KWC in Cuba

This semester, a group from Kentucky Wesleyan College had a rare opportunity to travel to Cuba as participants in a joint academic program with Eastern Kentucky University. KWC students on the trip were Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves from the Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Law program. The group also included their professor, Dr. Ken Ayers, director of the Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Law program, and KWC trustee Jack Wells and his wife Gina.

The class, entitled Justice and Revolution in Cuba, gave the group a unique account of the history of the Cuban Revolution and the status of the current legal system in Cuba. The group travelled throughout the country, and met with Cuban government officials, law professors from the University of Havana, and veterans of the Cuban Revolution, as well as local Cuban citizens.

Jonathan and Dustin kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba, and this is their first-hand account of their journey. This page is an aggregate of all posts in the series, beginning at the top of the page.

You can also see a photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 1 — “Es Cuba”
(posted Nov. 21, 2011)

We arrived in Cuba today after a short, one-hour plane ride from Miami, Florida, to Havana, Cuba. When the plane touched down in Cuba, all of the Cubans on board began to cheer and applaud. We could all tell they were excited to be here. Dustin had an interesting discussion during the flight with a Cuban-American who was seated next to him. Here is Dustin’s account:

Carlos’ Story
As we boarded the flight, I found my seat in the middle, next to a very large man. My first thought was, ‘This is going to be uncomfortable.’ The plane took off, and due to the heat of Miami, everyone was anxious to get the air flowing. Each seat had its own air vent, so I positioned mine to flow air in my direction. About five minutes later, the man sitting next to me grabbed my vent and moved it to his direction. I was on a chartered plane full of Cubans and didn’t know how the man would react if I grabbed it back, so I simply sat there.

Roughly ten minutes passed and I decided to move my air vent back, which I did, cautiously. Minutes went by, and neither I, nor the man moved or made any comments. Eventually, I decided to lighten the mood, and said, “Hot airplane, huh?” Much to my surprise, the man laughed, and in a Cuban accent, speaking in English, introduced himself as Carlos.

Carlos and I spoke the rest of the flight to Cuba. Based on my uneducated assumptions about Cuba, I was hesitant to ask the man any questions. But he asked where I was from, and the conversation, and my abundance of questions began.

I learned that Carlos had made three attempts to flee Cuba to the United States, for reasons he described as being suppressed. On his second attempt he was caught by the U.S. Coast Guard and sent to Guantanamo Bay for 17 months. Upon being released, Carlos tried again, and succeeded. He spent five days at sea in a raft with other Cubans. Some did not survive.

Now Carlos is an American citizen and has his own company in the real estate business. Carlos was coming back to Cuba to visit his son, who is in medical school at the University of Havana. I asked Carlos if it was worth the risk, to which he replied, “Absolutely.” Carlos said he would do it all over again if he had to, and he loves the United States.

Carlos also gave me some advice for my trip. He told me that most Cubans would speak openly about Cuba, including about the government, but not to pressure them into it. He also relieved my worries by telling me that Cubans are very open and welcoming to Americans, as they aspire to be Americans, or to travel to America.

When the plane landed, Carlos told me to take back my stories of Cuba, and to spread the word about the Cuban people to Americans, who may not be aware of what being a Cuban is like. With this advice, I stepped out of the airplane onto Cuban grounds for the first time, and was eager to begin my travels.

Next time: Saran-wrapped luggage and the Hotel Presidente …

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Day 1: Part 2 — “Saran-Wrapped Luggage and the Hotel Presidente”
(posted Nov. 22, 2011)

Saran-Wrapped Luggage

This was the first time anyone from our group had been in Cuba and we were all anxious, as the next step was Cuban customs. We stood in a single file line, being called to speak with a Cuban customs officer, one at a time. If we were cleared, a buzzer sounded and the door opened to the other side where baggage claim was. Fortunately, everyone cleared customs, and was granted access to Cuba.

We all waited for our baggage to come around on the conveyor belt, just as we would in the United States. Baggage began to come out, and after an hour of not receiving ours, we all became concerned. Everyone’s luggage was coming out, except ours, but it was saran-wrapped. Did the Cubans know something we didn’t? Hour two passed, and still no luggage. After hour three, we found someone who spoke English and Spanish and they happily informed us what the PA system had been announcing since we arrived: Our luggage was on a second plane that had just left Miami.

During hour four of our wait we learned why our luggage was on the second plane. During President George W. Bush’s administration, the Cuban-Americans were strictly regulated as to how many times they could visit Cuba, and what they could bring. During Obama’s administration, the Cuban-Americans had less restriction, and were allowed to bring whatever they wanted within the limits of the airlines.

Apparently, every Cuban-American on our flight brought the maximum allowable luggage along, which was what had been saran-wrapped. They brought everything from food, to clothing, to medicine, and even several flat-screen TVs. So much luggage had been checked, that a second plane was sent from Miami to Cuba with nothing but extra luggage. Four hours, two planes, and hundreds of saran-wrapped packages later, we finally retrieved our luggage.

Hotel Presidente
We left the airport terminal and made our way through an emotional crowd of Cubans at the entrance to the airport. Many of the Cubans were emotional because, for most of them, it was the first time they were being reunited with their family after many years apart. We made it to our permanent tour bus for the trip, and met our assigned guide, Jesus (pronounced Hay-Zeus). He said we could pronounce it like the Christian version if we felt he was that great.

We travelled via bus to our hotel, the “Hotel Presidente,” where we would spend the next four nights. We were greeted by the hotel manager, who welcomed us to Cuba, and then proceeded to exchange our money. We were told that we could not exchange U.S. dollars in Cuba. Our money was exchanged in Miami to the Euro, and our Euros were exchanged at the hotel for Cuban pesos (aka CUCs).

Our luggage was taken to our rooms, and we travelled via bus to Old Havana, for a quick night-time tour, and dinner at “La Imprenta,” an old printing company, turned restaurant. After a dinner of Banana Cream and Garlic Soup, and Jambalaya with mashed plantains and rice, we returned to our hotel and called it a night.

Next time: Revolutionary Square, the City of the Dead, and hand-rolled cigars …

Havana, Cuba

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Day 2
(Posted Nov. 22, 2012)

Revolutionary Square
After much-needed rest, and a quick breakfast, we headed off to our first stop of the day in Havana, Cuba. We visited the “Revolutionary Square,” which could be compared to the Washington, D.C. Mall, but not nearly as large or glamorous, although the Cubans believe everything in their country is bigger and better than what we have in the United States.

The Square consisted of a monument of Jose Marti and his memorial tower, the highest point in Havana, along with the Cuban library, fine arts center, army headquarters, economic building (formerly the lottery headquarters), communications headquarters, and intelligence headquarters. The Office of the President could be seen in the distance.

The City of the Dead
We then travelled to the “City of the Dead,” for a very dramatic tour. Our tour guide explained to us that all the millionaires of Cuba wanted to be buried on “Millionaire’s Row.” This is where Christopher Columbus was buried, before being relocated to Spain. It was considered prestigious to be buried closer to Christopher Columbus, thus the wealthiest of the wealthy were laid next to him. The services for all of the funerals take place at a beautiful yellow church at the center of the cemetery. Approximately 36 or more services take place every Sunday.

Our next stop was an old fort, located at the entrance to Havana’s harbor. Here we had a history lesson on the fort, and also toured a cigar store, where every cigar is hand rolled. It is also the home to the Guinness World Record for the longest cigar.

The Model House
After leaving the fort, we travelled by bus to “The Model House.” Inside this house was a huge, exact replica of Havana, Cuba, built to 1/1000of the actual size. We were taken on a tour of Havana, using the model.

Lunch was at the “Friendship House,” our host for our trip in Cuba. We then toured Old Havana during the daytime, by foot, stopping for rest at a hotel where Ernest Hemingway frequented. The rest of the day was down time, before we had dinner at the “Jazz Café.” We enjoyed a wonderful meal, while listening to Jazz musicians of Havana, Cuba.

Next time: Hemingway, the Revolution and China Town

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Day 3
(posted Nov. 28, 2011)

Today, we started by touring Ernest Hemingway’s hotel room in Old Havana, Cuba. We got to see his belongings, including his typewriter, where many of his famous stories came to life. We continued the day by travelling to the other side of the harbor to see a gigantic statue of Jesus, which greeted the sailors as they came to port. The designer, a woman, wanted the statue to be larger than the one in Brazil; however, the statue had to be completely blocked by the hillside to prevent damage from annual hurricanes.

From here, we travelled to another bay, where Ernest Hemingway wrote “The Old Man, and the Sea.” Here we ate an interesting lunch, while surrounded by pictures of the man many believe is the inspiration for the old man in the novel.

Our next stop was the revolution museum. This building was originally the presidential palace, for Batista. There were many remnants of the Cuban Revolution, including many bullet holes, when Batista was overthrown. We saw the presidential desk, and a secret passageway where Batista managed to escape.

Dinner was on our own tonight, and the group decided to travel to Havana’s Chinatown. We travelled by taxi, an interesting adventure in itself. The Chinatown was much like what you would see anywhere, however, it was much smaller. The restaurants only extended down a few blocks on the same street. After dinner, we took the taxis back to the hotel, for much-needed down time.

Because Americans cannot travel to Cuba as tourists, we maintained an Academic status, thus our days had to be completely filled with activities. So as you can imagine, most of us were worn out by the day’s end.

Next time: Voting in Cuba and the best sandwich you’ve ever had …

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Day 4
(Posted Nov. 29, 2011)

The Union of Jurists

Today was a short but informational day. We met with the Union of Jurists – experts on Cuba’s legal system. We were granted an open discussion with the Jurists, and all of us used the opportunity to ask many questions. Throughout the meeting we became educated on many topics. Here are just a few:

Regarding the right to vote, one must be 16;  one must be 18 to run for office. Women are granted equal rights in this process. The only people who cannot vote are those with legal sanctions, such as criminals, or those who lack the mental capacity. It is not mandatory to vote, but it is considered a civic duty. We also found out that over 90 percent of the population votes, and of this percentage, over 95 percent is for Fidel Castro.

Regarding the death penalty, Cuba is slowly moving away from using it on the recommendation of the United Nations. The last time it was used was in 2001 for a case involving piracy. The death penalty can be used for a variety of crimes, and does not have to involve loss of life. For example, drug trafficking is punishable by the death penalty. If the defendant is eligible for the death penalty, the defendant is automatically given a main trial, followed by a second trial, regardless of the findings in the first trial. The high court of Cuba can rule on the process of the trial, but cannot determine guilt or innocence. Fortunately, Cuba has a very low crime rate, and no guns are permitted.

In general, men and women are considered equal – there is no discrimination based on race, religion, sex, etc. Prisoners are given jobs after completing their sentences and are reintegrated into society. The courts supervise all punishment, and have oversight of the prison system, and there are no juries, only a panel of 3-5 elected judges, who serve a term of 4-5 years. They also mentioned that it is difficult to get Cubans to join the police force.

Cuban Sandwiches
After our meeting, we enjoyed lunch at “El Ajibe.” The rest of the day was down time, as this was the last night in Havana for four days. For dinner, Dr. Ayers and student Dustin Staves, along with trustee Jack Wells and his wife Gina, took a taxi to the Hotel National, a five-star hotel, and enjoyed a huge Cuban sandwich. They all say it was one of the best sandwiches they’ve had. Maybe it was just something different from the pork and rice and beans.