PVHS students travel to Cuba and learn about its culture and history

I have learned about Cuba and its rich history in class, but this past spring break I was privileged with the opportunity to visit Cuba, learn more about its extensive history, and learn about the cultural elements that make it unique. Textbooks are only able to teach students so much about the history of a country. Students can only absorb so much cultural influence through the lessons they are taught. While in Cuba, I was able to understand the influences of culture and history in Cuba far beyond anything I could have learned in school.

I was accompanied by seven other PV high school students and twenty other adults. None of us knew exactly what to expect. All we knew were the things we were taught in school, with everything else being new to us. We were guided by Steph Risius, teacher, and Katie Buchter, teacher, on our tour through Cuba. The Cuban government provided someone to be our tour guide for the week. Having someone who was from Cuba allowed us to get a better insight about the country as a whole.

We did experience some of the traditional activities of a tour group. We visited the capital of Havana and explored the city on a walking tour, visiting the original square the Spanish established at the birth of the country. In addition, we explored the Spanish elements in Cuba by visiting several other cities and churches that expressed the lasting impact of the Spanish. Although this was a cool thing to see, it wasn’t the purpose of the tour. The purpose of the tour was to interact with the locals and to be immersed in the Cuban culture.

Nia Howze, junior, was one of the students who travelled to Cuba. Howze said, “Cuban culture is so rich, and so much different than I expected. The people were all very friendly, hard-working, and welcoming, despite the difficult history between the U.S and Cuban government.” Through this tour, we were able to uncover the truths about the Cuban culture. We visited several local community projects that helped us understand who the Cuban people really are. Collin Smith, junior, was another student who went on the trip to Cuba. Smith said, “It was an unforgettable experience. It was amazing being able to truly experience their culture and see how they live.” The one on one contact with the people in Cuba allowed us to understand their culture and their lifestyle.

The community projects we visited gave us a chance to truly see the culture and history of Cuba firsthand. We visited a church that runs a daycare for kids who are in need. They provide them a place to come learn and grow before they go to school. Here, we really got a sense of the unity of the communities. All of the community projects we visited had virtually the same goal, to better their community by helping the youth to be successful. We visited numerous art community projects ranging from traditional paintings to contemporary music and dancing. We visited an elderly community center in the city of Santa Clara where we were able to learn about experiences those individuals had growing up in Cuba.

Parker Huhn, sophomore, also traveled to Cuba this past spring break. Huhn said, “All of the communities we visited were inviting. Even with the rough history between our countries, the Cuban people were very open to learning about us as well as teaching us about their culture.” The whole purpose of the tour was for us to learn about a place we had only limited knowledge about. We were able to better understand the Cuban culture and history. We placed ourselves in the middle of Cuba and that is where we learned the most. Travel allowed us to see a different side of Cuba and taught us things you can only learn by experiencing it yourself.