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 =^. .^=