Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. This is the fourth post in the series. If you missed the others, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 3

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.

Revolution Museum

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.

A pickup soccer game ...

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

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Students Jonathan Bell and Dustin Staves kept a journal of their activities while in Cuba. This is the second post in the series. If you missed the first post, you can read their account from the beginning. You can also see a full photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.

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Day 1 — Part 2

Saran-Wrapped Luggage

Waiting at the Havana Airport. Check out the wrapped-up lugagge.

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 …

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 is the first post in the series. You can also see a photo gallery of the trip on KWC’s Flickr account.
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Day 1

Landing at the Havana airport for the beginning of the adventure.

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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January 3 – 19, 2012, could be epic for Kentucky Wesleyan College students.

For three short weeks, you get to take the college classes you’ll remember for a lifetime, the classes that aren’t requirements for your major, the classes that you’ll write home about (literally), the classes that are the reason you came to college. And you get to do it all at half the normal tuition rate.

We created Winter Term to let professors and students get out of their traditional class routines and have an adventure or two. Classes change every year — in 2012, try Leadership Through Sailing (in the Virgin Islands, on a working sailboat) or The Tudors (including 10 days of touring in England) or jump into another culture with a international studies trip to Costa Rica.

If international travel isn’t your thing, we’ve got other options right here in Owensboro. Physics and the Arts (the math is easy), Ye Gods and Goddesss (classical mythology) or Musical Theatre (if you’ve always wanted to sing and dance) all promise to be great.

The point? You can have fun and earn credit all at the same time with a winter term class at KWC. Plus, the price is half off. Seriously.

So if you need an extra class to graduate on time or if you want credits at a reduced rate or if you just want to broaden your horizons and have some fun, check out KWC Winter Term 2012 for a world of possibilities.

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Travel classes:

The Tudors (England)
Leadership Through Sailing (Virgin Islands)
Costa Rica

For a full list of other classes available, visit www.kwc.edu/winterterm.

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Details: 

For more info about how to register, when classes meet, tuition costs, etc., visit www.kwc.edu/winterterm. Registration for new students opens November 7 — sign up today!

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Hello all! 

I’ve been very busy lately. The magazine that I work for is free. These types of magazines are really popular in England. They’ve been given the title “freemium,” which sounds really cool if you ever get the chance to say to someone “I work for one of the largest freemium magazines in the county.” You should try it.

Since the magazine is free, they make money from the advertisements sold. My job title is/was the New Media Executive, which basically means that when a sales executive makes a sale or goes to a consultation or when a photographer goes to shoot pictures for the adverts, I tag along and pitch for web marketing and social media marketing. It can even get as abstract as a scratch-and-sniff print add (think restaurant, not plumber).

I’ve been to a few formal events. To be honest, I am kind of shocked and very honored (or honoured as the English would spell it) that the magazine would send someone as new as me to these events. I’ve been to grand openings of hotels where I, get this, get PAID to dress up, drink champagne, and chat with the millionaires that own the hotels. No big deal. Work isn’t necessarily always work. 

It’s moments like these that make me glad that I went to school. Being a young, American female can work for me and work against me. People are always interested that I’m from America. They want to know where I went to school, what I studied, what I plan on doing, etc.

But because I’m young, I think a lot of people (I’m speaking globally, not just the English) find it easy to assume that I don’t know what I’m doing or what I’m talking about. Youth is unfortunately interchangeable with inexperienced. I think that is why the magazine sends me out to these events. One it gives me experience in business matters and social events, and two, other people can see that the magazine hires people from all places and backgrounds. Young people aren’t always naive. And of course the third reason I go to events is to market new media because that’s my job!

But I’m glad that I went to school. Moments like these give me the opportunity to continue learning, but also to prove that I actually DO know some stuff about business. I love the look on people’s faces when I understand the meaning of B2B transactions, the bottom line, margins, turnovers and venture capital. (Don’t know the meaning of these terms? Try taking a few Kentucky Wesleyan business classes!)

Also, another great benefit of being a recent graduate is that I am used to working under the pressure of impending deadlines. Magazines revolve around deadlines. Procrastinating for a few weeks, then working like crazy for the last two weeks is something that college has groomed me for.

Earlier I said that my job title is/was the New Media Executive. What I meant by “was” is that a colleague and I have decided to expand our services into a new project – a sister company, if you will. I really don’t want to go into too much detail yet, because a part of me doesn’t want to jinx the whole thing. I’ll fill you in when I can.

- Shanna

Hello all!  Life is great in England. I’m working hard and playing harder. I couldn’t ask for more. I feel obligated to provide a back-story as to how I came to working in England. So here it goes:

Upon graduating in December, I decided that I needed some freedom (because living away from home for four years – well, three and a half – and then graduating early wasn’t enough). I booked a three week trip to England.

Why England? The pound is a bit weaker than the euro (take Financial Management and International Business, you’ll learn these things) so I wouldn’t deplete my bank account that I worked so hard to build. I didn’t want working at the mall long nights, early mornings, and dealing with kids during the Christmas season to be for nothing.

Also, there isn’t a language barrier. I’m bold enough to travel to another country for three weeks alone, but I am NOT brave enough to do it in a country where I can’t understand anything!

Before I left, I made sure to book in a few places that I definitely wanted to see. London was of course one of them. But, I’m from a small town in Kentucky. I’m not bred for places like London. So I called up a few marketing-oriented businesses all over England. I had a marketing degree, and I wanted to use it.

Luckily, I found a publications office (who I won’t name just in case there are legal issues – I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, but it’s just easier to avoid situations like that before they even begin) who was between employees at the time. They didn’t want to fully train someone new, but they run a magazine, so one thing is important: Deadlines! Deadlines! Deadlines! I was immediately accepted in the short term.

All of this was arranged pretty close to my departure; therefore I didn’t have enough time to fill out a work visa. So I worked as a freelancer, which is the polite way of saying I was paid under the table (See! I knew there was a reason not to name the business I work for!!)

After the three weeks was up, I returned home.

Something they don’t tell you is that it’s HARD to find a job. Well, maybe not. But for someone like me, I just didn’t know where to look. Something else they don’t tell you is be wary if you use careerbuilder.com. It’s full of very few real, decent jobs and completely saturated with crappy jobs that they spin and word it to make you feel like you’re moving into the right direction, even when you’re not.

I finished my resume (with the help of the Career Development Office at KWC – thanks for that, by the way) and posted it online. After a few interviews for jobs that I was sure I didn’t want, I felt pretty low. I even went crawling back to working at the mall a few days a week. I’m very thankful they had me back, but it’s just not something you want to be doing especially after graduating college.

In March, I got a Skype call from England. Word to the wise – get Skype immediately. You can call anywhere for a few cents a minute. Also, if you have a phone, you can buy a local Skype number for less than $20 for three months! My family can call me for free, and I’ve already paid for the three months, so it’s nothing extra. If you’re traveling internationally, Skype is a MUST! OK, I’m done with the commercial …

The publishers I worked for in January were calling. They asked if I was interested in returning for a few months. It would be a similar deal as in January, but for an extended amount of time. I said “YES!! I’ll pack my things.”

I did ask for one favor. Since I signed up for the Spring Break trip to NYC (another fun adventure provided by KWC), I wouldn’t be able to travel in March. And then my graduation ceremony was in May. I thought “Well, I’ve waited this long to work, might as well wait some more.” Plus, you only get to walk in your graduation once, unless you are ambitious and get more degrees. So I asked if I could stay until graduation.

The rest is pretty obvious. I made it to the UK, started working and now I’m writing this!

If I anyone takes anything from my blogs it should be this: don’t be afraid to throw yourself into an adventure. Sometimes it’s hard to know what you want to do in life, so until then, just do everything.

- Shanna

Dr. Connor (far left) and his students at PITTCON

 Dr. Henry Connor, Professor of Chemistry at KWC, recently took four KWC chemistry majors to PITTCON (the Pittsburgh Conference), held in Orlando, Florida.

PITTCON is an analytical chemistry meeting that includes the largest exposition of scientific equipment in the world. About 20,000 people attend. The first conference was in Pittsburgh but it soon outgrew the facilities in Pitt.  It now moves annually between Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta and Orlando.

The KWC contingent (Dr. Connor, plus Ben Wilson, Alycia Lynch, Stacy Webb and Ashley Humphrey) left Owensboro on Friday, Feb. 26. After more than a dozen hours of driving, they arrived the next day in Orlando. 

The group went to the beach the next morning before launching full-speed into the conference that afternoon (Feb. 28) and returning home on March 3.

 This is the tenth time Dr. Connor has taken students to PITTCON. In 2008 they went to New Orleans — next year’s conference is in Atlanta.

A few photos from the trip:

At Coco Beach

Students with PITTCON info

Sales rep demonstrating a product

Students with NASA Rover

Click here to find out more about opportunities through KWC’s Chemistry Department.

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February 1st marked the start of my first full calendar month away from home and outside the United States. It’s easy to forget that I’m in a foreign country until I step outside and no one is speaking English. School is still uneventful and tiresome. I very much enjoy the first teacher, as she explains grammar concepts very well, and with some English if we need it. The second teacher knows hardly any English and only explains things in Italian. While being immersed in a language is the best way to learn it, no one learns to swim by being thrown in the deep end while someone shouts instructions from the lifeguard stand. That’s what it feels like anyway.

This afternoon, I researched a lot on the ski trip to Interlaken that we’re planning in a few weeks. I’m getting really pumped about hitting the slopes at Jungfrau

Tuesday was one of the best days I’ve had since I’ve gotten here. Class was nothing to sneeze at, although I’m still blowing my nose like it’s my job. After class, we went to the academic gallery and saw the original Statue of David in all his Apollo-esque glory.

The highlight of my day came afterwards though, when I walked with some friends up to Piazza di Michelangelo, a square up on a hill at the northwest corner of Firenze, overlooking the city. It was the most beautiful sight that I’ve seen since being in the duomo. Words and not even pictures can truly describe the view.

 

 The next day, we took another bus trip to a winery near Sienna. The wine tasting definitely was the highlight of the day. We sampled four different wines while we were there, and my table got seconds. The bus ride back was loud…and then quiet.

Thursday saw much rain and cloudiness to cover Firenze, and the extra two hours of class did not help anyone’s mood. Friday was our last day of class. I went to the first session with Constanza to review for our final. That evening we signed forms in preparation for going to Roma, and received a map, more housing info and a bus ticket.

Saturday was one of the longest days I’ve had thus far. I was up early at the usual time to eat breakfast, pack the last few things, and check out of my room. I then headed over to the school early so I could do some extra study for the final. The test itself was very straightforward and I feel confident that I did well.

Kids slowly drifted back to the hotel with food, preparing to leave on one of four buses, departing at fifteen minute intervals. Last night we learned our bus assignments, made in accordance with our housing. I grabbed lunch at a kebob place down the street from our hotel, and enjoyed my last meal in Firenze. The bus ride to Rome turned into the most successful bus nap I’ve had in a while. We parked on the southwestern outskirts of the city, where AIFS coordinators had taxis coming in at a relatively constant flow rate, each designated to take us to our various apartments.

The five of us finally got our taxis and got to our apartment, and it was absolutely the coolest flat I have ever seen. We have two large common areas, a kitchen, and three bedrooms. The walkthrough of our apartment is as follows (skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to read this): there is a dining room area as the first room when you enter; on the opposing corner, you walk down the hallway, there is a bathroom with a tub and a washing machine on the right, then the kitchen on the right, two steps down the large living room on the left; straight ahead is one of the double bedrooms, and to the right, through the kitchen and left, is the single bedroom; right and into the living room, you walk across the room, and there is a very narrow, very steep, concrete spiral staircase; down just a few steps is a bathroom that redefines the word tiny; the whole room is a small shower, with a sink and toilet included; up the stairs is another double bedroom.

 Through an almost hour-long discussion process that is hardly worth repeating, I got the single room. The five of us unpacked and moved in, something I have been looking forward to for almost three weeks. We then walked down to a local supermarket to buy some groceries – a convenient five-minute trot from our flat. After stocking up, we then tap-danced around each other in the kitchen, fixing our pastas, salads and sandwiches before sitting around our dining room table, eating together as flat-mates for the first and most likely last time.

 After dinner I grabbed a map and plotted a surprisingly short route to the Vatican. Standing in front of St. Peter’s Basilica was one of the most humbling and awe inspiring experiences of my Catholic life. I absolutely cannot wait to go back (as I will many times in the next three months) and even go inside, and assist at Holy Mass there.

 On a side note, “when in Rome” has quickly become the most overused phrase in our group …

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For more on the opportunities available through the KWC Biology department, click here.

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January 8, 2010

 –Ben Allen–

Today was our first day on the mainland, after a slightly eventful plane ride in. Clarissa Falls Resort is the name of the place where we are staying – it’s a quaint little place with some bungalows and an outdoor patio dinning area. After a delicious breakfast of local fruits, eggs and some fried pastry, we embarked on our hike along the banks of the Mopan river toward Xunantunich, a Mayan ruin.

The hike was about two miles and was awesome. Along the way we saw many local species including leaf cutter ants, parrots and a variety of cranes. Our guide, Chenna, was the owner of the resort, and was very knowledgeable of the area. Chenna told lots of interesting stories and remedies the local flora is used for, such as the plant that makes castor oil.

Once we reached the park that Xunantunich sits on, we rode a ferry across the river. It was another short mile hike up the hill to the ruins. As soon as you enter the ruin complex you see the main tower standing about 250 feet tall, sticking out of the forest canopy. We all ascended the building – it was pretty intense since there was nothing but a six-inch wide stone step between you and the ground hundreds of feet below. Once you get to the top you can see for miles; the view is breath taking, with Guatemala on one side, Belize on the other, forest all around.

We explored the rest of the ruins seeing the ball courts and the other two temples, which were less impressive but still intriguing. We then hiked back down to the river where we were met with a quick lunch and inner tubes. We proceeded to venture down the Mopan on the tubes. It was very relaxing and we got to see several iguanas sunning themselves up in the tree tops and blue herring fishing. There were some minor rapids that we had to traverse but only a few people flipped, with their pride the only thing hurt. We spent about two hours on the river before arriving at our resort.

We were fed a delicious dinner of some local chicken dish and rice. On the way back to my bungalow I happened upon a large tarantula that happened to be a red rump, which was a species John Grieb had presented on in class. So I captured it in a bag and brought it back to the dinning area where Dr. Rosemier handled it and we passed it around being sure to be gentle so not to get bitten, even though a bite is only like a bee sting. Of course lots of picture were taken.

Well that’s all for today – lots of fun, very tiring, time to hit the sack. Heading to San Pedro tomorrow.

–Christine Spear—

Today was a very full day – we had the opportunity to take a guided walk, go to see the Mayan Ruins, and then tube down a river back to the place we were staying.

When we arrived outside of the jungle area, we had some time to walk around and take a quick look at some of the stores.

To get to the Ruins we had quite a hike. Starting off, the trip was easy – all we had to do was go on a ferry and cross the river. When we crossed the river there was a very big hill awaiting us, and when we made it up the hill there was an even steeper hill waiting for us.

On this hill two girls in our group decided they were going to race up it. This turned out to be quite hysterical because as they were going up they had a good pace then near the very end they both died very quickly. When we finally made it to the top of the hill, the rest was a very gradual incline that made the trip seem not nearly as bad as it was.

We reached a spot where we could buy tickets to enter into the Mayan area, but to our dismay we still had some hiking left to do. When we finally reached the site, it was amazing. The stone buildings were so high and the architecture for that time was very impressive.

So, naturally we all found the tallest of the three areas and started climbing up it. We all got to the top, where it seemed like we were on top of the world. It felt like I could see for forever in every direction. You could easily see houses and fields in the distance; it was quite spectacular.

Then it was time for the descent. Going down did not seem to take nearly as long as going up did. When we reached the bottom, we were able to grab a small snack before we grabbed tubes and got into the river. Drifting on the river was very relaxing and very fun. Finally we got back to the house and rested and grabbed some food.

The trip has been a lot of fun and very interesting. We have learned a lot from the people here and have had the chance to experience many new things.

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