Notas del Viaje :

On the Road with Cuban Culture Uncovered

By: Rebekah Farokhi, Idoia Cebriá & Elena Adell

Last May, the enthusiastic crew of Cuban Culture Uncovered , including founder and director, Dr. José B. Alvarez, faculty and staff from both UGA and Cuban institutions, and thirty excited students embarked on a month-long journey through Cuba to explore the rich cultural, religious, and geographical diversity of the Island . The itinerary? Four weeks, seven cities, and four interdisciplinary courses in language, music, religion, and culture taught by UGA and Cuban scholars. But this was no crash course; students were immersed in the Cuban culture on a daily basis, developing language and communication skills, participating in local musical and cultural events, and interacting with friendly local communities. Daily classes were taught by Dr. Reinaldo Román of the UGA Department of History, Dr. Susan Thomas of the UGA School of Music, and Cuban scholars Ricardo Hernández Otero of the Instituto de Literatura y Lingüística and Juan Nicolás Padrón of Casa de Las Américas . Idoia Cebriá, Resident Coordinator, and teaching assistants Elena Adell and Rebekah Farokhi coordinated daily social and cultural activities and participated in all aspects of the program.

The group's first stop was the capitol of Havana , where students spent two fast-paced weeks exploring the city, attending community events, and challenging themselves academically in intensive daily language and culture classes. While in Havana , students visited the house of a Santero , ate lunch in a local paladar , toured a cigar factory, danced in a ceremony invoking the Orishas , participated in a private performance on bata drums, and attended lectures given by a number of local musicians and scholars.

In Las Terrazas, students explored the rural countryside and began to get a feel for the great geographic diversity and physical beauty of the island. The group then visited Pinar del Rio and Santiago , located on opposite ends of the island, as they continued their cultural studies both in and outside of the classroom. The group attended local social gatherings and cultural events, visited historical landmarks in honor of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, toured the church of the Virgen del Cobre , and participated in impromptu street dancing. In Camagüey and Santa Clara , students gained further appreciation for the broad ethnic diversity of the Cuban people and immersed themselves in the local communities. Other highlights of the trip included swimming in a freshwater stream, trekking through a natural cave, visiting a local art exposition, and engaging in the daily conversations and friendly exchanges that are so integral to daily life in Cuba .

The great success of Cuban Culture Uncovered should come as no surprise to those who know Associate Professor, Dr. José B. Alvarez, whose hard work and dedication to international education has created new and exciting study abroad opportunities for hundreds of UGA students over the past four years. Alvarez is the creator and director of Cuban Culture Uncovered , the popular UGA en España summer and semester programs and his latest endeavor, UGA en Venezuela , a medical Spanish program on the island of Margarita . Thrilled with the outcome of the program, Alvarez said, “ Cuban Culture Uncovered offered students a unique opportunity to participate in a real-life, in-depth, interdisciplinary study of Cuba . The students were learning

about the Island and the Cuban people in the classroom and experiencing the local language, culture, and history for themselves on a personal level.” Alvarez, who has spent years traveling to Cuba , where he has family and close friends, says, “To truly understand Cuba , you have to venture outside of Havana . Our students had the chance to experience the great diversity that is responsible for the identity of Cubans, both as unique individuals and as a people.”

Unfortunately, increased travel restrictions have put an end to the program for the time being. Nevertheless, student interest remains high and the participants of Cuban Culture Uncovered 2004 will not soon forget their experiences. Caroline Burns, a senior political science major says, “I've always been interested in Cuba , but because of the restrictions on American travel to Cuba I never though I would have the chance to visit, despite the island's physical proximity. This program was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I can honestly say I learned something new every day of the trip. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.”