Demystifying the Mythos of Cuba

Photo Credit: Dan Seal

Myth #1: Cubans don’t like Americans.

While there are people who believe that I would receive poor treatment as an American in Cuba, particularly when travelling in a tour group of Americans, my experience was vastly different. It was abundantly clear that Cubans are able to distinguish between the leaders in government and the average citizens of a country. I was shown nothing but kindness and generosity during my trip there with the dance-based tour group run by MetaMovements.

Of course, it helped that the leader of this group had built up meaningful connections with everyone we encountered from the hotel staff to the dancers who accompanied us on nights out and even led some of our excursions. However, beyond the partnerships that existed before I showed up, there was also the feedback the leader received from those communities we encountered. One prominent case had to do with our cultural exchange with an organization known as La Colmenita (Spanish for The Little Beehive). This is a program that offers theater, music, and dance classes and performance opportunities for children who may have traumatic home lives and/or have disabilities. One of the instructors in the program scoped out our group before allowing us to come visit and meet some of the children. She felt confident after meeting us that we would be a good fit for interacting with her “little bees.” We got to tour the Havana-based center where the magic happens (they have a few locations across the island) and learn about how these children learn theater and music through play by playing with them. We also then had the honor of watching them perform and they even invited us onstage to dance with them at the end of their show! They announced at the end that this was the first time that particular group of children had performed for an international audience, and it had given them optimism that they could do it again in the future. Meanwhile, the larger company of La Colmenita has been performing for international audiences for many years. They have won many accolades including a best actress award at the Cannes International Film Festival. I am sure that other travelers' experiences may be different depending on how they decide to travel (independently or with a tour group) and the people they encounter. I acknowledge that my trip was unique in many regards, but I stand by my general impression of the Cubans we met was positive.

Myth #2: Cuba is still communist and is strictly against our democratic values here in the US.

After speaking with a tour guide who lives and relies on both the Cuban government and tourist tips to provide for her family, my understanding is that Cuba is no longer communist; it is socialist, which means that although most people are still heavily reliant on the government for their rations of food and most services are government run, there are opportunities for earning money independently of the government to supplement one’s income. Additionally, there is much more of a thriving private sector than there had been prior to 2009. In the tourist industry, as this is the one I encountered most while being there, the supplemental income is accomplished through tips. MetaMovements prepared our group with a delineation of what is an appropriate tip to give different people depending on the service they provided. We tipped everyone from chefs in the hotel cafeteria to the dancers who taught us to the tour guide and bus driver who helped us navigate the city of Havana.

These tips can really go a long way for people particularly because of Cuba’s dual-currency situation. The country implements a resident-friendly currency known as the CUP (Cuban Peso) and a tourist-friendly currency known as the CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso). 1 CUC is nearly 30 CUPs. While this may feel unfair to tourists who in actuality are dishing out a lot of money for just tips alone, giving what is essentially $1-2 to people who provide you with quality food service or $15 for the bus driver is not as significant as you may think if you have already spent the money to visit Cuba in the first place. However, 30 CUPs for the average Cuban can go a long way into helping them care for their families. While I understand that Americans may not agree with everything the Cuban government has done to run its country (even I don’t), it doesn’t mean that individual Cubans should be held responsible for the failings of a larger system, which brings me to the next myth.

Myth #3: The US-Cuba embargo is still necessary for American safety.

There are varying interpretations of why the embargo is still in place that come from the US government as well as American citizens. Personally, I find the embargo to be unnecessary. It is clear that limiting travel and US exports to Cuba have had a negative impact on Cuban economy and infrastructure, but it hasn’t changed the government from a socialist to a democratic one the way some US politicians had hoped. Although it may sound cliche, I do believe that the first step out of this is educating both US travelers and Cuban citizens.

I do not purport to be an expert on all things US-Cuban history and relations, but it has been my impression that the limited desire Americans have to travel to Cuba stems from feeling it is unsafe to do so. The socialist government, the associated costs with paying for a visa even for a short trip, and the potential to have a run-in with the US government are all valid reasons to be cautious about travelling there. However, the enriching experience to be gained from going should not be undermined. I did not know much about Cuba going into the trip with MetaMovements, but they did a thorough job with explaining the cultural elements that are important to know as well as what to expect at the airport in order to avoid any travel concerns. With proper support and research, you, too, may find yourself on line getting your Cuban travel visa to enjoy the warm Cuban climate and beaches of Havana.

The other aspect of education that is necessary is on the Cuban side. Having a socialist government means that while all schools are public and therefore free, which is fantastic, it also means that there is a standardization of thought. Often when talking to people in Cuba about the political situation, they referenced how the revolution of 1959 “triumphed.” It tells you a little something about how poor the circumstances were for the majority of Cubans prior to the revolution as well as how they were told to speak about the revolution. That, along with the restricted access to the internet, only available in certain hotspots or if one is lucky enough to get a certain phone from a foreign provider, severely limits the chance that any change in political thought will occur. If the US government truly cared about improving the political situation in Cuba, they would find ways to provide greater access to the internet where citizens can be exposed to a wide range of opinions and beliefs that challenge their own assumptions.

Myth #4: Cubans are woefully repressed and unhappy due to their circumstances.

Though I did encounter some dilapidated buildings in Havana, and I did hear first-hand the challenges particularly of relying on the tourist industry for survival, the general Cuban population has shown a great deal of resilience in their day-to-day lives. Thanks to Former President Obama’s détente, access to certain resources made it more possible for building restoration to occur. In fact, even before Obama’s modest relaxation on travel restrictions to Cuba, there were people who focused their energy in finding creative ways to restore streets and buildings that were in dire need of it.

Additionally, Cuba is home to a world renowned ballet company and theater comparable to the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow. Aspiring dancers from around the world come to Cuba for a chance to vie for a spot in the ballet school there. That, along with being the originators of salsa dance and music (along with many other Latin styles), make Cuba a desirable place to be if you want to know what it feels like to connect with another human being through movement and music. While I was there, we danced everywhere from the underground clubs to the beach to the senior center in old Havana. People walking by stopped and either watched or joined in with us. I am grateful to live in a city in the US that has tried to emulate some of that culture through its nightclubs and outdoor dance festivals in the summertime.

When touring Old Havana at night with one of the dancers from the company that accompanied our group, one of us had asked if Cubans are happy living here. Without missing a beat, this dancer/tour guide’s response was (and I paraphrase), “Undeniably. We love life and believe in living it to the fullest and that’s what we do here in Cuba.”

Myth #5: New sanctions on the US-Cuba embargo make it impossible to travel to Cuba.

It’s not impossible; it’s just more difficult. If what I’ve written above has not convinced you already, I will say it now: I think Cuba is a joy to visit. In my experience, there isn’t a country out there that has a greater desire to build meaningful relationships with other countries. In fact, I got to meet one of the representatives in the government-run department that works to establish friendly relations with foreign nations. She spoke about the programming they do to rebuild the country, particularly in the agricultural sector, but also how desirable Cuban doctors have become abroad. Cuba’s medical schools are free for those who come from Cuba or elsewhere and they are known for their strong curriculum that makes them exemplary medical practitioners that other countries look to in programs such as Doctors Without Borders.

While the simple people-to-people exchange visa is now practically off-limits, there are many reasons to visit Cuba and many visas that you can sign under in order to get that coveted spot on an airplane to get there. As someone who visited, I will tell you: the people are worth it, the sights are worth it, the music and dance are worth it. Just go - you won’t regret it!

Germany: Interview with the Teacher

I interviewed the German teacher who was my collaborator in our German-US Pen Pal Exchange described in my previous post. You can read her thoughts on the exchange below:

A few words about ESL learning in Germany:

German students first start learning English in 3rd grade. The first two years are only listening, first words/phrases/concepts and lots of play. In 5th grade the real deal starts and they have four 45-minute lessons every week.

The first three years (year 5-7) concentrate on British English and British culture. In 8th grade the entire school year is all about the US and also American English and spelling. 9th grade will be about Australia and 10th grade introduces a variety of English speaking countries where English is not the only spoken language such as South Africa and India.

A few words about my English class that participated in the exchange:

I have taught these students since 5th grade and will keep them until they graduate from our school in year 10., so I have known them for a few years already. It is not common to teach them for one year only.

Q: What were your students’ initial reactions to starting the pen pal exchange with my class in the US?

A: Most of our English class had evolved around Britain and they were excited to explore a new country now. Since most of their knowledge of any English speaking country is basically based on fictional characters in their ESL books I have been wanting to do a letter exchange to get them to truly experience and use the language what it is actually intended for: communication. The students know that I lived and taught in the US so I was able to share with them lots of my personal experience and I could show them pictures and we baked and cooked American food beforehand. I do think they identified stronger with the US because of that, but that may only be my biased perception :). 

When I told them we are going to write with an American class they were excited, highly motivated and eager to find out more about their way of living and couldn’t wait to see what they looked and lived like.

Q: How did you present the expectations around letter writing for this exchange?

A: One of the topics in year 8 is writing letters and emails. So we talked about and practiced letter writing parallel to writing the “real” ones. It would have been good to do one after the other. That is something I would do differently next time. The fictional letters had specific topics that were supposed to be addressed and I noticed they wrote these fictional letters with more ease.

I did not foresee how much they would struggle to write their “real” responses because these were “real” and they did not want to embarrass themselves by writing poor English. They were very perfectionist in a way that hindered their creative outlet and the words did not come easily. The language barrier was a huge issue for many students, more so than it usually was in the typical classroom context. I am guessing their (teen)age is a large factor for the inhibition they experienced here.

Next time I would definitely do the unit on email and letter writing prior to a real exchange to reduce insecurities.

Q: Have you or they ever done a pen pal exchange before? If so, what was that experience like?

A: Yes, I have done two pen pal exchanges with the US before. I taught 5th grade English at the time and we partnered with my former school in the US, which is a German Immersion School. So we wrote in German and English. The students were definitely less afraid and more carefree. As I said the age may be a large factor here. But of course it was a dual language exchange so they were always able to switch to their native language. Plus they saw errors coming from the US side and that really helped with overcoming their own inhibition.

I have also done two pen pal exchanges with Sweden with grade 9 students. Those were very rewarding and a great experiences because we actually visited each other as well. Even though both groups use English “only” as a second language the students’ language learning went through the roof during that one week in Sweden and when they had their pen pals visiting them here.

Q: Did you hear any specific feedback from individual or groups of students about the impact this was having on them throughout the year? What did they say?

A: The students really enjoyed this experience and getting letters. A few students connected via online games and started chatting online. Some were less interested in the actual writing process because they struggle in this area.

When we did the videos at the end of the exchange all students were highly motivated again. Seeing their pen pals definitely had the highest impact on them. In return they filmed different locations at school and showed their pen pals around virtually. If I were to repeat it I would definitely include videos more and probably try to make the first video right at the beginning. It just brings the whole experience more to life for them and the language barrier somehow is easier to cross for them.

I know a lot of my students would have liked to keep in contact, but it is rather difficult on our end due to very strict European guidelines and rules regarding personal data. My students are not allowed to give out their personal email or Instagram without the parents’ written consent. In order to avoid any legal turmoil I asked them not to share it at all. In this case I felt it was better to be safe than sorry. I’m sorry I failed to explain the data guidelines to you. They are new so I had to kind of figure them out as we went. Next time I would make sure that the US side knows that if they wanted to keep on writing after the school year ends that they would have to send their email first and then my students can respond without legal problems.

Q: What was your approach to supporting students through the linguistic challenges?

A: We had the luxury of actually discussing email and letter writing as a topic parallel to this experience so we talked about important phrases, collected ideas for sentence starters and later into the school year learned about writing better sentences. We introduced necessary vocabulary where needed, but it was highly individual and sometimes hard to keep track of for me to be honest.

Q: How were your students’ families involved in supporting their children's understanding of the letters we sent?

A: We have a diverse student body. Some parents were involved, most were interested, some speak German as a second language and have little to no knowledge of English. But even some of those parents who did learn English in school struggled to understand tricky sentences. So most students would come to me, ask their classmates or use the google translator if they didn’t understand parts of the letters.

Q: Towards the end of the year, did you have a chance to reflect with them on the experience? If so, what did they feel they learned or gained from the exchange?

A: Yes, we talked about the exchange and all thought it was valuable to them. They enjoyed the videos the most, they were more interested and personally involved if they received photos. Some were disappointed because they didn’t receive answers (One student was very motivated at first and then completely lost interest because his pen pal didn’t respond). Some were disappointed if they didn’t receive pictures. Photos were very important to them, way more than I had anticipated. They did say that it was a great effort to complete longer replies and that it was sometimes poorly timed in regards to tests they had to study for in other subjects.

When I told them about the disappointment on your side they were very surprised and some even shocked. They felt it was unfair and said they put in so much effort and named the effort they put in like going to the store to print photos on actual photo paper so they would look nice. Some are not very strong academically and did the best they could to compensate the lack of content by coloring or adding drawings and photos.

A few were hard to motivate to write from the very start so I would have to agree that their pen pals would have every right to be disappointed ;-). I started an exchange with my 9th grade a little after ours and to avoid a clash in motivation we agreed on a star system we used in the initial letters:

2**) If you are highly motivated to write and will put in extra effort draw two stars next to your name.
1*) If you are interested in writing and you will participate in all class activities draw one star next to your name.
0) If you are solely participating because you have to don’t draw any stars.

This way we achieved pen pal partnerships that matched well.

Q: What have you learned personally as a teacher about this process? Would you do this again? If so, how might you organize it differently?

A: I would definitely do this again as it is very rewarding for the students. I do have to admit that it is a lot of work if the group of students is as large as ours was. I do have to check every letter at least once and that is a lot of correcting on top of the usual work load. It is worth it and if the groups both put in some effort it is a great tool to get first-hand information about another country.

Germany: From a 2D Textbook to a 4D Exchange

I conducted a very different kind of exchange with Germany this past year in my school. The students I taught, this time, were 7th and 8th grade students in a more typical small private school. Anti-bias education is a core part of the school’s mission and with that comes empathy. In history class, students spent a great deal of time learning about the Holocaust and World War II. What better way to show how far Germans, especially young Germans, had come from the era of oppressing and killing Jews and other minority populations than to have my students interact with their German equivalent?

We began the exchange through snail mail. It was an opportunity for students to practice their writing skills and for the German students to practice their English writing skills with their English teacher who led the charge. Once again, I found the teacher through ePals, and we quickly established a routine of how these letters would go. The excitement on the students’ faces when they received their first letters in the mail from Germany was contagious! As they read and looked at the pictures that were included, they became curious about what others wrote as well. It was clear that soon enough, these kids across the ocean became real for them.

The German students beckoned from a town just an hour outside of Bremen, which may sound familiar if you’ve ever read the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, “The Bremen Town Musicians.” It also happens to be a classic Russian cartoon that was a favorite of mine growing up in a Russian household. I showed my students a segment of this cartoon, and I’ll never forget their laughter when the donkey sings, “yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah” at the end. This fun little tidbit even made it into some of their letters back to the German students.

On a more serious note, there was a moment of growth that my students and I experienced in the process of this pen pal exchange. At one point, my students felt that they were not getting the same thoroughness of responses they felt they were putting into their letters. While I hadn’t taken the time to read all the German students’ letters, I did have a fairly good idea of what my own students had written. I glanced over a few German letters and at first reminded them that English was not their first language. They felt there was something more to it, so I inquired with the teacher about what it could be. In her response, the German teacher was shocked and upset by my remarks. She then went into full detail about the effort that some of her students put forth in writing their letters. She explained how she sat with some students for hours at a time deciphering the meaning of my students’ letters before crafting their own response. Others needed to request help from their parents in order to compose their letter. She pointed out how some of my students sent letters that were quite short for native English speakers and without photos to add that personal touch. I shared the contents of this email with my students and there was a moment of pause felt when they realized how difficult it can be to learn a new language and write lengthy responses in that language. Some of my students are already bilingual and many have been learning Spanish from a young age, but some truly took what I said to heart. On my end, I encouraged students to write more detailed responses in which they shared more stories about themselves rather than just recounting individual, unrelated facts.

The art of letter writing is not a frequently applied one, and while it came naturally to some, others needed idea upon idea for how to expand what they had written. In the age of Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram, I wonder how unacquainted some of these kids are or will be with personal or even casual writing that spans longer than 140 characters or a caption on an image. Furthermore, in the spirit of building that personal touch, to end the year, I filmed students saying a few parting words to their pen pal and sent it to the German teacher to share with her students. They reciprocated and even went so far as to film themselves showing off their school campus!

While some students felt they had not gained a great deal from the experience because of the infrequent letters and occassional moments of miscommunication, others wanted to continue the exchange past the end of the school year. Some have shared their social media handles and names they use when playing interactive or online video games. Through the imperfections of the system, I learned about the importance of setting clearer expectations around letter writing and what sorts of things are worth sharing. My students learned about how things can be lost in translation, but also how much they can have in common with kids their age from a foreign country. As many of them enter high school, they know that they have a contact in Germany if they ever need it, and they have just a bit more knowledge of how different Germany is now from the one portrayed in their studies of World War II.

A Ghanaian Exchange

As a teacher, I always strive to expand my students’ thinking about the world we live in. While working at a residential school for high school students with severe social, emotional, and behavioral disabilities, I discovered a website called ePals where teachers can create profiles and connect with other teachers from all over the globe. You can read other teachers’ profiles, which include a description of the school they work in, the age of their students, how long they’ve been teaching, and what languages they speak.

A teacher from Bolgatanga, Ghana expressed an interest in connecting his classroom with mine. He is a technology teacher who seeks to show his students the positive role technology can play. My goal was to excite my students about the opportunity to practice their social skills with new people outside of our small school, and develop an understanding of a new culture. I messaged him through ePals and eventually we exchanged Skype information. The teacher and I video chatted and discussed the plan for how we were going to bridge the gap between our two classrooms and countries. We shared some information about each other and I spoke to my students about the possibility of this connection happening.

To prepare my students, I showed them where Ghana was on the map and gave them a little context regarding the environment there.  So often we get a singular view of Africa and I thought this would be a great opportunity to break down those stereotypes and meet real people from a country in Africa. As the Special Education Teacher, I was responsible for teaching every subject to this group of seven students. I used it as an opportunity for interdisciplinary work. For reading and writing class, we read a short story by a Ghanaian author. In history class, we read current events articles about Ghana and for science, we read a blog post from a traveler who went there and visited the region in which Bolgatanga is located (Upper East). The blog writer described a great deal about the warm climate and the technological resources available in Bolgatanga. In math, we imagined ourselves preparing for a trip to Ghana and considered all the costs that would go into making such a trip using real airfare prices and tour costs. We had to take the exchange rate into account as well: US $1 = 5.43 Ghanaian Cedis.

After a little over a month of preparing, we were finally able to set up our first Skype call. My students huddled around the computer and eagerly introduced themselves to the students from Ghana. They sat with their hands folded quietly awaiting for the Ghanaian students to pick up the call. We were fortunate that there is only a four hour time difference and the students there are attending a public residential school, which is common for secondary students who have passed the exam and wish to go on with their education. In fact, Ghana prides itself on having a strong education system compared to some of the surrounding countries in Western Africa.

Finally, the Bolgatanga students answered the call. They asked each other questions about their schools and the weather and what kinds of sports they play. There were moments of laughter and enthusiasm that really transformed the atmosphere in the classroom for those 40 minutes while we were talking. In the second half of the call, the students connected over music and sang songs to each other. After each song, the other group of students applauded and cheered for them! Given that the majority of my students at that school were students of color, it was special for them to meet Africans who looked like them and took an interest in them. They realized that they have quite a bit in common with each other - particularly when it comes to their musical interests. They were not being judged for being in a special school or for their work ethic, but instead, were being celebrated for their social abilities.

When meeting separately with their teacher later on over Skype, we discussed topics to cover for our next meeting and decided on music – given the strong interest the students demonstrated. Both the teacher from Ghana and I asked our respective students what their favorite songs and artists were and shared that with each other. We listened through the songs and made comments about what we thought of them. We planned to have a second meeting and had scheduled a time to do so, but unfortunately, government circumstances in Ghana prevented it. I learned much later from the teacher that students had to be sent home for a few months because of the lack of food. Given that it was a public school, the government was responsible for providing not just a quality education, but also nutritional value, and it turns out they were in debt. The leader had gotten behind on payments for the food leaving the school with no other choice. It was hard for me as an American educator to fathom such a circumstance in which students would be deprived of an education because the government couldn’t afford to feed them. I wondered if there was a way to continue the learning from home for these students. This was definitely a teachable moment for me and for my students to truly value the education we have. I imagine the students there were grateful when they were able to return to the school again.