizing where we are! They are freaking out about swine flue here, so everyone working in the airport was wearing a maks. Crazy. Today began our 1st day in Cuba, and it has been awesome! We went all ove rthis morning- to the Plaza de la Revolucion, Old Habana (where we had mojitos where Ernest Hemingway stayed) and saw a beautiful view from the rooftop. We even saw where daquiris were invented in Habana! Sweet :) This place just has such an elegant, mysterious charm to it, and I can see why it was such a hotspot to travel to before the blockade! No wonder so many tourists come here form other countries: it's beautiful! The Museum de la Revolucion was very interesting today, filled with a LOT of Cuban history, not just of the Revolution. After dinner we went to the largest fort built by Spain in the Americas to see the Canonazo. It's a ceremony they used to do when Habana was surrounded by walls, and at 8pm each night they would call people in by shooting off a canon. Now they re-enact it every night at 9pm. I was surprised by how many people came, but they did turn parts of the fort into museums/galleries/shops/restaurants so it makes a little more sense. :) It was a great day, & we all CRASHED when we got back. So far, totally awesome! Go Cuba!

Dec. 1, Martes

I've said it already, but I'll say it again Cuba is complex. Well, I guess the world is complex, but htis is the first time I just feel lost about politics, economics, culture & how they all interact. Seriously, it's nuts! This morning we went to a bodega, where people go monthly to pick up their ration, which usually includes: chicken, eggs, rice, beans, cooking oil, soap, etc., Ariel (our guide) told us this ration is usually enough to last 12-15 days. When the people use it all up, there are markets where they can use their salaries (in Cuban pesos) to buy food from farmers, as well as other stores where they can buy clothes, appliances, etc. Maybe I should explain a bit about Cuban money. Cuban pesos are the money used by the government (aka NOT hard currency) just inside the country, then there are CUC's (Convertible Currency, also called pesos) which is the money used by tourists and people from outside the country. Basically, 24 Cuban Pesos = 1 CUC and 1 CUC = 1.25 US Dollars. I just can't get over how awesome it is that every person, from the day they're born, receives enough food for 1/2 the month. And ALL healthcare free, AND education (even university!). I mean, I know it isn't a perfect system, but I feel like people in places like Nicaragua would be psyched for that kind of system! So I just feel like Cuba is this amazingly inspiring place that's tuck to their guns and said, "screw you, US government! We're going to live out what we believe in with or without you!" I love the spirit of independence and solidarity here among the Cuban people. Tonight we are going to a house that used to belong ot Batista to see folkloric dancing, & then tomorrow we're going to a hospital and 2 schools,which should be extremely interesting!

Dec. 2, Miercoles

To say that today has been awesomely informative would be an understatement! First we visited an elementary school, which was interesting. In Cuba, all classes are 20 students or less, due to the great number of teachers. Awesome! And we saw this 6 yr. old named Braulio who could recite poetry/speeches like nobody's business. It was crazy impressive! Then we visited a cardiovascular hospital for children, which was very impressive as far as achievements go: Sophisticated machinery, no waiting list (often an argument against this type of healthcare system). Did you know that Cuba has the largest number of doctors working in a country other than the one they are from? Cuban doctors are volunteering their services all over, especially in Latin America and Africa. I still can't get over the fact that healthcare is free, as well as all the education! Nuts. Our last trip took us to a school for mentally & physically handicapped children that is a partial boarding school during the week, & that provides hands-on training for those who can't learn academically beyond a certain level. The people working there are so inspiring to me- all these people are! They live real, concrete solidarity every day! I guess you could say they were/are "forced" to do so in some ways, but I just feel like after 50 years of the revolution, it has now become a key element of the culture in Cuba, more of a mentality. I don't know, its' just so different than any other place i've been. I think there are many positive things Fidel and the revolution have brought to Cuba, and we are only doing ourselves a disservice by ignoring that.

Dec 5, Sabado

A LOT has happene din these last 3 days! Thursday for lunch we were all given 20 Cuban pesos (aka less than $1) to go out near the U of Habana & buy lunch. Basically, this is the same (or slightly more) than what some Cubans make in a whole day from their work. We were able to find hamburgers and juice for 11 pesos (the hamburger and drink) for each person, and they filled us up pretty well, but that means we spent half a day's salary eating out at just one meal. Crazy. Also, we tried getting ice cream later in the day, but it was a nicer place that didn't accept Cuban pesos, only CUC's, and we didn't even have half a CUC. So it was interesting to wonder how Cubans feel compared to tourists (and Cubans who have access to hard currency) who can eat wherever they want, while the Cubans themselves are then basically excluded from those places. Hmm. Thursday night we went to Gregory Bini's house, who is a Canadian that lives in Cuba. It was interesting to hear his story, as he was very interesting and inspiring as he told us about his belief in the Cuban model, how he studied and then taught at the U of Habana, married a Cuban, and now lives in Cuba working in consulting with different government agencies. He was just so candid, yet knowledgeable and passionate, which was very inspiring. That night we had our first free night, so a bunch of us went to a Jazz club called El Cuervo y La Zorra, where they had some GREAT live music and, oddly, a bunch of people from the states! They were mostly there illegally (some for the 5th time), but then some had musicians' visas. Yesterday (friday) we spent our day driving from Habana to Matanzas, stopping along the way to see some sights. We ate lunch at a seminary, where we heard THE best chamber choir I've heard in my life. They gave me goosebumps and filled my eyes with tears. When we got to Varadero (aka the BEACH!) we immediately changed and ran to the sand, and then after dinner headed to a place called Calle 62. It's basiclaly a big open dance area & bar on a stree. Tons of people showed up, and we had a great time with our Cuba Libres and dancing with Cubans and even talking with some Canadian guys who were shocked to see people from the states in Cuba! So now today (Saturday) is beach day, which I'm psyched about! Bring on the sun! :)

Dec 7, Lunes

Today we left Cuba. How sad! But it was a marvelous trip and I enjoyed it to the fullest! Saturday night we went dancing again at Calle 62, and it was very fun to spend the last night at the beach dancing! :) Yesterday morning (Sunday) we went to a Presbriterian church, and afterwards we returned to Habana to stay in the MLK Center for our last night. We ate in Ariel's (our guide's) house, because his wonderful mother cooked some GREAT food for us, and afterwards we spent a few hours dancing at the house of someone who is part of a group that plays Cuban music and teaches Cuban dances. It was awesome to share the last night with the whole group, as well as with Javier, Ariel (guide) and Alberto (the translator). I still can hardly believe I was actually in CUBA. It seems strange to me how I felt there. I have never felt the way I did there on any other trip. I think it's because many people from the states have strong opinions about Cuba, even though they don't know anything about the country, and now I have a perspective that is different from that of many of those people. I am very excited to share what I saw, learned, and what I felt in Cuba. It's a country that is relaly very impressive and it inspired me to think about how we could make other economic systems work better for the PEOPLE of those countries. I was to use my voice to give a new perspective on Cuba, I also want to use my voice to try and show those working in the US government that it is finally time to let Cuba be Cuba, not a place under blockade. They need to recognize (as does much of the rest of the world!) the good that is in Cuba: the healthcare system, the educational system, and Cuban solidarity. For too long we have been told lies about Cuba, and it is now time to respect the country and the way that it wants to govern itself. Cubans deserve the opportunity to live as they wish.

*Extra note: Cuba's government is Communist (meaning only one political party is allowed by the constitution) but the people still VOTE, and only 10% of the population is a member of the Communist party. AKA: people have a choice, they have elected Fidel for the last 50 years, and they do not have to elect representatives that are members of the communist party. It's still a democracy, just a different one than ours. The economy is socialist, not communist.*