Travis's Cuba Study Abroad Blog

My experiences that I have had in Cuba have been very eye-opening. Cuba is an island that is only 90 miles off the coast of Florida, but it is very different culturally, economically, and civilly. There is a heavy Spanish and African influence from when the Spaniards recruited slaves in the 1500’s. There are two forms of currency which make economic growth near impossible without shutting down half of the people in the country. The government is a socialist government, where people are treated “equally” and unbiasedly, essentially where a taxi driver can make the same (if not more than because of tips) as a doctor. The people are absolutely fantastic and loving, always making sure that I was taken care of.

Saying goodbye to our host family was actually really hard. For the entire week we were there, Mercedes and her son Jordan provided us a place to stay, fed us every day, and conversed with us like we were their own family. We spoke of God, politics, history, current events and so many other things—it was great to gain the typical Cuban’s perspective on life.

My favorite day was probably beach day- where the waves were still huge due to the untimely presence of hurricane Matthew. We also got to explore the Museum of the Revolution, which provided us with so much history and confirmed to us all of the materials and readings we had covered in-class before we entered the country. We had learned in a class setting the harmfulness of stereotypes that Americans have about Cubans and that Cubans also have about Americans. It’s important to remove these stereotypes to help establish better relations between the US and Cuba. We also were able to give service, including working in the organic gardens that help to feed the mouths of hungry Cubans.

Utah has a lot of fun and different exciting characteristics that makes it one of the best places to live! It has the most beautiful mountain ranges I have ever seen, which make for some of nature’s best playgrounds! Escape to the mountains and enjoy breathtaking views—from Ensign Peak (located just minutes from downtown Salt Lake City) to Waterfall Canyon or Provo River Falls—having access to day hikes has never been so easy. 

Four-wheeling on the Salt Flats is also a fun way to spend an afternoon! Then you can enjoy the breathtaking sunsets in Utah—they are absolutely marvelous, and very rarely is there a dull one. 

If being outdoorsy isn’t in your repertoire, but you still want to have a thrill of a lifetime, then fear not! Lagoon is an amusement park that will make your mouths drop and your hair stand up! Also, downtown Salt Lake is great for entertaining! It has one of the best light shows around the holiday season, with the temple square lights and City Creek Mall going all out every year. 

If you like sports, then Utah will not let you down! Do you like soccer? Then come see Real Salt Lake! How about basketball? Then go watch the Jazz! Baseball, you ask? Then the Salt Lake Bees stadium is your place to be! Let’s not forget about the most important sport of them all though, University of Utah football! It’s easy to spend an entire day having the time of your life in Utah, the hard part is having enough time to do it all!