Cuba : After

As I alluded to before, returning home after having such a life-shaping experience changed literally everything. The effects are hard to describe, partly because some of my seemingly most stable and set values, beliefs, and feelings about life were so irrevocably altered. These changes I underwent have so completely altered me now, that it is almost difficult to remember what or even who I thought I was before I went on this trip. This coming back experience goes beyond the challenges of reverse culture shock to having to completely re-shape how I was going to live, act, think, and see the world. Sure, crying on my bedroom floor for about a day after I got back gave me an outlet for some of the raw waves of conflicting emotion I was swamped in. But how was I supposed to assmeble something that palely resembled a "normal" life after this? Obviously, I should have learned by then that "normal" no longer applies, ever.
This process of continuing my life has taken a long time. Even to this day, I'll have a flashback to a moment on that magical island, or I'll realize just how differently I approach the world because of all the experiences I had that shaped me. Part of the difficulty I face/d is/was that I wasn't just re-creating my life (there was no earthly way I was going to be able to go back to just being the person I had once been) but I was undergoing an almost constant cycle of re-evaluation of and addition to my life.
One of the most important aspects of coming back is that I have never truly left Cuba behind. All of my memories, letters/gifts, and e-mails to Kenny keep me tied to that amazing place. In a lot of ways, they keep me sane and aware of what's truly important in this sea of routine and normality here. In a lot of ways, embracing what I learned on that trip has helped me keep going.
Eventually, I hope to return to Cuba. I don't know when or under what circumstances that return will be. I don't know how much the places I visited, grew, laughed, learned, and connected with will have changed. Frankly, I don't know how much I will have changed as I've been through college, another phenomenal trip abroad, and whatever else life has in store for me. However, if there is one thing that I can count on, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is that I will be able to return to one of the most unique families I have ever had the honor of being a part of. And that, is something I am forever grateful for =^. .^=

Cuba : During Part III

Another huge and unique part of my trip to Cuba was being immersed in the richness of their culture. This was one of the things that I'd been looking forward to the most, partly because I simply love experiencing new/other cultures, partly because I'd heard so much about the generosity of Cuban culture from previous pilgrims to Cuba, and partly because I knew I wanted to immerse myself as much as possible into their culture because it was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity. As excited and somewhat mentally prepared for losing myself in their culture as I thought I'd been, the richness and uniqueness of their culture took me by storm.
Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of their culture is that it still shapes who I am today. To be brutally honest, I can't really adequately capture my experiences there. The experiences I had with the Cuban culture were my own, and what poor descriptions I can provide can't really do those experiences justice. Once I'd been embraced by their culture, it almost felt like I was living in a different state of mind... What I had considered as normal had changed, what it meant to be a friend evolved into something such deeper, how I saw myself because of how others saw me changed my view of myself dramatically. I saw just how culturally bound values and things that are important were. But those thoughts are just a fraction of the metamorphosis my own sense of the world underwent through being embraced by the Cubans there. In short, it felt like the meaning of everything had changed. This was not just because I was speaking through a language that wasn't what I grew up learning, but more importantly because I was experiencing a new and different yet no less valid way of life.
This new way of life began with meals. I learned a lot of my Spanish at the table, chatting with my Cuban friends during the sobremesas. I learned this amazing rhythm game that we drummed along to on the table, the small saucers of cafe clinking with the beat of the table. I learned the sounds of animals in Cuba, and on the other hand how ridiculous animals sounds in the EEUU are.
I learned first hand about the cultural subjection of certain social issues. All of us watched a film where there was a fight between two women and there were a few short scenes of prostitution. It fascinated me how the kids from the US were more visibly uncomfortable with the sexual scenes yet how the Cubans reacted incredulously to the cat-fight. That movie showed me more than what type of "issue" is worse in Cuba, it also taught me a lot about myself and my culture. Obviously, I may has well have left my pre-conceived notions of normality at home.
Perhaps one of the things that fascinated me most about my trip to Cuba was a short memory of a mural in the lower side of Matanzas. The mural was simple, yet its messages and symbolism incredibly profound. It was a quote from Cuba's president, Raul Castro. The effect this mural had on me wasn't so much due to the words that Raul Castro spoke, but it was the strange sense of history that ignited in me. For me, that mural was like a time-capsule, a snap-shot, a thing that made abundantly clear to me the raw power of history. Everything about it captivated me, from the Spanish text to the stark image of fresh blue paint flanked by decrepit houses. For once, I could truly see with my own eyes what I'd only learned about in school, the Cold War, the US Embargo of Cuba, the Cuban Revolution, the Communist Government... These topics are enough to start me off on an hour long tangent on a good day, but ever since that day, history took on a completely new form of meaning for me. It was alive.
Yet as meaningful and life changing as all of these experiences were for me, losing myself in the richness of Cuban culture, the table games, and the more complicated culture-bound issues each of us faced, all of these aspects of my trip were highlighted and surrounded by the sheer generosity and sincerity of the people. I firmly believe that I have had some of the most important conversations of my life with people there that I had considered almost strangers the day before. This belief goes beyond whatever it was that my friends and I spoke about onto a much deeper, more beautiful level of friendship. Every conversation seemed to skip past the tedious and safe-zones of small talk, hitting instead on what was really on your mind. The pace of it all was astounding. Maybe part of the reason we all became so close was because we weren't going to be there for more than ten days, but regardless, the level and truthfulness of the friendships I created with my Cuban friends is nigh unfathomable. This simple, honesty characteristic became one of the most crucial pillars of my trip... So leaving that beautiful rawness and sincerity behind became one of the most difficult and heart-wrenching changes I had to face as I returned home, feeling almost like a stranger to my own country  =^. .^=

Another Experience Abroad

Hey readers! I figured I'd give you guys a siesta from my own reflections about my journey to Cuba with an interview about another student's experiences abroad. Click the cat and enjoy! =^. .^=

Cuba : During Part II

The biggest component of all those small moments was unquestionable the Cubans. They made that trip. I am a firm believer that people help put life into nature and that it is only through interacting with the real people that you're able to get something as close to a cross-cultural understanding as you (with your own biases) can get. I consider it an honor that I was able to meet and to get to know the Cubans that I met. They taught me so much, the extent of which I am still (delightedly) discovering. Specifically, I developed such an appreciation for the richness of their culture. That's the beautiful thing about culture, they're like colors. If you can open yourself up to another's culture, not only will you learn about the life and the colors within that culture, but you will also learn about your life and your colors because you will now see things as colored by their culture in harmony with your own. Most importantly however, they've taught me about the importance of sincerity in relationships and just how rewarding nurturing a relationship can be.
I met many amazing people there, each of them had unique stories and experiences to share with me. However, the person that I connected with the most was a college student named Kenny. How we became friends is actually a funny story because the first time I tried to talk to him was the second night that we were there (the first full day). I was still not used to the accents and the culture shock of complete Spanish immersion was still affecting my speaking confidence. I was pretty exhausted and it must've showed. Kenny noticed this and asked me if I was feeling alright. I then proceeded to spend the next hour trying to communicate that I was tired at that moment but that after I drank the cafe I would wake up because of the caffeine. Who knew this epic failure would set up such a great friendship?!
Over the rest of the trip, Kenny and I became closer over every joke, conversation, and game that we shared. We talked about what we believed in as far as religion goes and what we thought were the most important things to try and get out of life. I showed him pictures I'd brought and told him stories about my growing up. He told me about his school and his love of poetry, especially by Walt Whitman. By the end of the week, we were so comfortable speaking around each other. He'd gotten used to my horrible grammar and I'd stopped letting mistakes slow down my rhythm of speech. It was a transformation that even today I marvel at.
Parting company with Kenny was unbelievably difficult. Part of me was frustrated because of how fast friends we'd become only to see me having to leave, but I was much more sad than upset. I was incredibly sad. I was leaving this amazing place and even if I was able to come back in some more distant future, my experience then would be different from the one I'd come to love in those ten days. Eventually though, I did get on the bus back to Havana and from there the plane back to the States. Eventually the sadness of leaving the people, of leaving my friend Kenny, became more dull. But I am elated to say that I have and will never forget Kenny.
We still keep in touch through e-mail and through occasional presents we send each other via new groups that go down to Cuba. I'm so glad that I'm able to stay in contact with him, considering our countries are not on good terms and the Internet connection there is spotty. The Internet has helped maintain our strong friendship which continues so grow with every story we share. Those e-mails keep me tied to Kenny, to the Cubas, to that amazing place, to those memories. Most importantly though, they keep my drive to learn about cultures heartily alive as the case and point example of how losing yourself in another culture will show you more about life than you could ever know =^. .^=

Cuba : During Part I

The 10 days that I spent in Cuba passed by faster than I ever wanted, yet they remain 10 of the most important days of my life. In Cuba, I was able to interact with members of my group but more importantly with the Cubans themselves. We did many activities together during those days, all of which have stuck with me for one reason or another. Certainly the history nerd in me was thrilled beyond belief to tour the famous Teatro Sauto, which is the theatrical epicenter of Cuba. They were refurbishing the theater, and the only thing that eclipsed the perfect acoustics and the tone of the grand hall was the circa 19th century system of gears in the basement that are still to this day able to raise the floor of the theater over 1 meter into the air, thus turning the theater into a ballroom. It simply blew my mind. We did one or two other touristy things in Cuba, like visiting the higher-end beaches on the island and swimming in natural caves. Those events were phenomenal in that they let me appreciate the incredible natural beauty of the island. But as pleasant as those beaches were, those are not the most significant moments of the trip for me.
The activities that meant the most to me were simply getting to know the city of Matanzas and it's inhabitants on a personal level. These were the smaller moments, the things we did more frequently, like going down to the tienda on the square to buy mango juice cartons and ice cream (which is strangely enough monopolized by Nestle). The smaller moments were staying up during the mid afternoon siesta everyday to walk around the Cairo Center (which was a small building attached to the church where my group stayed), speaking my imperfect Spanish to the endearingly patient friends I made about everything from Al Capone to the formation of mountain ranges, sitting out on the stoop of the Cairo Center to watch the setting sun filter though the telephone wires that laced the street, and of course the constant hum of hospitality that warmed the air just as much as the Caribbean sun. These smaller moments, these snapshots are the memories that I treasure above all else, the things that have and will continue to sustain me until I can once again return to that beloved place  =^. .^=

Cuba : Before

Most people are very surprised when I tell them that I have traveled abroad to Cuba. Typically, their first reaction is shock. Then they ask, "How did you manage that?" or "Why?" As to the first question, I am quite willing to explain that I was able to go at all to Cuba through the partnership that my church has with a church in Matanzas, Cuba. This partnership was forged over many years and every other year a group of youth from my church is able to go to Cuba on a religious visa. As to the other question, I explained to others that I have always loved to get to know and learn about people, especially those from a different country. This characteristic was forged more securely from my trip to Guatemala and from the experiences I gained there. More specifically, I began to really develop excitement about the trip as we began to plan out the logistics of my group and as the date of the trip came closer. My group traveled to Matanzas in 2009 and I can safely say that this trip has been one of the most influential experiences of my life =^. .^=

Japan Panel Response

So, remember how I had asked in my first post about the status of Japan? Well, I had a great opportunity to go to a panel that the Honors College was hosting about the status of Japan in respect to the media coverage and the implications of the disaster. I wished they covered more about the time line of events, but their focus on the media coverage, particularly in by the US of the event sparked equal interest in me.
The panel leaders spoke briefly about the geology of Japan and how it's an earthquake prone area and the compounded dangers of the domestic nuclear power plants that humans have put there. From this, they spoke about how Western countries are focusing on the radioactive dangers of the plants whereas other nations are treating the earthquake and tsunamis as natural disasters. The speakers elaborated, citing Perrow's "Normal Accidents" to explain the media coverage phenomenon that focuses on the radiation instead of the quake. Perrow claims that before WWII, disasters such as the quake were largely localized, could be corrected by natural circumstances, were quantifiable in their damage, and people could move away from damaged zones. Case and point; coal mines. Coal soot covered local areas, after they were shut down the coal soot would eventually be removed by natural forces such as the weather, one could estimate the damage from the soot and the loss of labor, and if it was bad enough citizens could leave. However, Perrow explained, disasters related to nuclear power are the opposite. Radioactive fall-out is insidious as it spreads around the globe, it lasts far longer than humans and because of the nature of its damaging effects it is difficult for natural forces to correct, estimations on the damage are incredibility difficult because of the scale and effects of the damage from the radiation, and since it has the potential to spread everywhere, there is no escape.
This panel definitely shed new light on the developing catastrophe in Japan, particularly in light of how Japan is considered a 1st World Country. Still, while this discussion may have satisfied one question I had about Japan, it has invariably ignited many other questions, questions that that we all must answer for ourselves =^. .^=