So here is the: Pitt in Cuba facebook page. It's a little out-dated and I'm the only one that 'liked' it besides the Pitt study abroad page. That has some information, but maybe you'd like to 'like' it also to see if there's any updates that we can't necessarily get out, but the study abroad office in Pittsburgh can? Who knows! But we should show every program at Pitt some support! Here is the Pitt in Cuba official page. The website has changed recently I guess, and this one is already updated for 2012! But I'm assuming it's the same information.
I facebook creeped someone that popped up on my newsfeed and saw that she went to Cuba and I was like: must creeeeeeeeeeeeeep. She had wonderful photos and I decided to message her in hopes of acquiring as much information as possible. Just this week we had an hour long skype session about it. She was/is too helpful. But here's our dialogue over facebook. She will be anonymous just because that might a bit too creepy...
I just wanted to include this conversation because it covers a lot of questions already and they are answered by someone who has already done the program, just to give you an idea what to expect for me!
I will go over some of the basics..... a lot of this information is just what I've been told/speculated... so, I'm not sure how much is exactly true (but that's the fun part, right?)
Living Situation:
I will be staying in a hotel/hostel in Havana, Cuba (if you have not figured that out yet). The University rents out rooms for students (most likely foreign exchange students, but I'm not sure), but the hotel still functions as a regular hotel. The hotel is called: 'El Hotelito Viejito', I believe, and I couldn't find any website or anything. Each room will hold 2 students, so I will have a roommate. His name is Eric and he is a senior at UPitt Johnstown. I'm not sure of any of the other accommodations, but there will be a safe for each resident... I think. The rooms will be cleaned and the sheets will changed just like a regular hotel (kind of freaks me out, but, hey, I won't complain), but my goal there is to meet these employees that clean the rooms, especially my room. Under the communist-esque reign, everyone is guaranteed a job, so many of these employees were just assigned to the hotel and sometimes too many people are working at once so all they have to do is just stand around. Perfect for a good conversation! Maybe I will make this a baby-project. I definitely want to do my project that I wanted to do in Nicaragua: take pictures of FACES. So, maybe I will do that. start with these employees and then attach their stories to the pictures! Awesome.
The hotel is supposed to offer 2 meals a day to us as part of the program fee... such as part of our room & board/meal plan. I've heard the breakfast is fantastic, but it's always a gamble for lunch and dinner. My friend mentioned a boiled eggplant soup o_o.... kind of outside my comfort zone. I am normally not too picky... in Nicaragua I would eat anything and everything. There was one time... this bean paste soup with hardboiled eggs in it... that was a bit too much. BUT, other than that, the rice, beans, avocados, platanos, everything... so good. I will hopefully find cheap eateries around Havana also to take advantage of... most likely for lunch. I know in Nicaragua going out to eat for dinner was pricey because that's when the wealthier/tourists would go out to eat and, of course, spend more money. But since Havana is a bigger city with more nightlife, I'm hoping to find some cheap nighttime excursions. I would prefer to dine out at night.
The hotel is about a 10 minute walk to the University and is real close to everything Havana. I really don't know much and I don't think I really want to know much right now. I want to kind of get there and just be like this: O_O and explore (I've been really into making faces lately...o_O). I don't know how long it will take me to get accustomed to the Havana layout or even how big it is. I could be way off. Leon was very small, and I stayed close to the center--which was easy. Havana is a capital city and according to Mr. Deardoff's human geography class, the Latin American city layout is completely different from the U.S. Maybe I just pulled that out of my butt, or maybe it has merit. I think this is what it's like... I'll just have to explore myself!
I got it, I got moneyyyyyy
I decided to include this here because it just came to me and I think it's one of the most interesting aspects of this experience/trip/study abroad situation. Because of every political situation ever, I am not allowed to withdraw money while in Cuba. This means I have to bring all my money, in cash, to the lovely island. I am debating how much to actually bring, but it's definitely nerve-wracking to think about the possibility of running out of money! I am definitely going to have to be money conscious, but that's usually not a problem for me. I am just ALWAYS a sucker for souvenirs. For example, I bought a leather bottle case (it is painted and adorned beautifully) and it has a long strap... to like... carry on my shoulder. Why did I buy that? Who cares, I don't. It's awesome. But, awesome was affordable when I had an ATM a block away. Awesome in Cuba can mean no meals for a day :O. The sacrifices I might make. But really, I will be fine. Just dealing with so much cash freaks me out.
The U.S. currency is taxed in Cuba, heavily. For every ONE dollar you convert, the government takes off 20% of it. So you're left with $.80. It might not be that much of a loss for minor exchanges, but if I want to exchange $300, I lose 20% of that! This is why I am going tohopefully bring Canadian dollars, which I believe do not carry an excessive tax.... Things will for the most part be cheaper in Cuba, I believe. I think I can find $1 meals, but there will also be $10, $20, etc. I'll just have to figure out what I want to do/what I can do when I'm there. I definitely went into Nicaragua with a lot of expectations and so many were shattered... from that I've taken on a new mentality of never assuming. It's good to be educated about a destination, but that can only take you so far.
My Edumacation
I will be an official student at La Universidad de La Habana. Because I am an official student, I am considered, basically, a resident of Cuba. Because of this, I can use the Cuban peso currency (or as they say la moneda nacional) instead of the CUC which is basically the tourist currency. More about the currency later. At the university I will be taking 4 classes.
Here is what the Pitt site says about what I will actually be studying while in Cuba:
Students will enroll for 12 credits on the Pitt in Cuba program. All courses will be conducted entirely in Spanish and are organized as follows:
1. Core Course
Pitt in Cuba will be organized around a core course in Cuban studies, which all students must take.
2. Language Instruction
The University of Havana requires that students enrolled in this program have completed at least 4 semesters of Spanish language instruction or the equivalent before they apply.
All students will be assessed upon arrival in Havana and placed in the appropriate level of Spanish. The levels of Spanish will be matched with the appropriate Pitt course number for the level of Spanish. All courses will be approved by the chair of Hispanic Languages and Literature at the University of Pittsburgh.
3. Film Course
All students will also take a class on Cuban film studies.
4. Additional Course
Students will take one additional course from selection of offerings in the School of Arts and Humanities. Details of this course are still being finalized and will be published as soon as they are confirmed.
I will choose the last course from a list that they show me when I get to Cuba. Right now, I have no idea! I could choose Cuban Island Botany, Marxism, any class that I want. The real question is whether this class will count towards anything at Pitt. I know I'll receive credit, but will it work for my major, minor, certificate, gen-ed--only time will tell! It's definitely a mystery.
I am unsure of the advantages available to me as a student in the city. My friend told me that university students are highly respected, especially foreign students who come to learn and not to simply snap a few pictures and leave. I am interested in possibly joining some clubs, tutoring English language students, anything really.... I just really want to meet other Cubans around my age! In Nicaragua, it didn't happen as well as I wanted it to :( , but I am going to try in Cuba! I hope my Spanish/cultural barrier doesn't affect my attempts too much.
Outside of ^that^
I don't really know what else to expect without regards to school and the living situation. Who knows what kind of friends I'll make. Who knows what habits/hobbies I'll start. My friend gave me some contacts down there, so I'm definitely on a good start for meeting new people and starting a new social life, albeit a short one. I expect to smoke the forbidden Cuban cigar and sip (chug??) the sweet Cuban rum, dance my rummed bum off, but really I'm not going into this with any fixed ideas. I would love to volunteer and join clubs at the university, but those might not be legal for me or those opportunities might not even exist. One thing I know for sure is I want to complete some photo projects I have in mind and still take a million and one pictures. I regret my selection from Nicaragua. It was always scary bringing out such a device. I didn't want to intimidate/anger anyone and I didn't want to look even more like an outsider snapping shots here and there without taking time to appreciate the actual PHYSICAL object. You will see a plethora of photos the week of May 15 and beyond when I have photoshop and a strong internet connection ;)
If you have any questions, email them or leave them in the comment box and I'll try to address them in another post before I leave or maybe while I'm there!
con mucho amor,
John
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