Each time I walk into an airport I get scared–heart-pounding kind of scared. I get nervous about all the possible things that could go wrong, like losing my passport, missing my flight and the inevitability of forgetting a full water bottle in my bag before going through security. I also don’t have a ton of experience flying; I can count the number of airports I have been through on one hand. Despite these things, I have loved the idea of traveling since I was a little kid. As I get older I have wanted to see more of the United States (outside of the North East) and also to travel outside the United States. My choice to study abroad in Latin America and the Caribbean was an easy one. I have always been curious about my mother’s experience living in Colombia before she moved to the United States.
I did not grow up speaking Spanish, but my household was always full of the Spanish language. My aunts, uncles, brother and grandmother, all of whom were born and raised in Colombia, were always around. Because of this, learning Spanish has always been a goal. In an attempt to combine my Africana studies major with my desire to learn Spanish, I applied to study abroad at the Autonomous University of Social Movements (AUSM) in Havana, Cuba. The program adopts a social justice framework for learning abroad. An integral component of the AUSM study abroad experience is the homestay with Cuban families, which was my favorite part of the whole experience.
After facing my fear and making the relatively short flight from Boston Logan International Airport to the José Martí International Airport in Havana, I was met by the director of the Cuban program Daisy Rojas who told me and my roommate, Essence, to follow her to a taxi outside. Essence and I were both wide-eyed during the short drive to the municipality Marianao, where we stayed for our whole trip. In Marianao, I met my host family. My host family was big. Not only did a lot of family members live in my house, but my host family was so popular that there was a constant influx of neighbors, relatives and hairstyling clients.
My host family consisted of nine people: grandparents Lidia and Ariel; their son Wilfredo and his partner Isver; Ariel and Lidia’s daughter, Mercedes, and her husband; along with their sons, Dariel and Liam, and Liam’s wife, Leidi. Almost every day I spent breakfast, lunch and dinner with my host family. At first, my roommate and I spoke minimal Spanish and although my host family was extremely welcoming, it was sometimes awkward not being able to communicate. I was encouraged every day to practice my Spanish, and eventually I was able to understand almost everything in my day-to-day conversations. After a couple of weeks, I truly felt like a member of the family. Not only would we eat meals together (the home-cooked meals were the best meals I had abroad) but we also watched TV together, walked along the streets in our city together, picked up groceries together, or just chatted about life and politics. Essence and I would often joke and say “Somos Cubanos!”, which means “We’re Cubans!”, to which the host family would reply “Somos Cubanos!”
My host family and I laughed together, cried together, danced together and celebrated birthdays together. We threw a send-off celebration for our host brother when he left to live in the United States and told stories about our lives. Although it is difficult to describe in a short post how much my Cuban family meant to me, I am certain that they are some of the biggest-hearted and hardest working people I have met. They are always there for each other, their neighbors, American students and whoever else happens upon their house on 100 and 61st Street. Leaving my host family, without knowing for certain when I can return, was difficult, to say the least, but I now feel that Soy Cubana (I am Cuban) and I can't wait to travel back soon.
Left to Right: Wilfredo, Isver, Leidi, Chino, Merci, my dad Charlie, my mom Martha, Me, Essence, Lidia, and Ariel
“Somos Cubanos!”: Spanish traslation
Siendo honesta, me pánico cada vez que me toca viajar. Apenas entró al aeropuerto, mi corazón late más rápido y me imagino todas las cosas que podrían salir mal: perder mi pasaporte, que me deje el avión, o dejar una botella de agua mientras pasó la inspección de seguridad. La verdad es que tampoco soy una viajera experta… puedo contar los aeropuertos en que he estado con los dedos de la mano. Sin embargo, desde muy pequeña me ha encantado la idea de viajar, conocer Estados Unidos y el mundo.
Así que para mi intercambio de la Universidad, decidí escoger un destino latinoamericano, en el Caribe. Mi madre es Colombiana, pero emigró a Estados Unidos hace muchos años. Por eso, su experiencia de vida siempre ha sido un misterio para mi. Mi casa siempre ha tenido una influencia latina. Mis familiares hablan español, ya que muchos de ellos fueron criados en Colombia. Por eso, siempre he querido aprender a hablar esta lengua. Así que tomé la oportunidad del intercambio de la universidad para combinar mis Estudios Africanos y aprender español aplicando al programa de Universidad de Estudios Autónomos de Movimientos Sociales en la Havana, Cuba. El programa incorpora su aprendizaje de justicia social y la vivienda en familias Cubanas para los estudiantes del programa.
Sobrevivir el vuelo corto de Boston Logan Airport a José Martí Aeropuerto Internacional en La Havana, fue un reto. Al llegar, la directora del programa, Daisy Rojas, nos recogió a mi y a mi compañera de cuarto Essence, en un taxi. Durante el trayecto, las dos estábamos boquiabiertas por la belleza del lugar. Al llegar a Marianao, el sitio donde nos quedamos todo el programa, conocí a mi familia anfitriona. Esta consistía de nueve integrantes: los abuelos, Lidia y Ariel; su hijo Wilfredo y pareja Isver; su hija Mercedes y pareja con sus hijos Daniel y Liam. La familia era tan popular, que la casa siempre estaba llena de familiares, vecinos y hasta peluqueros!
Casi todos los días, mi compañera de cuarto y yo comíamos con la familia. Al principio, ninguna de las dos podía comunicarse en español. Por eso, las conversaciones eran un poco incómodas. Con el transcurso de las semanas, y gracias la hospitalidad y amabilidad de la familia, aprendí a comprender casi todas mis conversaciones diarias. Después de tan solo unas cuantas semanas, me sentía parte de la familia: cocinabamos, veíamos televisión, exploramos la ciudad, hacíamos mercado y conversábamos de política y la vida juntos.
Essence y yo teníamos un chiste. Decíamos, “somos Cubanos!”; a lo que la familia huésped contestaba, “somos Cubanos!”. Todos llorábamos, reíamos, bailábamos y celebrabamos juntos. Hasta le hicimos una fiesta de despedida a mi hermano huésped cuando se fue de intercambio a E.U. Es difícil describir la importancia que es esta familia tiene en mi. Sin embargo, tengo la certeza que son unas de las personas más trabajadoras y amorosos que he conocido. Su lealtad y generosidad hacia los demás es admirable. Cuando finalmente llegó el momento de despedirme, tuve un sentimiento abrumador. No sé cuando volveré a verlos, pero se que esta increíble experiencia me ha hecho sentir Cubana. No puedo esperar regresar, y decir, “soy Cubana” de todo corazón!
