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First Impressions – Kate McKenney

The Cuban flag flying over the airport in Havana was at first an odd sight. Now I don’t think twice about seeing “¡Viva la revolución!,” Fidel’s face, and José Marti quotes plastered everywhere I go. After only a few days here in Havana, I feel like I’ve been here for weeks and I don’t want to leave. There is a clear sense that life is not easy here but it is overshadowed by a uniting sense of pride in being Cuban. Something about walking through the busy streets filled with overcrowded buses and classic cars to the beat of salsa or reggaeton is in its own way enchanting. I am already proud of our adjustments we have made to living in a third world country, and I am sure that by the end of this semester Havana will have tested our language skills and street smarts to the fullest extent