By Elissa Salamy
Staff Writer
This past January, 15 Hofstra students took part in the first Hofstra in Cuba program. The program started in Havana, Cuba’s capital city, and continued on in Playa Ancon, Trinidad, Cienfuegos and Pinar del Rio.
With President Obama announcing plans to rekindle diplomatic relations with Cuba only days before the trip, the students were visiting Cuba at a very unique time. America’s embargo on Cuba began in 1960 and since then travel between the countries has been limited.
Many of the students had no idea what to expect from their trip.
“For me, Cuba was extremely different than what I had ever heard or learned in school,” said junior Bhavneet Anand. “The people there want to reconstruct relations with us, they want the U.S. to end the blockade and they want to be a part of the world politically and economically.”
“I came here with absolutely no expectations, no idea. I threw 17 days worth of clothes into a bag and was like, ‘Word, I’m going,’” said junior Youssef Bouzaidi. “There’s so much more than what you think you know as an American.”
The students learned a great deal about Cuba, through their travels and through the lectures given by Professor James Wiley and Professor Conrad Herold.
“I think the most significant aspect of the trip for most students was their realization of the truly warm nature and resilience of the Cuban people,” said Professor Wiley.
“I learned that if anything sets Cuba apart from the rest of Latin America, it is their strong sense of pride in their revolutionary ideas, as well as their strong sense of trust, community and culture,” said Anand. “Music is always playing everywhere and everyone is big on dancing and enjoying life for what it is.”
“This program certainly surpassed all of the Hofstra programs I’ve been involved with, both in terms of the content of the program and the quality of the students participating,” said Professor Wiley. “[Professor Herold] and I are already setting the wheels in motion in hopes of getting the right people at Hofstra with our running another Cuba trip next January.”
