Homestays throughout the trip

Essence

The objective of the homestays was to be immersed in a Cuban household and therefore surrounded by Cuban Culture. Through those experiences, we were able to live an approximate, more realistic and unfiltered Cuban life.

What we did

We ate traditional Cuban meals, and learned about the life of our host families. Though our host families also “beautified” our meals, most of the time, they were completely honest about the privileges we had as tourists, and how certain items were almost impossible to have daily.

Reflections

We were able to learn about different traditions, as well as the local struggles of the families that hosted us. The beauty, and the challenge of the homestays, was the lack of oversight; the other activities that we had were all guided by our teachers and guide, and we, the students, kept in mind that the teachers could help us if we felt stuck, in language for example. The homestays, however, placed us in autonomy mode, allowing us to be completely independent.